From Waterfall to Kanban: Navigating Your Team's Transition to Agile Workflow
The project management landscape is shifting continuously, in the relentless pursuit of efficiency and adaptability, many teams are transitioning from the traditional Waterfall model to more Agile methodologies like Kanban.
This shift isn't just about swapping old tools for new ones; it represents a fundamental change in how projects are conceived, executed, and delivered.
Waterfall vs. Kanban: A Paradigm Shift
The Waterfall model, with its sequential design and rigid phase gates, has long been the standard in project management, it's characterized by comprehensive planning, extensive documentation, and a clear, linear progression of stages, but inside an environment multi-projects, multitasking and multiteam, the Waterfall model's rigidity can be a hindrance.
What is Kanban
Kanban is a lean method that optimizes workflow through visualization and limits work-in-progress (WIP), it offers a more fluid approach, allowing for continuous delivery and the ability to adapt to change at any point in the process.
Origins of Kanban
Kanban originated in the late 1940s in Toyota's manufacturing processes as a scheduling system to improve manufacturing efficiency, the term "kanban" itself is Japanese for "signboard" or "billboard."
In the early 2000s, Kanban was adapted for software development and other knowledge work as a method to improve workflow and efficiency,
Core Principles of Kanban
It helps to visualize work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency (or flow).
Kanban can be used in various industries and is not restricted to software development; it can be applied to any area of business that requires project management and can benefit from streamlining processes.
I can summarise the core in four areas:
Visualize the Workflow: use a Kanban board with cards and columns to represent tasks and stages of the workflow. This visibility helps teams understand the progress and process bottlenecks.
Work-in-Progress (WIP): approach the number of tasks in any given stage of the workflow to smooth the team members and to help identify and resolve bottlenecks.
Focus on Flow: by monitoring the flow of work, teams can improve the smooth transition of tasks through the workflow.
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen): kanban encourages regular reflection on the workflow and processes to identify and implement improvements.
Kanban Board
Columns: Each column on the board represents a stage of the workflow (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Review, Done).
Cards: Each card represents a task or work item. Cards move from left to right to show progress.
Work-in-Progress Limits: columns can limit the number of cards they can hold to ensure that work flows smoothly.
Benefits of Kanban
Kanban is often celebrated for its inherent flexibility, a trait that distinguishes it from frameworks like Scrum, which are structured around fixed-length iterations known as sprints.
In Scrum, the work is planned for sprints that typically last two to four weeks, and changes mid-sprint are discouraged, this structure can provide a rhythm for teams and stakeholders, but it can also be a limitation when priorities shift unexpectedly.
In contrast, Kanban's flow-based approach doesn't confine work to arbitrary time boxes, instead, it allows for continuous delivery, with work items moving independently through the process.
This flexibility is especially advantageous in environments where client needs can change rapidly, or new work frequently needs to be prioritized. For teams that must adapt quickly to new information, Kanban's fluid structure enables a more dynamic response, aligning the workflow with the most current priorities.
Focus on Completion: Visualizing Work in Progress
The Kanban board is a powerful visualization tool that provides a real-time snapshot of the team's work.
Each column represents a stage in the workflow, and each card is a work item, making it transparent for all team members to see the status of tasks, this visibility is invaluable for fostering a focus on completion.
By clearly displaying work items that are nearing the end of the workflow, Kanban boards create a shared understanding of which tasks are closest to delivering value creating a psychological push towards completion; team members naturally gravitate towards tasks that can be moved to the "Done" column.
It helps in combating the "starting new things is more exciting" syndrome, which can often lead to a buildup of unfinished work.
The clear visualization of Kanban boards ensures that tasks that are nearly complete become a collective priority, facilitating a smoother and faster delivery of products to clients.
Reduction of Wasted Work: The Efficiency of Limiting WIP
Multitasking is a notorious productivity killer, the cognitive load of switching between tasks can lead to errors, burnout, and ultimately, wasted work.
Kanban's principle of limiting work in progress is a direct counter to this challenge by capping the number of tasks that can be in each stage of the workflow, Kanban encourages team members to complete current tasks before taking on new ones.
This focus on completing what's started before moving on reduces the inefficiencies associated with context-switching, it allows team members to concentrate on the task at hand, leading to higher-quality work and quicker completion rates.
Moreover, limiting WIP helps to identify process bottlenecks - if work items are piling up in one stage, it's a clear signal that something is impeding the flow, allowing teams to address issues promptly; streamlining the focus of the team, Kanban minimizes wasted effort, maximizes resource utilization, and improves overall productivity.
The Transition: A Step-by-Step Guide
Transitioning to Kanban isn't an overnight flip, it's a journey that requires careful planning and consideration, changes can be made at any point in the process, and progress is measured by the flow of work items through the Kanban board
Preparing for Change
Before you introduce Kanban, ensure your team understands the 'why' behind the change, transitioning to Kanban is about improving delivery times, enhancing flexibility, and boosting visibility into the workflow.
Prepare your team for a cultural shift that values continuous improvement over rigid adherence to a plan.
Setting Up Your Kanban Board
The heart of Kanban is the visual workflow board: start by creating a board that reflects your current process.
You'll have columns that represent each stage work passes through, and cards that represent individual work items
Focus the visualization board for the task opened, with time, colours, categories and people involved.
Be sure that the main filter visualization focuses on the task opened and all the timeline passages to close them.
Tasks opened should be grouped by category of development, the version controller and connect to the other open/closed tasks inside the same area in order to have a timeline of the entire developed area inherent. Use filters to connect and visualize your needs.
The title and the object of every single task need to be clear and precise containing the operational instructions and in the same case the strategy.
Break down each task into smaller, more manageable subtasks, take the time to craft a clear description for each and collaborate with your team or consult with the Project Manager to determine who will take on the respective assignments.
Evaluate if you need a board for each sub-implementation or subtopic development.
For example, inside a unique/motherboard environment you will create for each main subtask another board with the version applied
Defining Work-in-Progress Limits
One of Kanban's core principles is limiting WIP.
This means setting caps on the number of tasks in any given stage, beginning by observing your team's current capacity to determine reasonable limits and then enforcing these to prevent bottlenecks and burnout.
Managing and Measuring Work
Kanban requires a different approach to managing tasks. Instead of assigning work based on phases, the Project Manager pulls new work as they complete their current tasks.
Measure success not by adherence to a plan, but by the flow of work and how efficiently tasks move from 'To Do' to 'Done'.
Embracing Continuous Improvement
Encourage regular team meetings to discuss the board and workflow and use this time to identify areas of improvement, you can use the same Scrum method meetings, also the retrospective one; Kanban isn't set in stone; it's designed to evolve with your team's needs.
Overcoming Challenges
Resistance to change is natural: address concerns head-on by highlighting the benefits of Kanban, such as fewer meetings, less micromanagement, and a clearer view of what the team is working on.