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In the fast-paced world of software engineering, uncertainty is the only certainty. What we expect to happen often diverges dramatically from what actually unfolds during the process. This variance can cause significant challenges, but it also presents opportunities for teams to learn, adapt, and improve. One powerful tool for gaining clarity and creating space for continuous improvement is Kanban.
Kanban is more than just a method; it’s a mindset. It offers transparency into your existing system, helping teams gain valuable insights into their processes and identify areas for improvement. In this blog post, we’ll explore how understanding your system through Kanban can transform your workflow and foster an environment of continuous delivery and improvement.
Before diving into any process improvement, it’s crucial to understand the system you’re working within. This is especially important in software engineering, where the complexity and variance between expected and actual outcomes can be overwhelming. Without a clear understanding of your process, you’re flying blind, and that can lead to missed deadlines, bottlenecks, and frustration.
When we talk about “the system,” we mean all the elements that make up how work gets done within your team. This includes:
Your team’s workflow
The tools you use (like Kanban boards)
The communication patterns within your team
The cadence of your deliveries
In my experience as a Scrum Trainer, gaining a deep understanding of these elements is where transformation begins. Without this foundational understanding, it’s impossible to make meaningful improvements. By visualizing your system through Kanban, you start to notice the hidden intricacies and interdependencies that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Personal Example: Transparency Saved Our Project 🚨
In one of my projects, we were struggling with unexpected delays and miscommunication across the team. It wasn’t until we visualized our workflow using Kanban that we realized the true issue. Our process was far more complex than we had originally thought, with multiple handoffs and dependencies that were slowing us down.
Once we had this transparency, we could make informed decisions about where to improve. For example, we noticed that a significant bottleneck occurred during code reviews, so we implemented a more streamlined process to reduce the wait time. This one change led to a noticeable improvement in our delivery speed and team morale.
One of the standout features of Kanban is its ability to provide clear metrics and visualizations that reflect the current state of your system. This transparency is crucial for teams that want to improve their workflows continuously.
Kanban helps teams track important metrics such as:
Lead Time: The time it takes from when work starts to when it’s completed.
Cycle Time: The time taken to complete individual tasks.
Throughput: The number of tasks completed in a set period.
These metrics give your team a better understanding of the efficiency of your workflow. They highlight where you may be hitting bottlenecks or inefficiencies, and they provide a basis for continuous improvement.
A well-maintained Kanban board becomes a visual tool that gives insight into the current state of your work. Here’s what a good Kanban board should include:
Work in Progress (WIP) limits: These prevent overloading your team and ensure that work progresses steadily through the system.
Explicit policies: Clearly define the criteria for moving tasks from one stage to the next.
Color coding and swim lanes: These add clarity to the types of work being done and help prioritize urgent tasks.
Seeing your workflow visualized in this way can be incredibly powerful. It provides immediate feedback on where the team is excelling and where improvements can be made.
Once you’ve implemented Kanban, the transparency it brings will allow you and your team to spot patterns—both positive and negative. This visibility gives you the information needed to improve your processes.
With a clear view of your system, you can begin to identify areas that need attention. Ask yourself:
Are there consistent bottlenecks in certain stages of the workflow?
Do certain types of tasks consistently take longer to complete than others?
Are there areas where quality is consistently high?
By answering these questions, you can start to refine your process. In my experience, teams that regularly review their Kanban metrics and make small, incremental changes are the ones that see the most significant improvements over time.
In another project, we set up a continuous delivery pipeline after realizing that our traditional release process was creating significant delays. By using Kanban to track work, we were able to break down the process into smaller, manageable chunks and automate much of the testing and deployment.
This shift to continuous delivery wouldn’t have been possible without the transparency provided by Kanban. The board allowed us to see the entire workflow, identify the bottlenecks, and gradually move toward a more efficient process. It was a game-changer for both the team and our stakeholders.
Kanban doesn’t just give you transparency—it also enhances your team’s ability to change and adapt. Once you have a clear understanding of your system, you can make decisions based on data, not guesswork.
By understanding your workflow and seeing where the inefficiencies lie, you’re better positioned to make data-driven decisions about where to focus your efforts. This allows you to:
Adapt quickly: You can see what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to make real-time adjustments.
Continuously improve: With each improvement, you can track the results and iterate, ensuring that your process gets better over time.
Increase team collaboration: Transparency leads to better communication and collaboration within the team, as everyone has a shared understanding of the current state of work.
For Scrum teams looking to improve their processes, start with Kanban. It’s an excellent way to gain insight into your current system and identify where you can make impactful changes. And remember, the goal isn’t perfection. The goal is continuous improvement.
Begin with a small pilot: Start with a subset of your workflow to avoid overwhelming the team.
Set clear WIP limits: These will help prevent overburdening and ensure steady progress.
Regularly review and adapt: Use the metrics and feedback from the Kanban board to adjust your workflow.
By using Kanban, you can gain a deeper understanding of your system, visualize your workflow, and make data-driven decisions that lead to continuous improvement. The transparency that Kanban provides isn’t just about keeping everyone informed—it’s about creating a culture of continuous delivery and constant adaptation. In my experience, teams that commit to using Kanban to observe, measure, and adapt their systems are the ones that achieve the most success. So, embrace the power of Kanban and see how it can transform your team’s workflow!
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.