The essence of the lean principle 'Flow' explained in 20 pictures. Flow is a buzzword to many people in product development, and this pecha-kucha type of presentation gives you a basic understanding of what flow means, and what tools you have to improve flow.
New Lean-Agile Coach Self-Assessment - detailed descriptions v3Luca Minudel
Detailed descriptions for the Lean-Agile Coach Self-Assessment
Includes references to resources useful to improve in each competency area (download the deck and look at the notes)
Workshop delivered by Adrian Smith and Craig Smith at Agile Australia 2012 in Melbourne in May 2012.
The Agile Coach is a critical role in helping leaders, teams or individuals understand, adopt and improve Agile methods and practice. Additionally, an Agile Coach helps people rethink and change the way they go about their work. For a individual to be effective in a coaching role, they must poses a wide range of skills and experience. In this workshop we will explore Agile coaching skills in the context of a competency framework and provide participants with lessons from real-world coaching experience. The workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about coaching, identify areas of Agile development and to broaden skills through hands-on group and individual exercises and games.
You will:
» Understand role of an Agile coach and the typical development pathways
» Identify personal areas of strength/weakness in relation to a broad range of Agile and related skills
» Learn situational specific coaching techniques for common Agile dysfunctions
» Understand the use of maturity models in helping teams learn and adapt to Agile
» Understand organisational and role specific Agile challenges
» Learn how to adapt Agile practices to suit team specific challenges
Presentation on Lean Analytics at MicroConf 2013. Understanding what metrics are the most value, when, for your type of business.
* What makes a good metric?
* Types of metrics (qualitative vs. quantitative, vanity vs. actionable, etc.)
* Lean Analytics framework
Shared a number of case studies: Airbnb, Buffer, ClearFit, OffceDrop and others.
An outline of the differing role of KPIs at startups vs mature businesses, drawing out the implications for the approach and methodology to their development.
New Lean-Agile Coach Self-Assessment - detailed descriptions v3Luca Minudel
Detailed descriptions for the Lean-Agile Coach Self-Assessment
Includes references to resources useful to improve in each competency area (download the deck and look at the notes)
Workshop delivered by Adrian Smith and Craig Smith at Agile Australia 2012 in Melbourne in May 2012.
The Agile Coach is a critical role in helping leaders, teams or individuals understand, adopt and improve Agile methods and practice. Additionally, an Agile Coach helps people rethink and change the way they go about their work. For a individual to be effective in a coaching role, they must poses a wide range of skills and experience. In this workshop we will explore Agile coaching skills in the context of a competency framework and provide participants with lessons from real-world coaching experience. The workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about coaching, identify areas of Agile development and to broaden skills through hands-on group and individual exercises and games.
You will:
» Understand role of an Agile coach and the typical development pathways
» Identify personal areas of strength/weakness in relation to a broad range of Agile and related skills
» Learn situational specific coaching techniques for common Agile dysfunctions
» Understand the use of maturity models in helping teams learn and adapt to Agile
» Understand organisational and role specific Agile challenges
» Learn how to adapt Agile practices to suit team specific challenges
Presentation on Lean Analytics at MicroConf 2013. Understanding what metrics are the most value, when, for your type of business.
* What makes a good metric?
* Types of metrics (qualitative vs. quantitative, vanity vs. actionable, etc.)
* Lean Analytics framework
Shared a number of case studies: Airbnb, Buffer, ClearFit, OffceDrop and others.
An outline of the differing role of KPIs at startups vs mature businesses, drawing out the implications for the approach and methodology to their development.
Boston Ruby Meetup: The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face
The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face.
Everything we do is part of something bigger. A step inside a process that is inside another process.
The flow management of these processes is important to:
- Understand how the work flows
- See how healthy the process is
- Find the bottlenecks
- Have predictability
- Promote continuous improvement
Besides, a company can understand efficiency in two different ways:
- Flow Efficiency
- Resource efficiency
This choice can drive the entire management strategy of organizations.
Are you curious about it? Please see the presentation and feel free to contact me for more details.
