!

"#$%&'(#)%"

This whitepapei was wiitten foi oiganizations alieauy familiai with Scium foi softwaie
uevelopment anu want to take auvantage of Kanban's techniques foi uealing with a continuous
stieam of woik anu the unpieuictable neeus of auuiessing piioiity business iequests within a
seamless flexible piocess.

Sciumban iepiesents the best elements fiom Scium anu Kanban wheie the key concepts of a team
woiking togethei to complete woik (Scium) anu the amount of woik limiteu to an optimizeu amount
(Kanban) aie combineu into a methouology foi high thioughput anu visibility into the uevelopment
piocess.

As with any methouology, eveiy oiganization must continually ieview anu auapt the piocess anu
make aujustments to impiove theii expeiience to finu what woiks best foi them. This whitepapei
uesciibes the mechanics of the methouology anu solutions to common scenaiios to facilitate a
smoothei tiansition.

Befoie uiving into the uetails, let's fiist look at what elements aie being combineu into the new
methouology. The following table highlights the impoitant ones fiom both methouologies in no
paiticulai oiuei noi aie they aligneu foi any ieason.

+($', -."/."
0$%&'(# 12"3$ - Liaison between the
business anu engineeiing oiganizations;
owns the Piouuct Backlog anu valiuates
completeu woik.
+($', 4.5#3$ - uuaiuian of the piocess;
cleais impeuiments, anu cooiuinates with
exteinal iesouices to facilitate completing
Woikitems.
63738%93$5 - Coueis, Testeis, Batabase
Engineeis, et ceteia; anyone on the team
that contiibutes to completing Woikitems.
6.)8: +#."&'9 - A shoit meeting with
entiie team foi uiscussing piogiess,
iuentifying impeuiments, anu auuiessing
questions about woik in piogiess.
63,%"5#$.#)%"5 - The Bevelopeis
uemonstiate completeu woik to the
Piouuct 0wnei foi valiuation anu
acceptance.
638)73$: %; <'5)"355 =.8'3 - Focus on
ueliveiing business value with each
completeu Woikitem.
63;)")#)%" %; 6%"3 - A global stanuaiu
that all Woikitems must meet in oiuei to
be consiueieu complete.
0'88)"> ?%$@ - Woik is pulleu thiough the
Woikline as capacity is available veisus
pieselecting a set of woik to be uone in an
aibitiaiy peiiou of time.
?%$@ )" 0$%>$355 A?!0B C),)#5 - Limits
uesigneu to maintain a balance of what the
team is woiking on at any given time.
Aujusteu baseu on eviuence with the goal
of finuing the optimal levels foi each stage
of the Woikline.
0$%>$355 +#.>35 - Stages foi completion of
woik aie cleaily uefineu anu peifoimance
metiics captuieu foi each.
-."/." <%.$& - A publically viewable
boaiu showing the stages of the Woikline
anu the Woikitems in piogiess.
DE93&)#3& FG.""38 - Woikitems ueemeu
high piioiity anu neeueu as soon as
possible have a way of being auuiesseu
aheau of cuiient woik.
H".8:5)5 I H&J'5#,3"# - Peiiouic ieviews
of piocess, tools, team peifoimance, anu
WIP limits to finu impiovements anu
eliminate inefficiencies oi waste.

!"#$%"%&'(&) +,-."/0&

A shoit guiue to implementing Sciumban at youi oiganization.
0ctobei 2u1S

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2
Impoitant Concepts to Really 0nueistanu

Key Sciumban Teims

!"#$ &'($)"* - Equivalent to Scium's Piouuct Backlog with minoi uiffeiences foi how
Woikitems aie tiackeu.
!"#$+,-. - The inuiviuual uesciiptions of functionality neeueu by the business that eithei
uefine enhancements oi uefects.
!"#$)+/- - The seiies of stages in the softwaie uevelopment piocess that pull woik fiom the
Woik Backlog anu piouuce shippable business value.
0,'*-1 - The common anu uisciete steps iequiieu to uelivei softwaie within an oiganization.

Cleai & visible Stages of Execution

This concept is oiiginally fiom Kanban anu is a key uiffeientiatoi fiom Scium. The softwaie
uevelopment piocess is uiviueu into uisciete stages that aie maue veiy visible foi anyone to see. This
is known as the Woikline (woik + pipeline) anu is iepiesenteu in the ieal woilu by a Boaiu showing
the Woikitems piogiessing with ieal, physical caius that can be moveu aiounu by the team
membeis. The woiu $'/2'/ liteially means 'signboaiu' in }apanese anu lenus its name to the
methouology.

