Kanban Bootstrap^® – your 1st step to Lean Software Development

Do any of these apply to your team?

• We always seem to be fighting fires – everyone is busy but little is getting done
• We have so many inter-dependencies between teams, departments, functions – its difficult to know where the problems lie
• Re-engineering such a complex environment sounds risky and the chances of getting it right would be very slim
• We never have time to get to the root causes and fix things properly
• There’s so much complexity, we’re not sure where to start

AgileInnovation has designed the Kanban BootStrap^® program based on first hand experience implementing Kanban:

• To bring about evolutionary change and ‘kaizen’ Continuous Improvement culture
• To synchronise individuals, teams and functions across extended, complex value streams
• To support agility at the organizational level – capitalising on the responsiveness of your Scrum/XP teams
• To implement agile principles where timeboxed methods like Scrum don’t fit (e.g. IT Operations, Maintenance and Support)

The Bootstrap Agenda

Our Kanban Bootstrap^® program is much more than just training in concepts and practices – as well as explaining what Kanban is, we involve the team in understanding where they are now, what the next target condition is, and what steps they need to take to get there. The program can extend from 2 days for classroom training only, to a comprehensive consultation, training and support package for fully-fledged, strategic moves to Lean and Kanban. It can also be combined with agile methods such as Scrum and XP for development teams.

Note: For Enterprise Ireland Customers, the bootstrap program may be eligible for up to 50% funding support through the Lean Competitiveness Fund – get in touch for further details (services@agileinnovation.ie)

 

Bootstrap Phase	Activities	Definition of Done
Set the Stage	Senior Management Briefing Team Introduction to Kanban	Stakeholders Bought-In Expectations set with Management, Team Kanban ‘Champions’ identified
Assessment	Interviews with key team members and management Observation of team meetings, practices	Purpose and team characteristics understood Major customers, dependencies, partners, scope, pain points identified Barriers to Kanban Implementation Identified Team Information Sheet Complete
Training	‘Getting Lean with Kanban’ training Kanban Exercises and Simulation	Team understands principles of Lean and how Kanban implements them Team is ready to implement Kanban in their work
Implementing	Value Stream Mapping Workshop Select & Rollout Visualisation Tools (physical boards and/or electronic tools) Agree working policies with up/down stream partners, including WIP limits Identify key measures to support Smart Decision Making and track improvements Agree and run planning, review and retrospective meeting formats & times	Work Types, Classes of Service, Work Activities, Explicit Policies for the team Team is using visualization tool, tracking key metrics, and using these to make smart decisions Effective and low-cost meetings taking place
Supporting	Facilitated cross-team and functional ‘Special Interest Group’ learning activities Deep-dive root-cause analysis workshops on thorny issues Team learning workshops on lean tools like A3, 5 Whys, waste identification & reduction.	Team taking ownership of their way of working Team adjusting policies, work flow, etc. to continuously improve (practicing Kaizen)

 

For further details of our services in Lean/Agile software development methods contact services@agileinnovation.ie. We specialize in embedded coaching and training in Scrum, Kanban and Lean.

 

Simplifying Process. Engaging Teams. Reducing Wastes. Supporting Innovation. Speeding Delivery.