simplify your day...execute better!
TRANSCRIPT
SIMPLIFY YOUR DAY...
EXECUTE BETTER!Sudipta Lahiri, Digite
(www.swiftkanban.com)12-12-2014
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About me
25 years in the industry
Agile/Lean practitioner (75%)
Development of SwiftKanban and
SwiftALM products
Lean implementations of our products
Agile/Lean Coach (25%)
Run the LimitedWIP Societies in India
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A bit about yourself....
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Some get tired...
http://media.bizj.us/view/img/2960741/howtooverloaded*xx2122-1194-0-111.jpg
http://blog.targethealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/20100708-4.jpg
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Some try different methods...
Some ask for help...
http://homemakersdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Schedule-Overload-515x344.jpg
http://diyorganization.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/help-sign-man-buried-in-paper-picture-225x300.jpg
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Lean Principles with
“Personal Kanban” from
Jim Benson
Help comes knocking with...
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1st principle: Visualize your
work!
According to research using brain
imagery, visualization works because
neurons in our brains, those electrically
excitable cells that transmit information,
interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-
life action. When we visualize an act, the
brain generates an impulse that tells our
neurons to "perform" the movement.
Whether you're a student, businessperson,
parent or spouse, visualization will keep
you tethered to your goal and increase
your chances of achieving it. The power of
visualization is available to all people.There are two types of visualization...
The first method is ”outcome visualization” and involves
envisioning yourself achieving your goal. To do this,
create a detailed mental image of the desired outcome
using all of your senses.
The second type of visualization is ”process visualization”.
It involves envisioning each of the actions necessary to
achieve the outcome you want. Focus on completing each
of the steps you need to achieve your goal, but not on the
overall goal itself.12-12-2014
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Work is no more an amorphous concept – it has a definite shape,
a form and a storyline and a flow. This gives work coherence,
which is powerful. The brain can then take this new coherence
and based upon it make decisions. Prioritization becomes easier,
tasks become less daunting.
Jim Benson12-12-2014
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2nd principle: Limit your WIP!
Multi-tasking is not an asset!
STOP Starting; START Finishing
Hidden WIP!
http://agileprague.com/a-practical-introduction-to-kanban.htm
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People who are regularly bombarded with
several streams of electronic information do
not pay attention, control their memory or
switch from one job to another as well as
those who prefer to complete one task at a
time
"They're suckers for irrelevancy,"
"Everything distracts them."
The researchers are still studying
whether chronic media multitaskers are
born with an inability to concentrate or
are damaging their cognitive control by
willingly taking in so much at once. But
they're convinced the minds of
multitaskers are not working as well as
they could.
"When they're in situations where
there are multiple sources of
information coming from the
external world or emerging out of
memory, they're not able to filter out
what's not relevant to their current
goal," ... “That failure to filter means
they're slowed down by that
irrelevant information." 12-12-2014
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Why is it that between 25% and 50%
of people report feeling overwhelmed
or burned out at work?
It’s not just the number of hours
we’re working, but also the fact that
we spend too many continuous
hours juggling too many things at the
same time.The biggest cost — assuming you don’t crash
— is to your productivity. In part, that’s a simple
consequence of splitting your attention, so that
you’re partially engaged in multiple activities
but rarely fully engaged in any one. In part, it’s
because when you switch away from a primary
task to do something else, you’re increasing
the time it takes to finish that task by an
average of 25 per cent.But most insidiously, it’s because if
you’re always doing something,
you’re relentlessly burning down
your available reservoir of
energy over the course of every day,
so you have less available with every
passing hour.12-12-2014
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I will add a 3rd dimension: Flow
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Optimal experiences are reported
to occur within sequence of
activities that are goal directed
and bounded by rules – activities
that need attention and cannot be
done without some skills!
Phenomenology of enjoyment has
some/all of these elements:
1. We confront tasks that we
have a chance of completion!
2. We must be able to
concentrate on what we are
doing
3. The task has clear goals
4. Provides immediate feedback
5. One exercise a sense of
control of their actions
……….
The best moments usually occur
when a person’s body or mind is
stretched to its limits in a voluntary
effort to accomplish something
difficult or worthwhile
Such experiences are not
necessarily pleasant at the time
they occur
… with visualization (via board), limiting
WIP and “flowing” work!