WordCamp Nashville 2016: The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face
Studying the effect of inventory policy and supply chain structure on bullwhi...Samhan88
Bullwhip effect is of the phenomenon that affects the performance of any supply chain. The
causes of bullwhip effect are divided into two main categories primary causes (triggers of the
bullwhip effect) and secondary causes (amplifiers of the bullwhip effect). Two of the main
secondary causes are the inventory policy and the supply chain structure. In this thesis a
simulation model is built for two supply chains structures, each composed of three tiers
where the retailer(s) and the distribution centre adopting (Q,r) policy. Applying different
values of the order quantities at the retailer(s) and the distribution centre using the simulation
to find out how the bullwhip effect is affected by these values. Results show that the
bullwhip is highly affected by changing the order quantities or the supply chain structure.
Wait A Moment? How High Workload Kills Efficiency! - Roman PicklPROIDEA
Join me in this talk about why high workload leads to increasing waiting times and is detrimental to your project’s efficiency. We will not only talk about queueing theory and capacity management, but also about strategies to cope with high utilization and how to start a virtuous circle.
Presented to an audience of Demand Driven MRP experts in December 2015, the presentation explains, using simple queueing theory and Factory Physics, why and how the Demand Driven SCM process is a significant advance upon that of "forecast push MRP"
Org Design is a core skill to be mastered by management for any successful org change.
Org Topologies™ in its essence is a two-dimensional space with 16 distinctive boxes - atomic organizational archetypes. That space helps you to plot your current operating model by positioning individuals, departments, and teams on the map. This will give a profound understanding of the performance of your value-creating organizational ecosystem.
Boston Ruby Meetup: The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face
The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face.
Everything we do is part of something bigger. A step inside a process that is inside another process.
The flow management of these processes is important to:
- Understand how the work flows
- See how healthy the process is
- Find the bottlenecks
- Have predictability
- Promote continuous improvement
Besides, a company can understand efficiency in two different ways:
- Flow Efficiency
- Resource efficiency
This choice can drive the entire management strategy of organizations.
Are you curious about it? Please see the presentation and feel free to contact me for more details.
WordCamp Nashville 2016: The promise and peril of Agile and Lean practicesmtoppa
Why you may to consider adopting Agile or Lean practices, how they differ from each other, what benefits you can expect, and what obstacles you may face
Studying the effect of inventory policy and supply chain structure on bullwhi...Samhan88
Bullwhip effect is of the phenomenon that affects the performance of any supply chain. The
causes of bullwhip effect are divided into two main categories primary causes (triggers of the
bullwhip effect) and secondary causes (amplifiers of the bullwhip effect). Two of the main
secondary causes are the inventory policy and the supply chain structure. In this thesis a
simulation model is built for two supply chains structures, each composed of three tiers
where the retailer(s) and the distribution centre adopting (Q,r) policy. Applying different
values of the order quantities at the retailer(s) and the distribution centre using the simulation
to find out how the bullwhip effect is affected by these values. Results show that the
bullwhip is highly affected by changing the order quantities or the supply chain structure.
Wait A Moment? How High Workload Kills Efficiency! - Roman PicklPROIDEA
Join me in this talk about why high workload leads to increasing waiting times and is detrimental to your project’s efficiency. We will not only talk about queueing theory and capacity management, but also about strategies to cope with high utilization and how to start a virtuous circle.
Presented to an audience of Demand Driven MRP experts in December 2015, the presentation explains, using simple queueing theory and Factory Physics, why and how the Demand Driven SCM process is a significant advance upon that of "forecast push MRP"
Org Design is a core skill to be mastered by management for any successful org change.
Org Topologies™ in its essence is a two-dimensional space with 16 distinctive boxes - atomic organizational archetypes. That space helps you to plot your current operating model by positioning individuals, departments, and teams on the map. This will give a profound understanding of the performance of your value-creating organizational ecosystem.
The case study discusses the potential of drone delivery and the challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes widespread.
Key takeaways:
Drone delivery is in its early stages: Amazon's trial in the UK demonstrates the potential for faster deliveries, but it's still limited by regulations and technology.
Regulations are a major hurdle: Safety concerns around drone collisions with airplanes and people have led to restrictions on flight height and location.
Other challenges exist: Who will use drone delivery the most? Is it cost-effective compared to traditional delivery trucks?
Discussion questions:
Managerial challenges: Integrating drones requires planning for new infrastructure, training staff, and navigating regulations. There are also marketing and recruitment considerations specific to this technology.
