success and failure with kanban in newspaper business (oliver finker) - lkce13

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November 2013 Lean Kanban Central Europe

SUCCESS & FAILURESUCCESS & FAILURE

With Kanban in NEWSPAPER

Business

Presenter:Oliver Finker

[email protected]: @ofinker

mailto:[email protected]

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The publisherThe publisher● Top-5 Newspaper Publishing Company

● More than 30 different newspapers

● Print run: A Million newspapers a day

● One central digital service provider

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The Great DivideThe Great Divide

Print

JournalismResearch

LayoutPhotography

Online

SEOImage GalleriesAd CampaignsSocial Media

Promotions & GamesIn-Site Search

Topics

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StakeholdersStakeholders

● Chief Editors● Other Publishers● Sales & Marketing● Legal● Project Managers● Support-Team● Infrastructure● CEO

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OrganiZationOrganiZation

ScrumTicket-System

5 Project Managers15 Ext. Stakeholders10 Developers

⌀ Tickets assignedper Person: 28

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The Usual WorkThe Usual Work

New FeatureNew Feature

Fix a bugFix a bugInterface SpecInterface Spec

New clientNew client

CustomisationCustomisation

Clean-UpClean-UpTestingTesting

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PANIC!!!PANIC!!!

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THE UNUSUAL WORKTHE UNUSUAL WORK

EventsEvents DeathsDeaths

WarsWars DisastersDisasters

Specialtreatment

Specialtreatment

ScandalsScandals

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Fix the Symptom, Not the CauseFix the Symptom, Not the Cause● Cycling role

„Strategic“vs.„Operational“

● Green cards, red cards

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Gaming the systemGaming the system● Red-card team members were not distracted by

management● Green-card team members appeared to solve tasks

● Green-card team members went and asked red-card team members for help if stuck

● Communications overhead

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Main issuesMain issues

● Sprint planning was based on „ideal world“

● Too much concurrent work● No visualization● Hard to keep an overview● High lead time● Customer dissatisfaction

#@!

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A new HopeA new Hope

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Introduction of KanbanIntroduction of Kanban

● Top-Down decision by management● „We'll do that from now on“.● Team got informed and trained in workshops● Initial board design was kept simple to learn

from experiences● Ticket system was retained as foundation

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Board DesignBoard Design

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Ticket DesignTicket Design

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PriorizationPriorization

● Critical Bugs and Showstoppers● Top Mission Tasks● Generating Direct Revenue● Generating Traffic (Indirect Revenue)● Unique Features● Discussed once a week

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Quick ImprovementsQuick Improvements

● WIP reduced drastically● More teamwork● Problems became visible (and resolved)● Ad-hoc decisions to deal with impediments● Bottlenecks became apparent● Lead-time improved considerably

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Lead-time comparisonLead-time comparison

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Lead Time

Kick-Off

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What caused the Improvement?What caused the Improvement?

● Focusing on items that contained value● Abandonment of features and products● Third-party products over custom solutions● Priority on features that were of use for all

customers, not only a single one● Involving the customer in the process● Limits on WIP led to less context switching

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Organizational ChangesOrganizational Changes

● Existing project managers left the organization● Saying „no“ to customers and stakeholders● Reluctance to commit to deadlines● Transparency towards the outside● No separation between Administration /

Backend Dev. / Frontend Dev. / Testers

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2 years later2 years later

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Spectral analysis ChartSpectral analysis Chart

?

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The Shadow WorldThe Shadow World

● Separate Non-Kanban Workflow got created

● Service Manager with direct access over employees

● Backed by Ticket-System● After a while they would

switch the workflow – but skip priorization!

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Perceived SlownessPerceived Slowness

● WIP-Limits were raised● Items from hidden workflow

reduced focus● Push instead of Pull● Lead-Time got higher● Theory: Team is slacking off!

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Perception vs. RealityPerception vs. Reality

Spec Dev QA Deploy Total0

5

10

15

20

25

30

DoingWaiting

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Management ChangesManagement Changes

● Additional project managers● Developers should develop, not test● Work, no retrospectives/reviews/documenting● Aggressive deadlines● Micro-Management● Gantt-Charts revival

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EFFECTS on the teamEFFECTS on the team

● Pulling stopped● Cherry-Picking● Shadow Tasks● No interaction during daily stand-ups● Breach of board rules● Negativity and shift of language

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Effects on the ProcessEffects on the Process

● More bottlenecks that were unresolved● More specialization● More defects and needed rework● Specification often incomplete● Board became a visualization of ideal world,

not of reality

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Effects on Lead-timeEffects on Lead-time

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10

20

30

40

50

60

Lead Time

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What to do Different next time?What to do Different next time?

● Bottom-up, the real process should be modelled● Understanding that it's about change mgmt.● Start at portfolio layer to help focus● Be more scientific, believe the data, not the gut● Get Buy-In from stakeholders● Hire experts: higher acceptance

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Thank you for listeningThank you for listening

success and failure with kanban in newspaper business (oliver finker) - lkce13

Business

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