Simplify your day...execute better!

SIMPLIFY YOUR DAY...

EXECUTE BETTER!Sudipta Lahiri, Digite

(www.swiftkanban.com)12-12-2014

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About me

25 years in the industry

Agile/Lean practitioner (75%)

Development of SwiftKanban and

SwiftALM products

Lean implementations of our products

Agile/Lean Coach (25%)

Run the LimitedWIP Societies in India

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A bit about yourself....

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Some get tired...

http://media.bizj.us/view/img/2960741/howtooverloaded*xx2122-1194-0-111.jpg

http://blog.targethealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/20100708-4.jpg

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Some try different methods...

Some ask for help...

http://homemakersdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Schedule-Overload-515x344.jpg

http://diyorganization.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/help-sign-man-buried-in-paper-picture-225x300.jpg

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Lean Principles with

“Personal Kanban” from

Jim Benson

Help comes knocking with...

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1st principle: Visualize your

work!

According to research using brain

imagery, visualization works because

neurons in our brains, those electrically

excitable cells that transmit information,

interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-

life action. When we visualize an act, the

brain generates an impulse that tells our

neurons to "perform" the movement.

Whether you're a student, businessperson,

parent or spouse, visualization will keep

you tethered to your goal and increase

your chances of achieving it. The power of

visualization is available to all people.There are two types of visualization...

The first method is ”outcome visualization” and involves

envisioning yourself achieving your goal. To do this,

create a detailed mental image of the desired outcome

using all of your senses.

The second type of visualization is ”process visualization”.

It involves envisioning each of the actions necessary to

achieve the outcome you want. Focus on completing each

of the steps you need to achieve your goal, but not on the

overall goal itself.12-12-2014

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Work is no more an amorphous concept – it has a definite shape,

a form and a storyline and a flow. This gives work coherence,

which is powerful. The brain can then take this new coherence

and based upon it make decisions. Prioritization becomes easier,

tasks become less daunting.

Jim Benson12-12-2014

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2nd principle: Limit your WIP!

Multi-tasking is not an asset!

STOP Starting; START Finishing

Hidden WIP!

http://agileprague.com/a-practical-introduction-to-kanban.htm

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People who are regularly bombarded with

several streams of electronic information do

not pay attention, control their memory or

switch from one job to another as well as

those who prefer to complete one task at a

time

"They're suckers for irrelevancy,"

"Everything distracts them."

The researchers are still studying

whether chronic media multitaskers are

born with an inability to concentrate or

are damaging their cognitive control by

willingly taking in so much at once. But

they're convinced the minds of

multitaskers are not working as well as

they could.

"When they're in situations where

there are multiple sources of

information coming from the

external world or emerging out of

memory, they're not able to filter out

what's not relevant to their current

goal," ... “That failure to filter means

they're slowed down by that

irrelevant information." 12-12-2014

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Why is it that between 25% and 50%

of people report feeling overwhelmed

or burned out at work?

It’s not just the number of hours

we’re working, but also the fact that

we spend too many continuous

hours juggling too many things at the

same time.The biggest cost — assuming you don’t crash

— is to your productivity. In part, that’s a simple

consequence of splitting your attention, so that

you’re partially engaged in multiple activities

but rarely fully engaged in any one. In part, it’s

because when you switch away from a primary

task to do something else, you’re increasing

the time it takes to finish that task by an

average of 25 per cent.But most insidiously, it’s because if

you’re always doing something,

you’re relentlessly burning down

your available reservoir of

energy over the course of every day,

so you have less available with every

passing hour.12-12-2014

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I will add a 3rd dimension: Flow

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Optimal experiences are reported

to occur within sequence of

activities that are goal directed

and bounded by rules – activities

that need attention and cannot be

done without some skills!

Phenomenology of enjoyment has

some/all of these elements:

1. We confront tasks that we

have a chance of completion!

2. We must be able to

concentrate on what we are

doing

3. The task has clear goals

4. Provides immediate feedback

5. One exercise a sense of

control of their actions

……….

The best moments usually occur

when a person’s body or mind is

stretched to its limits in a voluntary

effort to accomplish something

difficult or worthwhile

Such experiences are not

necessarily pleasant at the time

they occur

… with visualization (via board), limiting

WIP and “flowing” work!