External forces vary by country: Regulations, consumer acceptance, and infrastructure all differ between countries.
Demographics matter: Younger generations might be more receptive to drone delivery, while older populations might have concerns.
Stakeholders for Amazon: Customers, regulators, aviation authorities, and competitors are all stakeholders. Regulators likely hold the greatest influence as they determine the feasibility of drone delivery.
Public Speaking Tips to Help You Be A Strong Leader.pdfPinta Partners
In the realm of effective leadership, a multitude of skills come into play, but one stands out as both crucial and challenging: public speaking.
Public speaking transcends mere eloquence; it serves as the medium through which leaders articulate their vision, inspire action, and foster engagement. For leaders, refining public speaking skills is essential, elevating their ability to influence, persuade, and lead with resolute conviction. Here are some key tips to consider: https://joellandau.com/the-public-speaking-tips-to-help-you-be-a-stronger-leader/
Comparing Stability and Sustainability in Agile SystemsRob Healy
Copy of the presentation given at XP2024 based on a research paper.
In this paper we explain wat overwork is and the physical and mental health risks associated with it.
We then explore how overwork relates to system stability and inventory.
Finally there is a call to action for Team Leads / Scrum Masters / Managers to measure and monitor excess work for individual teams.
Integrity in leadership builds trust by ensuring consistency between words an...Ram V Chary
Integrity in leadership builds trust by ensuring consistency between words and actions, making leaders reliable and credible. It also ensures ethical decision-making, which fosters a positive organizational culture and promotes long-term success. #RamVChary
Specific ServPoints should be tailored for restaurants in all food service segments. Your ServPoints should be the centerpiece of brand delivery training (guest service) and align with your brand position and marketing initiatives, especially in high-labor-cost conditions.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
Employment PracticesRegulation and Multinational CorporationsRoopaTemkar
Employment PracticesRegulation and Multinational Corporations
Strategic decision making within MNCs constrained or determined by the implementation of laws and codes of practice and by pressure from political actors. Managers in MNCs have to make choices that are shaped by gvmt. intervention and the local economy.
Enriching engagement with ethical review processesstrikingabalance
New ethics review processes at the University of Bath. Presented at the 8th World Conference on Research Integrity by Filipa Vance, Head of Research Governance and Compliance at the University of Bath. June 2024, Athens
A presentation on mastering key management concepts across projects, products, programs, and portfolios. Whether you're an aspiring manager or looking to enhance your skills, this session will provide you with the knowledge and tools to succeed in various management roles. Learn about the distinct lifecycles, methodologies, and essential skillsets needed to thrive in today's dynamic business environment.
2. Any company
value value value
People &
Resource
People &
resource
People &
resource
The basic principle of a company is that it increases the value of a product by applying people and
resources.
There are 2 ways to look at the efficiency of a company:
• We could look from the side, and observe if value is applied to the product all the time
• Or we could look from the bottom, and see if all people and resources are optimally used
3. Let’s look from the bottom – the resource efficiency view.
This machine is a Magneto resonance scanner – a very expensive machine.
Hospitals make it profitable by making sure it is being used all the time – causing waiting lists for the patients.
This is typical for resource efficiency: resources are busy all the time, but the flow object will move slower.
4. If we look from the side at the company we get the flow efficiency view.
In this case nobody is interested that this team of engineers is busy all the time.
What is most important is that the car can leave the pits as soon as possible.
This is typical for flow efficiency view: the flow object will move fast, but resources are not busy all
the time.
5. Assembly lines as Henry Ford introduced combine resource efficiency and flow efficiency:
The belt is moving all the time, and people are working all the time
The drawback of this system is that any kind of variance would stop the belt and efficiency gets very
low.
6. So let’s summarize:
• There are 2 ways to look at efficiency: flow efficiency and resource efficiency
• It is possible to achieve both at the same time, but in these cases your efficiency is very vulnerable
for variance.
Now that we have understood this, let’s look at the question ‘what makes things flow’?
7. Let’s first look at the flow object itself…
How can we shape it so that it flows easily?
These are marbles. They behave like a fluid since the particles are small, and have a low friction to a
surface. Also, they are all of similar size.
