PERSONAL KANBAN

notes from the book by jim benson and tonianne deMaria barry


kanban - two rules
- visualize work
- limit work in progress


setup
- backlog of everything
- notice patterns, clusters, priorities
- define value stream(s) of options - “ready/wip/done” or “ready/today/wip/pen/done/retro” - (pen is waiting for response from OTHERS, not a parking lot for procrastinations)
- set WIP limits, e.g. 3-4 tasks
- pull work


alternatives
- swim lanes - use extra-/sub-value stream(s) for large projects, parallel horizontal flows
- sequester recurring tasks - use checkboxes instead of stickies to make recurring tasks visible, minimize stickies, conserve real estate, or use separate board
- emergency response - task / begun / assembling / assembled / active / completed - this approach relaxes wip limit and details progress through wip, when many tasks MUST proceed at once, system overwhelmed, ongoing triage
- time capsule - take a bunch of small tasks and timebox them as one task - only for purpose of getting them all done right now, e.g. 30 mins.
- balanced throughput - set wip limit to 2 large tasks and 3 small tasks, but work finish ALL and then refill, not a route for smalls to continually bypass large roadblocking task(s)
- pomodoro - 25 mins sprints/focus, 5 mins rest, repeat. for immersion in complex task, to focus and move.  use with caution, special situations, don’t blow yourself up.
- manila folder - makes excellent traveling kanban board


shift from list mind to flow mind
- context and changes in context of the work
- space and relationships on the board
- kinesthetic feedback - learning, patterns
- relieve fear/anxiety, existential overhead
- pull/inviting/listening/ease vs push/demand/assume/force
- narratives emerge as flows of work
- reflect: quality of work?  feel good?  difficult tasks?  right tasks done?  value provided?
- flow vs capacity - need to leave free time (space)(slack) for flow
- focus on slack, cadence, flow, pull

learning vs reacting
creating vs producing
evolving vs stagnating
inviting vs forcing
listening/discovering vs insisting/driving


clarity (vision/transparency)
- KANBAN increases clarity, decreases fear
- what doing and why doing it
- understand decision-making, context, relevence, patterns, options
- dispels existential overhead, anxiety
- creates/created by meaningful actionable info
- raises the bar for normal (non-hero) workers to decrease dependence on heroes
- KAIZEN analyzes situation, determines level of clarity, seeks best path to completion, innovation, or more clarity


balance 
- productivity - via limiting work in progress
- efficiency - focus on value stream increases results w/ decreasing effort
- effectiveness - make options explicit, make informed decisions, make the right stuff

-- lays the groundwork for peak experiences
-- effectiveness is worth more than productivity, and feels better
-- productivity w/o effectiveness is waste
-- push happens all the time, need to balance with emphasis on PULL


small tasks
- FIRST focus on limiting wip and getting things done (establish flow, cadence) THEN move to smaller tasks to increase flow/output
- breakdown tasks at the last responsible moment or when no other choice but to start 
- don’t waste time planning time when best info is not yet available
- let “planning” become a natural part of the work


prioritization

1) importance/urgency matrix, riffing on covey/eisenhower

           ^^ important ^^
                      |
   kaizen         |   emergencies  
                      |
---------------------------- >> urgent >>
                      |
   inspiration   |    obligations
    future         |    investments

- emergencies - pk should minimize via dedication to kaizen, prevention, monitoring
- kaizen - learning, improvement, adaptation, doing what’s important before it’s urgent
- inspiration - mucking about, finding gems, new possibilities/patterns/potentials
- obligations - go through the social motions, bulk processing, grows portfolio of options


2) priority filters (series of ready buckets, with decreasing task limits) - priority 1, 2, 3, wip...  w/ limits (5) (5) (3) (3)

3) GTD david allen - files and folders w/ disciplined review creates “wine cellar” of ideas that can be mined/moved to kanban for processing

4) color/shape - highlight biggest procrastination tasks


metrics - should reflect context AND show something that matters
- gut/impulse/intuition/sense - situational knowledge is important
- process lab - use today/wip to track completion rate.  look for ways to make delays/obstactles/waste visible and measurable
- subjective well-being (swb) box - how do tasks make you feel?  annotate tasks w/ smilies at done, collect in “box” for review in retro.  look for patterns/causes/adaptations.
- time - how long to do tasks?  are estimates/expectations accurate?

retrospectives
- add a column before/after done to collect tasks for retro
- look for patterns, use five why’s when things go wrong (or other inquiry methods)
- use pop-up “teachable moment” retros to address urgent/conflict issues (“stop the line”)
- pay attention to cognitive AND emotional decision-making drivers

learnings
- we have cognitive and emotional reactions to maps, narratives, clarity, options, flow
- large upfront planning wastes time and destroys options
- context drives decisions about what to do next
- retrospectives increase understanding of work, passions, and futures
- best decisions require clarity
- life is complex but accessible, explorable, discoverable
- respect natural variation, change and ourselves as not separate from that
- kanban is productive, efficient, effective map of work and life