So, lets get going...
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My “ToDo” was on PostIts
already...
That’s 50+
things to be
done on these
lists!
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... what about my “stuff” on
Outlook?
Add another 15
odd tasks!
Result: Important
things are waiting
for 13 weeks!
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I teach Kanban... and I knew about
“Personal Kanban”
I decided to make a fresh
start...
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Step 1: I started with a simple
board...
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Step 2: Identify my different types...
Do I treat them
same?
Office work
Project work
Corporate Stuff
Personal work
Personal projects
One-off tasks
Some for the family
They have different
nature...
One time
Recurring
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Step 3: Plan for recurring tasks
Added a (swim) lane
for “Recurring
Tasks”...12-12-2014
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Step 3: Lets make it a bit
smarter...
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Step 3: On Nov 20...
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Step 3: Set the next due date...
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Step 3: For the daily/weekly
tasks...
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Step 3: Flag it once you are
done
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Lets go back to my work
types...
Do I treat them
same?
Office work
Project work
Corporate Stuff
Personal work
Personal projects
One off tasks
Some for the family
They have different
nature...
One time
Recurring
Lets distinguish between the work types...
.....and use PostIts of different colors!12-12-2014
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Step 4: Card Types for my
board...
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Projects: consider a “staged”
process (Value Stream)
If you have work in projects going through
repetitive stages, you can define them in a
staged manner
Staged based execution gives greater control
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Adding a Value Stream for my
projects...
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Some approaches...
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Block/Unblock Cards
Throughput based approach
Focus on cards that you expect to complete first
Task based approach
Lets prioritize the Backlog...
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Moving ToDo(s) from PostIts to
Board
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I realized
that about
30% of what
I had on my
stickies are
obsolete!
Time to start
saying “NO”
So, periodically
look at this lane
and delete what
has become
obsolete!
What we also see is that if tickets
aren’t done within the month
they’re put on the Personal
Kanban, they probably won’t get
done. You’re better off making a
second board called “Things I
might want to do some day”
– Jim Benson
We mapped all my work on the
Board
Office work
Project work
Corporate Stuff
Personal work
Personal projects
One off tasks
Some for the family
One time
Recurring
STOP Starting; START Finishing
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A few more ideas...
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Break the “Done” lane...
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Clean the “Done” lane end of
week...
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Reflect on all that you have been able to
accomplish
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Done-Column-Daily-Weekly-Review.png
Flag your “Promises”!
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Important to stick to commitments/specific
deadlines!
Flag them on the card with the Due Date
Breaking out projects...
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http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/blog/#sthash.dKrxXc7H.rlE7KYig.dpbs
Applying 5S to Personal
Kanban
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1S: Sort and clean
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Throw your junk away
If you have used (or still use) different ways of keeping track of your tasks, get rid of them
Do a spring clean, if it’s a task, put it in your Personal Kanban (the backlog, if it’s for later on), if it’s useless information, dump it
Trust your board; that should be your “go to” place
2S: Straighten
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Bring things in order
Make everything “easily” accessible in an
order
A corner in your room is a bad idea for a Personal
Board!
If you are using an online tool, stay logged in!
3S: Shine
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Keep your Personal Kanban tidy and in good shape.
At the end of your day, look at it... Is still a representation of your work?
If tasks become obsolete, drop them.
If you like to make notes to your tasks for later retrospectives, then do it now.
Rearrange what’s left... reorder it... make it look good.
4S: Standardize
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Define for yourself a
method/working pattern and
stick to it
You want to be able to rely on
the information your Personal
Kanban gives you to make
your decisions.
5S: Sustain
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The most difficult part!
Sustain the effort; get disciplined
Pay attention to the 4S
Keep things clean and tidy, stick with the system you defined for yourself, restock on tools and whatever you need
Commit to what you are trying to achieve Without discipline, your method will deteriorate over time and
you’ll gradually fall back into your way you worked before you introduced Personal Kanban.
In closing...
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Get organized in a visual manner
Use WIP to control what you can take at a point of time...
Start saying NO; delay and communicate what you just cannot do!
Keep work flowing; weekly reflect what you have accomplished
Define a common Value Stream for common pattern cards
Flag cards where you have given commitments...
