KMP1 - Kanban System Design

In the fast-moving and complex times, organisations are looking for every advantage they can find to increase their competitive edge. Kanban is a set of values, practices and principles that bring the benefits of Lean theory to organisations.

Description

In the fast-moving and complex times, organisations are looking for every advantage they can find to increase their competitive edge. Kanban is a set of values, practices and principles that bring the benefits of Lean theory to organisations.

Benefits include:

  • increasing the flow of value
  • visualising and establishing an optimum workload for the team's capacity
  • reducing waste
  • creating better organisational alignment
  • building a culture of engaged workers

The Kanban method focuses on making incremental, iterative changes that evolve business processes into more efficient and manageable work streams while avoiding the risks associated with complex change programmes.

What will you learn?

The course shows you how Kanban fits within the Agile context and how it complements your existing Agile or non-Agile ways of working. You will leave with practical insights on how to implement or improve Kanban within your organisation.

This workshop is hands-on, using various exercises, games and Kanban simulations alongside instructor-led discussions and presentations.

What topics are covered?

Kanban Overview

  • Revolutionary vs Evolutionary Change
  • Principles of the Kanban Method
  • Core Practices of the Kanban Method
  • Depth of Implementation
  • When is Kanban typically used?

Visualising the Workflow Work Items

  • Identifying Work Item Types
  • Modelling the Process
  • Demand Analysis
  • Kanban Boards

Kanban Simulation

  • Team-based realistic simulation of using a Kanban system in action

Limiting Work in Progress

  • Little's Law
  • Limiting WIP
  • Input Queues
  • Output Buffers
  • Setting WIP Limits

Managing Flow

  • Cumulative Flow Diagrams
  • Measuring Flow
  • WIP as an indicator of Lead Time
  • Identifying Problems
  • Removing Bottlenecks

Making Process Policies Explicit

  • Classes of Service
  • Cost of Delay
  • Scheduling Policies
  • Service Level Agreements

Feedback Mechanisms

  • Empirical Feedback
  • Feedback Within the Team
  • Feedback Between Teams
  • Feedback from Manager to Team Member

Kaizen - Collaborative Improvement

  • Improvement Cycles
  • Rhythm and Kanban Cadence

What is the Course Schedule?

The course will run from 10:00 to 16:00. There will also be regular breaks for tea and coffee and to stretch your legs.  There will be lots of interactivity to keep you busy and active.

Will I need any equipment for the Course?

The most obvious thing you will need is a good WiFi and Internet connection with a nice quiet environment for you to both hear and also interact with your fellow course attendees and trainer! Don't worry about the odd child/dog/cat/partner wondering past or interrupting occasionally, we'll just roll with it :-)

We recommend a laptop or desktop with good sound and microphone. Course participants have struggled on phones and tablets. We will be using Zoom for the video conference functionality with a waiting room and password configured to provide a reasonable level of security. If you can, we recommend installing the Zoom app on your device but the web version should work as a plan B.

What will you receive?

This course has been accredited by David J Anderson (creator of the Kanban method) and Kanban University (KU). Each attendee will receive a certificate.

Those attendees taking a KU-accredited course will be eligible to become members of the Kanban University. To read about the benefits and learn more, visit the KU website.

An electronic version of course slides, materials and workshop output will also be provided after the course closes.

Students can choose to receive an electronic copy of "Kanban - Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business" by David J. Anderson.

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