Presentation by Craig Smith delivered at Agile Encore 2013 in Melbourne on 14 November 2013. Using task boards or story walls is a key Agile practice, but are you making the most of it? Visual Management is more than just putting cards on a wall, it is a growing style of management that focuses on managing work only by what you can see rather than reports or paper being shuffled around. Visual Management allows you to understand the constraints in the system, mitigate risks before they become issues, report on progress from the micro to the macro. Visual Management can also be used to demonstrate to customers and clients where the work they care about is at. This presentation is all about taking the management of your work to the next stage of transparency.

1. Craig Smith

2. Welcome…
Renee Troughton
@agilerenee
Image: © DIC Entertainment http://www.imisstheoldschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/inspector-gadget-the-original-series-20060223115624749-000.jpg

3. Image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V6LkCqRzKsg/URgIsr021-I/AAAAAAAAAl0/xDTQYFNRo84/s1600/captain_obvious_by_stuartmcghee-d5mbxhw.jpg
WARNING!
Much of
this may
seem
obvious

4. But…
We see
Crime
Scene
Walls
every
day!
Image: © Jerry Bruckheimer Television
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/8600000/CSI-Las-Vegas-Episode-10-06-Promotional-Photos-csi-8615465-2000-1331.jpg

5. What Is Visual Management?
“
…information
is
communicated
by
using visual signals
instead of texts or
other
written
instructions.
The
design
is
deliberate in allowing
quick recognition of
the information being
communicated,
in
order
to
increase
efficiency and clarity.
Everyday
Visual
Management
Image: © Charles M. Schulz / Universal UClick http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FYLeQ4ABYTA/TP5pZEWX29I/AAAAAAAAH_Q/167AW75OrHE/s1600/a_charlie_brown_christmas_13.jpg
http://www.thebestodds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/hawks.jpg http://blog.toyota.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Kanban.jpg

6. Effective
retention
3 days after
a meeting
Spoken word only
Visual + Oral
Human Learning Retention
Taste
Hearing Smell
Touch
Visual
Why It Is Important

7. The flow today
Flow
Management
Complexity
Thinking
The Zone
Gamification
Usability
Final
Thoughts

8. Visual Management:
Flow Management
Image: © Thunderbox Films http://qfxblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/kenny.jpg

9. To Do
Analysis
Develop
The Basic Flow
Test
Done
Agile
101 tells
us to
build a
wall like
this

10. To Do
Analysis
Develop
Test
Done
Often
results in
this
The Basic Flow
11

11. Avoid The Agile Waterfall

12. Clear Instructions
Instructions
for adding a
card
Development Done:
• Code complete & reviewed
• Unit Tests pass & complete
• Acceptance Tests pass &
complete
• Checked in & build success
• Documentation updated
Instructions
for pushing
a card to
next queue

13. Multi-Sprint Backlog
Can see a little
further down the
road…

14. Manage
your work
via WIP
Groom
your
backlog
as you go
Works
well for
Kanban
(but
iterative
as well)
Horizon & Queues

15. Story Map Backlog
Map out the
features and
dependencies
required
Map out features
on a wall

16. Value Tree Backlog
Single Feature,
bottom up growth

17. Visualising the
priorities for
multiple product
owners
Multiple P/O Backlog

18. Doing
Done
To Do
Timeline Board

19. Build / Measure / Learn
Repeat
Lean Startup Board
C

20. Done by
Cycle
Time
Done by
Time
Done By…

21. Done Burn…
vs
versus
Are we on
track for end
of iteration?

22. Limited WIP
of 3
Tracks
stories &
tasks
Hourglass

23. Scrum Hero
As part of a
larger zone
Limited WIP
of 8

24. Doing
Representative
size
Done!
To Do
Balloon Board

25. LEGO Portfolio Board
DUPLO holes = Expected size
(people)
Lower level =
Number of
people
needed
Upper level =
Number of
people
allocated
LEGO
colour =
Skill
type
Divider
height =
control
level for
gate
DUPLO height = Expected
value/ROI
DUPLO colour = Business
domain

26. LEGO Portfolio Board
Lego Portfolio Management
Why
Are
Doing
This?
Why
Are
Doing
This?
High
Depend,
High Risk
Under
Resource
Idle
People

27. Back At
Build boards to
Work? visualise problems
that you have
Keep it simple, but
visual
Keep
experimenting (or
refine your
awesomeness)
Image: © Thunderbox Films http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2007/09/27/kenny460.jpg

28. Visual Management:
The Zone
Image: © Paramount Pictures http://www.sorrisi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/School-of-rock.jpg

29. Task
Board
Story
Wall
Which means work
items should not be
called tasks, user
stories or
kanbans…
Kanban
Board
They are things on
a wall.
What’s In A Name?