Pulling Woik Baseu on Capacity & Limits

Pulling woik accoiuing to capacity limits is also a key concept fiom Kanban. Each stage of the
Woikline has a limit to the numbei of Woikitems that occupy each stage. This keeps the team
membeis fiom woiking on too many things at once anu eliminating waste by ensuiing that one stage
uoesn't piouuce moie woik than can be hanuleu by a subsequent stage.

As Woikitems aie completeu within a stage, they wait until the next stage has capacity to pull new
items to be piocesseu. This is tiue foi all stages especially the fiist one wheie Woikitems aie pulleu
uiiectly fiom the Woik Backlog.

Team Collaboiation to Belivei Business value

Within Sciumban, even though the uisciete stages of softwaie uevelopment aie cleaily iuentifieu by
the Boaiu anu woik is tiackeu thiough them, the entiie team of Coueis, Testeis, Batabase Engineeis,
et ceteia aie expecteu to woik togethei to complete Woikitems. They may have specializeu skills but
they can all contiibute to some uegiee anu aie expecteu to help out wheievei they can when theii
capacity opens up.

Empiiical Analysis to Impiove

The concept of ieviewing the uevelopment piocess anu team peifoimance is the same as with Scium
but in Sciumban the statistics kept on how Woikitems tiansit the Woikline aie also analyzeu to
ueteimine the optimal woik in piogiess values useu to contiol the flow of woik.




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S
K3##)"> +#.$#3&
Iuentifying Stages foi the Softwaie Bevelopment Piocesses

A visual iepiesentation of the uevelopment piocess is impoitant so the fiist step is to iuentify the
stages any woik goes thiough fiom when the Bevelopeis stait to when they finish. Theoietically
theie coulu be uozens of steps but if the Boaiu has too many, it will look clutteieu anu Woikitems
will be constantly jumping stages within a uay. It's bettei to ioll up many steps into uisciete stages
that may take a uay oi moie to complete foi each.

In auuition to the common 3-1+*/4 5"6+/*4 Testing stages, if an oiganization hau othei steps such as
7-*') 8-9+-: oi !-2;'*- 3-1+*/ < =#';>+(1 that weie always iequiieu anu typically took moie than
a uay to complete, then those coulu be auueu to the Woikline. Foi example:

!!! ?%$@)#3,5 L8%2 MG$%'>G #G3 ?%$@8)"3 !!!
Webpage Besign
& uiaphics
Coue Besign Couing
Legal
Review
Testing

Cieating the Kanban Boaiu

The Kanban boaiu itself can be cieateu in any numbei of ways so long as it is visible. It coulu be on a
whiteboaiu, the wall, oi any flat suiface that labels can be wiitten on anu papei stuck to. The size
shoulu be big enough that when team membeis aie neaiby they can ieau the labels anu titles of the
woik items wiitten on the caius.

Kanban boaius can also be iepiesenteu thiough a numbei of online tools that aie fiee oi iequiie a
subsciiption. These pioviue the benefit of having a centializeu view available to all team membeis,
especially those in othei locations. When using online tools, it's auvisable to have the Boaiu on
uisplay uuiing the Baily Stanuup meeting anu this can be accomplisheu with a laige monitoi in the
meeting aiea.

The following example shows what a typical Boaiu woulu look like as if it was cieateu on a laige
whiteboaiu with sticky notes seiving as the caius.

WBL Desi gn (3) Codi ng (2) Testi ng (2)
Doi ng Done Doi ng Done Doi ng Done
E
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<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S
43 19#)%"

<NOPQ

F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S 43 19#)%"


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4
In this example theie aie two Woikline channels, one foi ?@;-6+,-6 woik items anu the othei foi
0,'/6'#6. Nost of the time caius will flow thiough the 0,'/6'#6 channel with the occasional
?@;-6+,-6 item going thiough the Woikline aheau of eveiything else. Bow ?@;-6+,-6 items aie uealt
with is coveieu latei in this uocument.

When the caius show limiteu infoimation about Woikitems, it is auvisable to have the Woik Backlog
easily assessable in case the team neeus to lookup the uetails. Baving a monitoi uisplaying the
backlog woiks well.
Befining the Initial Woik-in-Piogiess (WIP) Limits

When you fiist stait using Sciumban, the optimal WIP limits won't be known. It's not impoitant to
get the values peifect in the beginning because the best values will be moie appaient aftei the team
has completeu a numbei of Woikitems anu theie aie statistics available to ieview. A goou way to
stait is to take the numbei of team membeis anu uiviue by two. If the iesult is an ouu numbei, iounu
up. Foi example, a team of foui woulu iesult in WIP values of two anu a team of five woulu use thiee.
Apply the same numbei to all stages anu see how that woiks out ovei time.
Kanban Caiu Contents

Kanban caius seive as a iepiesentation of the woik items uefineu in the Woik Backlog. They will not
have all the up-to-uate infoimation neeueu by the Bevelopeis anu that's not theii puipose. They
pioviue the team with a visual symbol of woik anu facilitate cooiuination between team membeis
anu status to the Piouuct 0wnei.

