Where can Kanban be embedded in the organizational context? Sounds like an easy question, however, it is not always easy to answer - especially in bigger organizations. In this session I will introduce the Kanban Flight Levels model which provides an overview of the different fields of application of Kanban and helps to understand the implications for the organizational context. Furthermore, the model helps to clarify where to start with your Kanban change initiative: on team level, on the value stream, or on portfolio level - every level has it's own challenges, pros and cons.

1. Kanban Flight Levels
Lean Kanban Central Europe Conference, Nov 5, 2013!
Dr. Klaus Leopold!
web: www.LEANability.com!
blog: www.klausleopold.com!
mail: klaus.leopold@LEANability.com
twitter: @klausleopold!

2. Principles!
1. Start with what you do no
w!
2. Agree to pursue increme
ntal, evolutionary change!
3. Initially, respect current p
rocesses, roles,
responsibilities and job titles!
4. Encourage leadership on
all levels in the organizatio
n
Where does this fit into your company?
Practices!
1. Make work visible!
2. Limit work in progress (WIP)!
3. Manage flow!
4. Make process policies explicit!
5. Implement feedback mechanisms!
s)
6. Improve collaboratively (using model
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

3. Kanban Flight Levels?
"We would like to introduce the new Agile method Kanban
to improve our team performance."!
• Kanban is NOT an Agile method!
•
- ...companies improve their agility with Kanban!
Kanban DOES NOT focus on teams!
- ...can be applied on team-level!
• Flight Levels is a communication tool!
- shows the possibilities you have with Kanban!
- can be used to clarify where to start with Kanban
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

4. flight level 1: organizational unit, uncoordinated input
Design
Development
TEAM/DEPARTMENT
@klausleopold
Test
!! URGENT
www.LEANability.com
!!

5. fact sheet: flight level 1
• main characteristics!
- team or department level!
- input is not coordinated!
- push from outside!
- a lot of work on the table
• advantages!
- simple start, "Guerrilla Kanban"!
- focus on finishing work!
- improved visibility & communication
- improved team efficiency
• disadvantages!
- working on the wrong things!
- many expedite requests!
- imbalance of demand and capability
- a lot of re-prioritization
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

6. flight level 2: organizational unit with coordinated input
WITH INPUT QUEUE
LIMITED
INPUT QUEUE
SYSTEM
Input
Design
Development
Test
TEAM/DEPARTMENT
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

7. fact sheet: flight level 2
• main characteristics!
- team or department level!
- input is coordinated!
- pull from the outside/upstream!
- modern change management
required
• advantages!
- demand and capability is being balanced!
- working on the right things more efficiently!
- less re-prioritization, less expedite work
• disadvantages!
- local optimization
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

8. sw dev
it ops
sales
marketing
prod dev
hw dev
pm
it ops
sw dev
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

9. customer wish: write a love letter
team 1
team 2
team 3
team 4
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

10. customer wish: write a love letter
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

11. flight level 3: value stream
customer input
Sales
customer value
Clarification
Realization
Delivery
Design
Development
Completion
Test
TEAM/DEPARTMENT
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

12. fact sheet: flight level 3
• main characteristics!
- optimization of (parts of)
the value stream!
- (more) global optimization!
- pull across the value stream!
- modern change management
required
• advantages!
- optimization of the interaction of teams/departments!
- doing the right thing at the right time!
- significant reduction of queue sizes!
- balancing demand vs. capability across the value stream
• disadvantages!
- often focus on project goals only
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

13. flight level 4: portfolio
Project 1
Sales
Clarification
Realization
Delivery
Completion
Project 2
Sales
Clarification
Realization
Delivery
Completion
Project 3
Sales
Clarification
Realization
Delivery
Completion
Development
Delivery
Product 1
Research
Marketing
Development
Product 2
Delivery
Research
Marketing
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

14. fact sheet: flight level 4
• main characteristics!
- optimization of portfolio!
- multi-project, multi-customer
risk decisions!
- more stop-and-go than flow!
- often quite easy to start with
• advantages!
- making conscious business decisions about projects/customers!
- focus on business goals and not on project goals !
- stop starting, start finishing of projects
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

15. Example
flight level 3!
must be a huge system!!
how do they coordinate?
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

16. Department
1
Department
7
j
j
j
jj
j
j
Department
6
Department
2
Department
5
Department
3
Department
4
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

17. j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
j
Department 1
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

18. j
j j
j
j j
j j
j
j
Departmen
t1
@klausleopold
j j
j
tment
Depar
3
Department
2
www.LEANability.com

19. Conclusions
• the flight levels model...!
- is a communication tool!
- shows what's possible with Kanban!
- helps to clarify where to start with Kanban!
• flight levels is NOT a maturity model!
- Kanban practices on flight level 1 could be deeper than
on flight level 3!
• flight level 1: organizational unit, uncoordinated input!
• flight level 2: organizational unit, coordinated input!
• flight level 3: value stream!
• flight level 4: portfolio
@klausleopold
www.LEANability.com

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