Can you see the similarities to user stories?c
8. So if we make our flow object fluid, do we get flow automatically?
Not quite. Something needs to make the flow object move.
Let’s call it potential energy.
In the picture here up to this point something has been pushing us – from now on it will be pull.
9. So is it up to us to decide if we apply push or pull as potential energy?
Sometimes yes.
In this case:no.
Overall you can say: whenever you can implement pull, you should do it.
Pull is easier when it comes to dimensioning bottlenecks. We’ll see this later on.
10. One thing is still missing: the flow object needs to flow THROUGH something – a medium.
A river is a suitable medium for the transport of water.
The river will make sure your water gets from A to B.
However, for different flow objects, you will need a different medium
11. Information could also be a flow object.
Rivers are not suitable for transporting information – this is a much more suitable medium.
The point is – you need to optimize your medium so that if fits your flow object.
Note that also information needs potential energy to flow: just ‘putting something on the web’ does
not make information flow.
12. Flow =
+ +
So let’s summarize what possibilities we have to make something flow:
• We can make the flow object ‘fluid’
• There needs to be potential energy: push or pull
• We have a suitable medium
Now that we have seen what makes things flow, let’s have a look on what can go wrong with flow?
13. Every process has got a bottle neck.
Maybe the bottleneck is not even a problem – if the throughput is low enough to fit through it.
This is also the advantage of a ‘pull system’ – the throughput cannot be higher than the bottleneck
allows.
But if the bottleneck IS a problem, what will happen to our flow objects?
14. What that can happen is what you see in this picture: queuing
Looking at resource efficiency, we would say the road is fully utilized so we are very efficient.
But of course in this situation, nobody is interested in resource efficiency.
15. But not only queuing can happen, this picture shows a different possible scenario: overflow
Depending on the nature of your flow object and medium, overflow occurs rather than queuing.
When overflow happens:
• The quality may be negatively affected since things get done too quickly.
• The medium gets damaged since e.g. people get stressed.
16. Is there anything else that can go wrong with flow, apart from obstructions or bottlenecks?
Here everything seemed to be in place:
• We have a fluid
• We have potential energy
• We have a good medium
But the temperature is not right.
In organizations , temperature means motivation, stress level, having the right tools etc.
17. But let’s assume that everything for flow is in place, including the right temperature.
Then, sometimes a situation like this happens: some flow object is not obeying the normal rules.
We often talk about the need for flexibility, but what we see here is that flexibility, at the same time, is
a variance that will potentially lower flow efficiency.
18. This is what happens if we only concentrate on flow optimization:
this may mean that some part of the system has at a certain time no flow units to process. This
effect is called ‘starvation’.
This does not mean that there is nothing to do. We can use this time to improve the flow of the
system.
19. In a flow optimized system, if one step in the system does not deliver in time, all steps behind them in
the flow would face starvation.
One way to avoid this is to introduce buffers in the stream
Buffers allow the downstream parts to continue to work for some time.
However, we need to be very aware that buffers increase the overall lead-time!
20. summary
H
i
n
d
e
r
e
r
s
So again let’s summarize what what hinders flow:
• Bottlenecks can cause queuing or overflow
• A wrong environment can completely stop the flow
• Exemptions and ‘flexibility’ impact flow directly
Finally, we have seen that we need to find the right balance between short leadtime and starvation
risk (flow vs. resource efficiency)
Everybody is talking about Flow – but what does it mean to us?
In this set of 20 slides I will show you pictures that explain why Flow is not a new ‘way of working’, but rather a different way of looking at efficiency.
I will only talk about each picture for 20 seconds, so please pay close attention and try to stick with the flow
The basic principle of a company is that it increases the value of a product by applying people and resources.
There are 2 ways to look at the efficiency of a company:
We could look from the side, and observe if value is applied to the product all the time
Or we could look from the bottom, and see if all people and resources are optimally used
Let’s look from the bottom – the resource efficiency view.
This machine is a Magneto resonance scanner – a very expensive machine.
Hospitals make it profitable by making sure it is being used all the time – causing waiting lists for the patients.
This is typical for resource efficiency: resources are busy all the time, but the flow object will move slower.
If we look from the side at the company we get the flow efficiency view.
In this case nobody is interested that this team of engineers is busy all the time.