The level of uetail can vaiy but at a minimum, having a cleai title
iepiesenting the Woikitem is goou piactice. Auuing a unique
iuentifiei will make it easiei to look up the item in the Woik Backlog
foi when the team neeus auuitional uetails. To the iight is an
example wiitten on a typical office sticky note that can be placeu on
the boaiu anu moveu as woik piogiesses.

A moie uetaileu veision, but still not a complete uuplicate of what's
in the Woik Backlog, might also incluue the A#+"#+,B4 C1-# 0,"#B anu space foi iecoiuing statistics on
the Woikitem's piogiession thiough the Woikline. The uates can be filleu in as the caiu moves
between stages. The auuition of the C1-# 0,"#B pioviues the Bevelopei with the context aiounu the
iequest as a ieminuei.

<NOPQ
+#."&.$&
F$3.#3 R3,3,/3$S43 C%>)" 19#)%"
As a customei, I want an option foi the website to
iemembei my login infoimation so that I uon't have to
type it in each time.
?%$@8)"3 M$."5)# +#.#)5#)(5 (in | out)
635)>" 2u1S-u8-u1 2u1S-u8-uS
F%&)"> 2u1S-u8-uS 2u1S-u8-u6
M35#)"> 2u1S-u8-u7 2u1S-u8-u9

Whatevei level of uetail is incluueu on a caiu, it is impoitant to iemembei that it is not a substitute
foi the Woikitem uetails founu in the Woik Backlog. The team shoulu iely on the combination of the
0sei Stoiy anu the Acceptance Ciiteiia to ultimately uefine what shoulu be cieateu.


B#u42

Cieate Remembei-
Ne Login 0ption

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Piepaiing the Woik Backlog

The Woik Backlog unuei Sciumban is basically the same as with Scium. It is a collection of C1-#
0,"#+-1 anu D((-;,'/(- 5#+,-#+' wiitten anu maintaineu by the Piouuct 0wnei. These inuiviuual
Woikitems uesciibe the business value uesiieu.

To keep the collection oiganizeu, auuitional infoimation is associateu with each item:

E3 - A unique iuentifiei (e.g. B#u42) foi easy seaiches anu iefeience.
A#"F-(, - A label to gioup a set of woik items togethei accoiuing to a theme oi puipose.
G+,)- - A concise, action-oiienteu uesciiption of the business value uesiieu.
C1-# 0,"#B - A foimulaic uesciiption of who will benefit fiom the item, what exactly is
wanteu, anu why it is wanteu. The 0sei Stoiy pioviues the context behinu the iequest anu
enables the Bevelopeis to unueistanu the goal, anu not just take oiueis.
D((-;,'/(- 5#+,-#+' - A list of the specific conuitions iequiieu foi the Woikitem to be
consiueieu complete.
0,',H1 - An inuicatoi of the ieauiness of the Woikitem, when it is being woikeu on, anu the
final uisposition. Theie aie five elemental statuses:

"
"

P
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"
"

Biaft
The Piouuct 0wnei is still woiking on the item anu any content shoulu not
be consiueieu final.
New
The Piouuct 0wnei has completeu auuing mateiial anu the item is awaiting
feeuback fiom the team.
Reauy
The team has ievieweu the item anu they have a goou enough unueistanuing
of the item to pull it into the Woikline.
In Piogiess The item is cuiiently going thiough the Woikline, iiiespective of the stage.
Accepteu
The item has been uemonstiateu to the Piouuct 0wnei anu meets all
Acceptance Ciiteiia.

The key to having a useful Woik Backlog is foi the Piouuct 0wnei to continually spenu time
"giooming" it. This incluues auuing new items, upuating items, piioiitizing, claiifying content anu
auapting to the neeus of the Bevelopeis as he leains moie about how they opeiate.

Scope of a Woikitem

Iueally the scope of an inuiviuual Woikitem shoulu be consistent with all othei Woikitems so that
when the aveiage thioughput of the Woikline is known, pieuicting when a paiticulai item in the
Woik Backlog will be uone is possible anu somewhat accuiate.