30. Who Cares About
Transparency?
Management
The Team
The Customer
Which teams need my
support to remove
blockers and waste?
What do I need to
work on now?
Where is my work at?

31. Metrics
People
Visual
Management
Zone
Environment
Knowledge
Artefacts
Flow Zone
What’s Makes up
the Zone?
R

32. The Zone:
Metrics
Cumulative
Flow
Diagram
500
Burn Up
Chart
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Scope (points)
0 8
11 11
44
7
56
31
43.5 48
42
85
65
36.5
63 55
58.5 55
36.5
50
50
50
0
#01, 03-Dec #02, 21-Dec #03, 15-Jan #04, 25-Jan #05, 08-Feb #06, 22-Feb #07, 08Mar
#08, 22- #09, 05-Apr #10, 19-Apr #11, 03Mar
May
#12, 17May

33. Lobster
Lunch
Risk Heat
Map
Now
Targeting
The Zone:
Metrics

34. Code
Climate
Sonar
The Zone:
Metrics

35. Qualitative &
Quantitative
Maturity
Assessment
The Zone:
Metrics

36. Mood
Chart
Leave
Calendars
Capability /
Dev Plan
The Zone:
People
R

37. The Zone:
Environment
Client
Mood
Environment
Status
Build
Status
C

38. State
Diagrams
Database
Diagrams
The Zone:
Knowledge Artefacts
R

39. The Zone:
Flow Zone
Blackboard
Whiteboard

40. Back At
Work?
Seek forgiveness,
rather than
permission
Visual
management isn’t
just a flow board
Your key artefacts
should be visible
in the zone
Image: © Paramount Pictures http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/schoolofrock.jpg

41. Visual Management:
Complexity Thinking
Image: © Warner Bros. Pictures http://www.intellimusica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Inception-Top-Wallpaper-Sohan-Surag.jpg

42. So What Flow To Use?
No Visual
Management?
Basic Flow?
Process
Flow?

43. At Home
• Predictable
• No Expert
Required
Simple
La Marzocco
• Predictable
• Expert
Required
Complicated
World Barista
Championships
• Unpredictable
• Expert
Required
Complex
Complex Coffee

44. Coffee At Home
At Home
• Predictable
• No Expert
Required
Simple
Is Visual
Management
needed?

45. La Marzocco
• Predictable
• Expert
Required
Complicated
Is Visual Management needed?
To Do
Doing
Large Latte
2 sugars
Flat White
Macchiato
1 Sugar
Done
Cappuccino
2 Sugars
Large Latte
2 sugars
Expresso
Variability
is Small
Coffee At A Coffee Shop

46. Coffee At A Coffee Shop
To Do
Doing
Large Latte
2 sugars
Flat White
Macchiato
1 Sugar
Done
Cappuccino
2 Sugars
Large Latte
2 sugars
Expresso
Variability
is Small

47. • Unpredictable
• Expert
Required
World Barista
Championships
Complex
Is Visual Management needed?
To Do
Get
Stop
tablecloth
Doing
Order
cups
Test new
roast (day
7)
Dependency
Management
Test new
roast (day
8)
Test new
roast (day
9)
Waiting
Diffuser
delivery
Significant
Variability
Events Block
Flow
Done
Test
Kenyan
Roast
Extended
Flow
Championship Coffee

48. Systemic Flow Mapping
Net Mapping
(Stakeholders)
Systemic
Mapping
(Organisation)
Image: http://www.infoq.com/resource/articles/net-map/en/resources/NetMap-Example.jpg
http://solutioneers.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/systemic-flow-mapping-early-synergystic.png

49. Back At
Choose the
Work? complexity of your
work to determine
the complexity of
your board
Some work may
cross over
complexity
boundaries
Image: © Warner Bros. Pictures http://filmjournal.net/100films/files/2010/08/2010_inception_014-1.jpg

50. Visual Management:
Usability
Image: © 20th Century Fox http://www.ropewalksliverpool.com/images/made/uploads/images/6432-minorityreport_600_super_725_340_90_s_c1.jpg