What is most important is that the car can leave the pits as soon as possible.
This is typical for flow efficiency view: the flow object will move fast, but resources are not busy all the time.
Assembly lines as Henry Ford introduced combine resource efficiency and flow efficiency:
The belt is moving all the time, and people are working all the time
The drawback of this system is that any kind of variance would stop the belt and efficiency gets very low.
At some point in time, the production time of the model T was 93 minutes, with a car leaving the factory every 3 minutes
This system is optimized for building ONE type of car. There was no tolerance for variation "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black"
Back in 1926 it was not considered a problem that only one type of car is available. Nowadays that would not be an option
So let’s summarize:
There are 2 ways to look at efficiency: flow efficiency and resource efficiency
It is possible to achieve both at the same time, but in these cases your efficiency is very vulnerable for variance.
Now that we have understood this, let’s look at the question ‘what makes things flow’?
Let’s first look at the flow object itself…
How can we shape it so that it flows easily?
These are marbles. They behave like a fluid since the particles are small, and have a low friction to a surface. Also, they are all of similar size.
Can you see the similarities to user stories?
So if we make our flow object fluid, do we get flow automatically?
Not quite. Something needs to make the flow object move.
Let’s call it potential energy.
In the picture here up to this point something has been pushing us – from now on it will be pull.
So is it up to us to decide if we apply push or pull as potential energy?
Sometimes yes.
In this case:no.
Overall you can say: whenever you can implement pull, you should do it.
Pull is easier when it comes to dimensioning bottlenecks. We’ll see this later on.
One thing is still missing: the flow object needs to flow THROUGH something – a medium.
A river is a suitable medium for the transport of water.
The river will make sure your water gets from A to B.
However, for different flow objects, you will need a different medium
Information could also be a flow object.
Rivers are not suitable for transporting information – this is a much more suitable medium.
The point is – you need to optimize your medium so that if fits your flow object.
Note that also information needs potential energy to flow: just ‘putting something on the web’ does not make information flow.
So let’s summarize what possibilities we have to make something flow:
We can make the flow object ‘fluid’
There needs to be potential energy: push or pull
We have a suitable medium
Now that we have seen what makes things flow, let’s have a look on what can go wrong with flow?
Every process has got a bottle neck.
Maybe the bottleneck is not even a problem – if the throughput is low enough to fit through it.
This is also the advantage of a ‘pull system’ – the throughput cannot be higher than the bottleneck allows.
But if the bottleneck IS a problem, what will happen to our flow objects?
What that can happen is what you see in this picture: queuing
Looking at resource efficiency, we would say the road is fully utilized so we are very efficient.
But of course in this situation, nobody is interested in resource efficiency.
But not only queuing can happen, this picture shows a different possible scenario: overflow
Depending on the nature of your flow object and medium, overflow occurs rather than queuing.
When overflow happens:
The quality may be negatively affected since things get done too quickly.
The medium gets damaged since e.g. people get stressed.
Is there anything else that can go wrong with flow, apart from obstructions or bottlenecks?
Here everything seemed to be in place:
We have a fluid
We have potential energy
We have a good medium
But the temperature is not right.
In organizations , temperature means motivation, stress level, having the right tools etc.
But let’s assume that everything for flow is in place, including the right temperature.
Then, sometimes a situation like this happens: some flow object is not obeying the normal rules.
We often talk about the need for flexibility, but what we see here is that flexibility, at the same time, is a variance that will potentially lower flow efficiency.
This is what happens if we only concentrate on flow optimization:
this may mean that some part of the system has at a certain time no flow units to process. This effect is called ‘starvation’.
This does not mean that there is nothing to do. We can use this time to improve the flow of the system.
In a flow optimized system, if one step in the system does not deliver in time, all steps behind them in the flow would face starvation.
One way to avoid this is to introduce buffers in the stream Buffers allow the downstream parts to continue to work for some time.
However, we need to be very aware that buffers increase the overall lead-time!
So again let’s summarize what what hinders flow:
Bottlenecks can cause queuing or overflow
A wrong environment can completely stop the flow
Exemptions and ‘flexibility’ impact flow directly
Finally, we have seen that we need to find the right balance between short leadtime and starvation risk (flow vs. resource efficiency)