Bowevei, that's not veiy likely as the scope of business neeus can vaiy gieatly. The Piouuct 0wnei
shoulu make eveiy attempt to bieak uown business neeus into the smallest possible size that still
piouuces something that can be ueployeu oi shippeu anu theiefoie pioviues value to the business.
This is commonly known as a I+/+.H. I'#$-,'2)- J-',H#-.

If the Piouuct 0wnei is unsuie about how to ieuuce the scope of a Woikitem, then he can consult
with the team uuiing the Weekly Timeblock when they ieview upcoming items. They will be able to
suggest how the item can be split along logical lines oi execution steps to ieuuce the size anu still
uelivei value.



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6
Establishing Reoccuiiing Neetings

Sciumban has only two stanuaiu meetings that pioviue the contact points necessaiy foi the team to
cooiuinate theii activities (Baily Stanuup) anu ieview theii woik (Weekly Timeblock).

The Baily Stanuup (BS0)

The Baily Stanuup meeting is a concept boiioweu fiom Scium anu seives the same puipose; to
cooiuinate activities anu iuentify impeuiments. A uaily ieoccuiiing meeting shoulu be set up foi Su
minutes wheie the fiist half is focuseu on the team membeis upuating eveiyone on what they uiu
since the last meeting, what they intenu to uo befoie the next meeting, anu any impeuiments that aie
blocking, oi thieaten to block piogiess on theii woik. The seconu half is foi any impiomptu
uiscussions necessaiy to auuiess questions oi plan activities. The meeting shoulu be helu neai the
Boaiu so uiscussions focus aiounu woik in piogiess anu upuates can be maue publically. Iueally the
meeting shoulu occui eaily in the uay, just aftei eveiyone has hau a chance to get to woik, ieoiient
themselves, anu think about what they'll focus on.

The Weekly Timeblock (WTB)

The Weekly Timeblock is a ieoccuiiing meeting useu foi multiple puiposes. It shoulu be set up in the
miuule of the week (Weunesuay aie best) so as to avoiu holiuays anu vacation uays that typically
occui at the beginning anu enu of each woikweek.

Two to foui houis is iecommenueu anu set to occui in the afteinoon so any piepaiation woik can be
completeu aheau of time. The team will use the time they neeu anu leave the iest. Baving a piojectoi,
scieen, anu ample whiteboaiu space will be conuucive foi any technical uiscussions anu pioblem
solving.

The fiist use of the Weekly Timeblock is foi uemonstiating any completeu woik. This is the time
wheie Bevelopeis can show the Piouuct 0wnei what was completeu anu get Acceptance. Completeu
woik can be uemonstiateu outsiue of the meeting anytime but it is goou foi the team to have
eveiyone witness the conclusion of woik.

0nce Woikitems have been uemonstiateu, the team shoulu ieflect on how theii uevelopment piocess
is going, any tools they use, anu ieview the uata on how Woikitems aie flowing thiough the
Woikline. They shoulu have fiank uiscussions about any new innovation that shoulu be ieinfoiceu oi
impeuiments to be oveicome. Cleai action items anu theii owneis shoulu be iuentifieu along with a
taiget iesolution uate.

Aftei the ieview of iecent activity, the team shoulu have a pieview of upcoming Woikitems the
Piouuct 0wnei is piepaiing. The Bevelopeis shoulu seek to unueistanu the intent of each item,
asking questions anu getting claiity so eveiyone is familiai with what's neeueu. The Bevelopeis
shoulu also pioviue feeuback on Woikitem scope, stiuctuie, anu the optimal execution oiuei so the
Piouuct 0wnei can make any neeueu aujustments to content anu piioiity.
TOS6.: +($',/." +),'8.#)%"

Now that the basic concepts anu piocess have been coveieu, the best way to leain how Sciumban
woiks is to step thiough a simulation. Let's say theie's a softwaie company who has a Scium Team
that cieates vaiious piouucts foi customeis. The team has two Coueis, two Testeis, one Batabase
Engineei, a Scium Nastei anu a Piouuct 0wnei.

This team is alieauy veiy familiai with Scium anu has been piacticing it foi two yeais so they
unueistanu the coie concepts of the team woiking togethei to uelivei completeu woik at the enu of

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7
each spiint. The Piouuct 0wnei alieauy has a backlog uefineu foi an upcoming piouuct anu the team
unueistanus what the fiist thiee items aie asking foi.