51. Why do we
care about
usability for
software?
Why don’t we
care about
usability in
visual
management?
Visual Management:
Usability
Image: © 20th Century Fox http://www.tomcruise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/tom-cruise-minority-report2.jpg

52. Index Cards
Have a low
variability in sizes
and shapes of
cards

53. As a creator of user stories
I want to use the right coloured
pen
So that it is quicker for the
brain to read
Use a pen that
works!
Use a strong
contrast of pen to
index colour
As a creator of user stories
I want to use the right coloured
pen
So that it is quicker for the
brain to read
Colour Contrast

54. Writing Style
As a creator of user stories
I want to write neatly
So that it is quicker for the brain to
read and recognise the work
Although…
Research shows
hard to read fonts
promote better
recall.
Go figure…
Write neatly or print
cards.
Size does matter!
As a creator of user stories
I want to write neatly
So that it is quicker for the
brain to read and recognise the
work

55. Use real photos not
characters or
images
Renee T
Although, balance
this with fun or
team theme.
Tokens to
determine status
Avatars

56. User Story Templates
As Craig
I want my picture used for my persona
So that it is quicker to recognise all the
work for me
Be consistent with layout
and template
Think different
Put the value first
Don’t write two words or
the solution!
Use pictures / graphics
for personas
Use bold / underline to
emphasise quick searching
In order for it to be quicker to recognise
all the work for me
As Craig
I want my picture used for my persona

57. Can you zoom in on an
area of interest?
Can you stand back and
see the whole flow?
Board Size
Continuous Delivery
is looking left and
right!
Avoid Water-ScrumFall

58. Board Contrast
Ensure that flow lines
are not higher in
contrast than the work
items
Have a strong contrast
between the work
items and the surface
behind them
Painters tape

59. Create
relatedness of
sections through
colours
Create
relatedness of
queues through
shading
Paint or
Cardboard
Board Relatedness

60. Back At
Work?
Think about
design when
initiating a team
Find solutions that
are quick but
effective
Good design ==
faster response ==
faster delivery
Image: © 20th Century Fox http://www.zuguide.com/images/10654/10654.0.570.359.jpg

61. Visual Management:
Gamification

62. Should
work
be
fun?
Image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BQOFvq6Glsk/TWUDjAesz0I/AAAAAAAAADM/cFJWykp8ADM/s1600/fun+at+work.jpg

63. Achievements Wall
I don’t mind a good game
of blackjack too
.
All cards on the team’s flow
board have estimates
against them
The only way is up!
The Cumulative Flow
Diagram has been
consistently updated
each day for four weeks
.

64. Broken
Build
Hat
IDE Broken
Build Messages
Get Out…
Free Cards
Gaming Development

65. Back At
Work?
Make work fun!
Choose your
gaming to the
environment and
the people
Intrinsic
motivation trumps
extrinsic driven
goals
Image: http://www.agent-x.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Pacman_on_twitter-0723634-218bc0c.jpg

66. Image: http://www.laboratoriopop.com.br/imagensUpload/45189434231.jpg
Final Thoughts

67. Probably not!
Is my
wall
telling
me the
whole
story?
Start by mapping the
flow
Keep adjusting
Image: http://ctparentingclass.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/lets-talk-post-it-notes-300x199.jpg

68. Always go back to the
zone for discussions
about work
Lead others by
example and take all
meetings or status
updates to the wall
Image: http://www.romanpichler.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000014624446Medium.jpg
Reinforce
the
zone

69. But my team is distributed…
Like distributed
Agile, it takes
more work!
You need an
electronic zone
The default tool
dashboards are
average
Image: http://ezylearn.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lonely-office-man-003.jpg

70. Image: © Bays & Thomas Productions http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sLp9UDsboyU/TWExLggxICI/AAAAAAAAAp4/53_rS2PrzPM/s1600/Barney+Stinson+Quotes.jpg
Spend your effort wisely…

71. Our
ultimate
goal is to
deliver
value &
good
quality!
Image: © Miller-Milkis Productions http://www.cointalk.com/attachments/194954d1344827742-fonzie_add.jpg

72. We are grateful to
assistance from:
@craigstrong
Craig Smith
craigsmith.id.au
theagilerevolution.com
unbounddna.com
craig@unbounddna.com
@smithcdau