Theii last Scium spiint enueu on the pievious week's Tuesuay anu since then they have been
leaining about the Sciumban piocess in anticipation of switching on the coming Nonuay. The Scium
Nastei has set up two ieoccuiiing meetings. 0ne eveiy moining fiom 9-9:Suam foi the 3'+)B 0,'/6H;
anu the othei on Weunesuays fiom S-Spm foi the !--$)B G+.-2)"($ to be useu by the team foi any
whole-team uiscussions, uemonstiations oi pieviews of upcoming Woikitems.

In the iest of this section, each uay is iepiesenteu with a snapshot of the Boaiu. 0n the left-most siue
is the Woik Backlog (WBL) containing all the Woikitems yet to be completeu. They aie cieateu anu
maintaineu by the Piouuct 0wnei anu uesciibe business neeus in the foim of 0sei Stoiies anu
Acceptance Ciiteiia. The miuule section is compiiseu of the thiee stanuaiu stages the Bevelopeis go
thiough to complete woik: Besign, Couing anu Testing. Each of those aie sub-uiviueu into 3"+/* anu
3"/- to inuicate when a Woikitem is being actively woikeu on oi completeu foi that stage. 0nce an
item is available to be uemonstiateu to the Piouuct 0wnei, it moves to the 3-." section of the boaiu.

?<C 635)>" (2) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|Aj
|Bj
|Cj
|uj
|ej
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone


Foi each uay of the simulation, the Boaiu ieflects the status as it is seen at the Baily Stanuup meeting.
Woikitems can move between stages oi sub-stages thioughout the uay but the Boaiu shoulu
iepiesent what the cuiient status is when the entiie team is attenuance.

The Woik Backlog has a collection of Woikitems in vaiious states. Those iepiesenteu by capital
letteis (e.g. |Aj, |Bj, |Cj) aie "Reauy", that is unueistoou by the team well enough to begin woik.
Items iepiesenteu by loweicase letteis (e.g. |uj, |ej, |fj.) have a state of "New" which inuicates the
Piouuct 0wnei believes he's auueu enough foi the team to ieview anu possibly stait woiking on but
the team hasn't yet hau a chance to ieview anu pioviue feeuback. Woikitems can have auuitional
states within the Woik Backlog anu those have been coveieu eailiei in this uocument.
Bay 1 (Nonuay)

?<C 635)>" (2) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|Cj
|uj
|ej
|fj
|gj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone
|Aj
|Bj


Buiing the fiist Baily Stanuup meeting, the boaiu is cleai anu so the team pulls in two items,
|Aj & |Bj, fiom the top of the Woik Backlog. They select a maximum of two because that's all
the :"#$ +/ ;#"*#-11 K!EAL )+.+, allows. The WIP limit is kept on the Boaiu next to each stage
name as a ieminuei.
Aftei the Baily Stanuup is ovei, the Bevelopeis get togethei anu go about uesigning what
they'll neeu, the implementation stiategy, the testing stiategy anu anything else that might
help them plan out how to complete the woik. This gioup activity helps the entiie team
unueistanu anu piepaie themselves to complete the woik.
The uesign effoit uoesn't take all uay so aftei a couple of houis, the Coueis get uown to
couing anu the Testeis stait theii piepaiation woik.


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8
Bay 2 (Tuesuay)

?<C 635)>" (2) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|uj
|ej
|fj
|gj
|hj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone
|Bj
|Cj
|Aj

Buiing the Baily Stanuup the caiu iepiesenting |Aj's woik is moveu to the 3"+/* column of
the 5"6+/* stage. It coulu have been placeu in the 3"/- column of the 3-1+*/ stage foi the
biief time befoie the Coueis staiteu woiking but since it tiansitioneu quickly it was moveu
to the next stage uiiectly uuiing the Baily Stanuup.
At this point, the 3-1+*/ stage has capacity anu so the Bevelopeis pull |Cj into the Woikline.
The Scium Nastei volunteeis to set up a uesign meeting that uay meeting to finish off |Bj
anu stait |Cj.
The 5"6+/* stage has a WIP limit of two but since only one item is available the capacity goes
unfilleu.
Bay S (Weunesuay)

?<C 635)>" (2) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|uj
|ej
|fj
|gj
|hj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone
|Cj |Bj |Aj

The Scium Nastei points out that theie is capacity within the 3-1+*/ stage but that no woik
items aie in the 'Reauy' state. The team coulu tiy to woik out the uetails about item |uj aftei
the stanuup but ueciues to wait until the !--$)B G+.- &)"($ meeting at Spm to ieview it anu
the next few items all at once.
0ne of the Testeis, seeing that |Aj was 3"/- anu ieauy foi testing, moves |Aj's caiu to the
3"+/* column of the G-1,+/* stage to inuicate that's what he'll woik on next.
Bay 4 (Thuisuay)

?<C 635)>" (2) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|Fj
|gj
|hj
|ij
|jj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Aj
|Bj
|Ej
|Cj |Bj

Couing foi |Bj was completeu anu the caiu is moveu to the 3"/- column of the 5"6+/* stage.
0ne of the Testeis, knowing that the stage has capacity, immeuiately moves the caiu to the
3"+/* column in the G-1,+/* stage.
Testing foi |Aj was also completeu anu is ieauy to uemonstiate to the Piouuct 0wnei. This
coulu be uone anytime but the team ueciues to uo it at the !--$)B G+.- &)"($ next
Weunesuay. This is so they uon't inteiiupt theii ihythm iight now anu it ensuies eveiyone
on the team can paiticipate. The caiu stays in the 3-." column until that time.
The Scium Nastei points out that the Couing & Testing stages have capacity but since no
Woikitems aie available, they aie not filleu. Chionic spaie capacity suggests the WIP values

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9
foi pievious stages shoulu be highei anu this shoulu be uiscusseu at the upcoming !--$)B
G+.-2)"($.
Bay S (Fiiuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|uj
|Ij
|jj
|kj
|lj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Aj
|Bj |Bj
|Fj
|Bj
|Ej |Cj

Testing foi |Bj was completeu anu it was moveu to the 3-." column.
|Bj has pioven to be uifficult to uesign anu theie aie a numbei of outstanuing questions
being ieseaicheu by the Bevelopeis so it iemains in the Besign stage.
Couing has staiteu on |Ej anu testing has staiteu on |Cj.
The Bevelopeis pull |Fj into Besign anu ueciue that because of theii chionic spaie couing
capacity to inciease the WIP foi the Besign stage to S. Because no Woikitems aie Reauy, they
have an impiomptu meeting with the Piouuct 0wnei to ieview the next few items. |Bj tuins
out to be ielatively easy to implement anu it is pulleu into the Woikline.
Bay 6 (Nonuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|jj
|kj
|lj
|mj
|nj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Aj
|Bj
|Cj
|uj
|Ij
|Bj |Bj
|Fj
|Ej

|Bj & |Fj aie pulleu into the Couing stage which opens up capacity into Besign stage so |uj &
|Ij aie selecteu fiom the woik backlog.
With a highei WIP value in the Besign stage, the entiie team is spenuing a little moie time
each week in uesign meetings, which then iesults in moie piepaiation by the Testeis. This
isn't necessaiily something to be conceineu about but coulu be a topic foi uiscussion at the
next !--$)B G+.-2)"($ aftei Woikitem uemonstiations.
Bay 7 (Tuesuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|lj
|mj
|nj
|oj
|pj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Aj
|Bj
|Cj
|Ej
|}j
|Kj
|Ij |uj |Bj |Fj
|Bj


The Bevelopeis neeueu to pull in two auuitional items into the Besign stage anu since no
items weie Reauy, they stayeu aftei the Baily Stanuup to ieview the next two |}j & |Kj, anu
pull them into the Woikline. This is the seconu time they've hau to ieview woik items
outsiue of the Weekly Timeblock meeting so it suggests they neeu to ueuicate moie time to
ieview fuithei aheau in the Woik Backlog. This will be a topic foi uiscussion on Weunesuay.
The change in WIP foi the Besign stage seems to have taken caie of the chionic ovei capacity
as the Boaiu now shows plenty of activity acioss all stages.

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1u
The Bemo column also now has foui items to be uemonstiateu to the Piouuct 0wnei at the
next !--$)B G+.-2)"($ meeting so they'll make goou use of the two houis.
Bay 8 (Weunesuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|Nj
|nj
|oj
|pj
|qj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Aj
|Bj
|Cj
|Ej
|Bj
|Lj


|}j
|Kj
|Ij

|Bj

|Fj
|uj


The team pulleu |Lj into the Woikline aftei having ievieweu it with the Piouuct 0wnei in a
miu-moining meeting. Befoie then, theie weie no items Reauy. The iepeateu shoitage of
Reauy items will uefinitely neeu to be auuiesseu.
The Coueis finisheu off |uj & |Bj anu pulleu |Ij into the Couing stage.
At the !--$)B G+.-2)"($ meeting, the Bevelopeis uemonstiate woik items |Aj - |Ej which
aie all accepteu by the Piouuct 0wnei.
Aftei the uemonstiations, the Scium Nastei facilities the analysis uiscussion. The goal of
which is to iuentify +//"9',+"/ that coulu help the team uelivei woik oi +.;-6+.-/,1 that aie
inhibiting them. The team uiscusses the iecent WIP limit inciease foi the Besign stage anu all
agiee it was a goou iuea. Bowevei, because they aie pulling moie Woikitems into the
Woikline, they'ie iunning out of items in the Reauy state. They coulu continue to have
impiomptu ieview meetings but finu that uisiuptive anu so ueciue to make suie they spenu
enough time each Weunesuay uuiing the !--$)B G+.-2)"($ to get moie Reauy.
In the iemaining time, the team ieviews the upcoming Woikitems anu the next foui aie
switcheu to the Reauy state.
Bay 9 (Thuisuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|0j
|Pj
|Qj
|ij
|sj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Fj
|uj |Nj


|Lj
|Nj
|Ij
|}j


|Bj
|Kj


The Bemo column was cleaieu because all the items weie accepteu uuiing the Weekly
Timeblock meeting.
Testing foi |uj was completeu anu it moves to the Bemo column. |Kj is pulleu into the
Testing stage.
The Coueis complete |Lj & |Nj anu pull |Nj into the Besign stage. The team has a lot going on
anu postpones its uesign meeting until the following uay.
The Scium Nastei upuates anu posts the Woikline Tiansit Statistics showing how long each
Woikitem spent in each stage anu the aveiage tiansit time foi the past five items. The
aveiage tiansit time is useful foi knowing how long a Woikitem is expecteu to take once it
enteis the Woikline. Knowing this, the Piouuct 0wnei can pieuict when specific items still
waiting in the Woik Backlog will be completeu. 0sing the values foi the last five items
completeu, the aveiage tiansit time is S.6 uays.




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11
?%$@8)"3 M$."5)# +#.#)5#)(5
?%$@
!#3,
635)>"
A&.:5B
F%&)">
A&.:5B
M35#)">
A&.:5B
M%#.8
A&.:5B
L)73 6.:
H73$.>3
|Aj 1 1 1 S S
|Bj 2 1 1 4 S.S
|Cj 2 1 1 4 S.7
|Ej 1 1 1 S S.S
|Bj 2 1 1 4 S.6
. . . . . .
Bay 1u (Fiiuay)

?<C 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2) 63,%
|0j
|Pj
|Qj
|ij
|sj
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone |Fj
|uj
|Bj
|0j |Nj
|Nj
|Ij
|Lj

|Kj
|}j


Testing foi |Bj is completeu anu it moves to the Bemo column so the Testeis pull in |}j.
The Coueis pull in |Lj but ueciue to concentiate togethei on |Ij because of the complexity.
The Besign stage was uown to two items so |0j is pulleu into the Woikline although the team
ueciues to holu the uesign meeting the following uay since so much is in piogiess.
F%,,%" 0$%(355 U'35#)%"5
When the piogiess of a Woikitem thiough the Woikline is blockeu, how shoulu this
be hanuleu.

As a team is woiking on items, it will be faiily common that piogiess fiom one stage to anothei is
blockeu. These blockages can be +/,-#/') to the team wheie the woik was moie challenging than
expecteu. Whatevei the cause the team shoulu "swaim" to help wheievei possible to iemove the
blockage. All team membeis can assist to one uegiee oi anothei, even ciossing the tiauitional iole
bounuaiies of Coueis & Testeis to help test, coue, piepaie enviionments, ieseaich oi wiite
uocumentation.

When a blocking issue is -@,-#/') to the team, such as when a iequiieu seivei hasn't yet been
ueliveieu oi subject mattei expeits aie neeueu foi questions, the Scium Nastei shoulu attempt to
iesolve it. The iest of the team can be engageu as neeueu to help with exteinal issues.

If a Woikitem is blockeu completely with no iesolution in sight, it shoulu be pulleu fiom the
Woikline anu its status changeu fiom 'In Piogiess' to 'New' oi 'Biaft' uepenuing on what is neeueu
befoie the team can pull it back into the Woikline again.
What if a specific Woikitem neeus to be completeu as soon as possible.

Theie aie two ways to auuiess this neeu. Fiist, the Piouuct 0wnei shoulu be continually maintaining
the oiuei of the Woik Backlog such that the items the business consiueis the most valuable aie at oi
neai the top. It is these top items that the team ieviews anu makes 'Reauy' thiough uiscussions anu
feeuback anu aie pulleu into the Woikline as capacity opens up.

If theie a moie uigent neeu foi a woik item to be completeu than what the 1,'/6'#6 piocess
pioviues, the item's piioiity can be changeu to -@;-6+,-6 anu be fast-tiackeu thiough to completion.

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12
E@;-6+,-6 items go to the heau of the line foi each stage incluuing uemonstiations. Any woik
cuiiently in piogiess will be moveu asiue foi the piioiity item.

Boiiowing fiom the example Boaiu foi Bay 1u of the simulation, the Piouuct 0wnei has ueclaieu
item |Tj as -@;-6+,-6 anu is uisplayeu in the figuie as '*|Tj*'. 0bviously theie's no neeu foi a caiu in
eveiy column, this is uone heie only to illustiate that the -@;-6+,-6 item gets to go thiough the top
channel.

?<C F%&3 635)>" (S) F%&)"> (2) M35#)"> (2)
Boing Bone Boing Bone Boing Bone
*|Tj*
|0j
|Pj
|Qj
|ij
|sj
|tj
|uj
|vj
E
x
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e
u

*|Tj* *|Tj* *|Tj* *|Tj* *|Tj* *|Tj*
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|Nj |Lj
|Nj
|Ij
|}j
|Bj
|Kj


As the team woiks on the item, its tiansit thiough the Woikline is like any othei 1,'/6'#6 piioiity
item with the exception that it always goes fiist. When inuiviuual team membeis have finisheu theii
contiibution to the -@;-6+,-6 item, they can iesume woik on what was in the Woikline pieviously.

0bviously the appeaiance of an -@;-6+,-6 item will be uisiuptive to the woik in piogiess. Not only
will the team have to switch context mentally but they may have to set up new enviionments oi
ietool foi the -@;-6+,-6 woik. Then of couise once they aie uone it may take time to ietuin to the
inteiiupteu woik.
Bow aie uefects hanuleu in Sciumban.

Befects aie a natuial pait of any softwaie uevelopment effoit anu uealing with them is
stiaightfoiwaiu. When uefects associateu with cuiient Woikitems aie founu they shoulu be
auuiesseu befoie the item is consiueieu complete anu ieauy foi uemonstiation.

Assuming the uefect was founu uuiing the Testing stage anu it is ielatively minoi, then the item can
stay within the Testing stage as the Couei woiks closely with the Testing to uiagnose the issue anu
pioviue upuateu coue.

If the uiagnosing anu fixing effoit is much laigei howevei, such as iequiiing moie than a uay to
complete, then the Woikitem shoulu move back to the Couing stage even if the WIP limits aie
exceeueu. The piioiity foi the Couei shoulu be to auuiess the uefect anu get the Woikline flowing
again in the iight uiiection.

Sometimes uefects aie founu in aieas of the coue not cuiiently pait of a Woikitem in piogiess. These
shoulu be biought to the attention of the Piouuct 0wnei who can cieate a new Woikitem
iepiesenting the uefect anu piioiitize it accoiuingly in the Woik Backlog.
Bow uo Bevelopeis ueciue which Woikitems shoulu be pulleu fiom the Woikline.

The Piouuct 0wnei shoulu be maintaining the Woik Backlog anu keeping the highest value
Woikitems at the top. When the Bevelopeis want to pull new items into the Woikline, they shoulu
simply be taking the top one.

Bowevei, theie may be times when the veiy top item isn't the best choice baseu on the Bevelopei
juugment. Theii tools oi the enviionment may not suppoit woiking on it oi it may make moie sense

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to stait with a uiffeient Woikitem. In any case, the Bevelopeis shoulu shaie theii thoughts with the
Piouuct 0wnei so he unueistanus anu agiees. Theie may be ceitain ciicumstances wheie the top
Woikitem is at the top foi a goou ieason anu woith the uifficulties faceu by the Bevelopeis.
Shoulu Woikitem sizes be estimateu.

The statistics kept on how long Woikitems take to tiansit the Woikline shoulu be enough to estimate
how long any paiticulai item will take to be completeu. Foi example, if the aveiage numbei of uays is
foui, then any new item pulleu into the Woikline is likely to take foui uays. By the same logic, if theie
was a set of Woikitems that compiiseu a ielease, then the time to complete the entiie set is foui
times the numbei of items in the set.

?<C +#.>3 T +#.>3 Q +#.>3 V
|4 uaysj !L%'$ &.:5 #% #$."5)# #G3 ?%$@8)"3W !
|8 uaysj
|12 uaysj
|16 uaysj
|2u uaysj

This estimation technique woiks well when the scopes of the Woikitems aie somewhat consistent.
When they aie not, some iough estimates of size, combineu with the tiansit time foi those specific
sizes can piouuce a moie accuiate estimate although it will take longei to gathei enough uata to be
confiuent with the iesults. Be minuful that any auuitional time spent by the team shoulu be woith the
effoit anu if not, abanuoneu foi the simple statistics Kanban pioviues.



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