So, lets get going...

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My “ToDo” was on PostIts

already...

That’s 50+

things to be

done on these

lists!

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... what about my “stuff” on

Outlook?

Add another 15

odd tasks!

Result: Important

things are waiting

for 13 weeks!

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I teach Kanban... and I knew about

“Personal Kanban”

I decided to make a fresh

start...

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Step 1: I started with a simple

board...

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Step 2: Identify my different types...

Do I treat them

same?

Office work

Project work

Corporate Stuff

Personal work

Personal projects

One-off tasks

Some for the family

They have different

nature...

One time

Recurring

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Step 3: Plan for recurring tasks

Added a (swim) lane

for “Recurring

Tasks”...12-12-2014

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Step 3: Lets make it a bit

smarter...

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Step 3: On Nov 20...

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Step 3: Set the next due date...

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Step 3: For the daily/weekly

tasks...

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Step 3: Flag it once you are

done

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Lets go back to my work

types...

Do I treat them

same?

Office work

Project work

Corporate Stuff

Personal work

Personal projects

One off tasks

Some for the family

They have different

nature...

One time

Recurring

Lets distinguish between the work types...

.....and use PostIts of different colors!12-12-2014

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Step 4: Card Types for my

board...

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Projects: consider a “staged”

process (Value Stream)

If you have work in projects going through

repetitive stages, you can define them in a

staged manner

Staged based execution gives greater control

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Adding a Value Stream for my

projects...

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Some approaches...

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Block/Unblock Cards

Throughput based approach

Focus on cards that you expect to complete first

Task based approach

Lets prioritize the Backlog...

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Moving ToDo(s) from PostIts to

Board

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I realized

that about

30% of what

I had on my

stickies are

obsolete!

Time to start

saying “NO”

So, periodically

look at this lane

and delete what

has become

obsolete!

What we also see is that if tickets

aren’t done within the month

they’re put on the Personal

Kanban, they probably won’t get

done. You’re better off making a

second board called “Things I

might want to do some day”

– Jim Benson

We mapped all my work on the

Board

Office work

Project work

Corporate Stuff

Personal work

Personal projects

One off tasks

Some for the family

One time

Recurring

STOP Starting; START Finishing

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A few more ideas...

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Break the “Done” lane...

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Clean the “Done” lane end of

week...

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Reflect on all that you have been able to

accomplish

http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Done-Column-Daily-Weekly-Review.png

Flag your “Promises”!

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Important to stick to commitments/specific

deadlines!

Flag them on the card with the Due Date

Breaking out projects...

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http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/blog/#sthash.dKrxXc7H.rlE7KYig.dpbs

Applying 5S to Personal

Kanban

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1S: Sort and clean

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Throw your junk away

If you have used (or still use) different ways of keeping track of your tasks, get rid of them

Do a spring clean, if it’s a task, put it in your Personal Kanban (the backlog, if it’s for later on), if it’s useless information, dump it

Trust your board; that should be your “go to” place

2S: Straighten

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Bring things in order

Make everything “easily” accessible in an

order

A corner in your room is a bad idea for a Personal

Board!

If you are using an online tool, stay logged in!

3S: Shine

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Keep your Personal Kanban tidy and in good shape.

At the end of your day, look at it... Is still a representation of your work?

If tasks become obsolete, drop them.

If you like to make notes to your tasks for later retrospectives, then do it now.

Rearrange what’s left... reorder it... make it look good.

4S: Standardize

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Define for yourself a

method/working pattern and

stick to it

You want to be able to rely on

the information your Personal

Kanban gives you to make

your decisions.

5S: Sustain

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The most difficult part!

Sustain the effort; get disciplined

Pay attention to the 4S

Keep things clean and tidy, stick with the system you defined for yourself, restock on tools and whatever you need

Commit to what you are trying to achieve Without discipline, your method will deteriorate over time and

you’ll gradually fall back into your way you worked before you introduced Personal Kanban.

In closing...

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Get organized in a visual manner

Use WIP to control what you can take at a point of time...

Start saying NO; delay and communicate what you just cannot do!

Keep work flowing; weekly reflect what you have accomplished

Define a common Value Stream for common pattern cards

Flag cards where you have given commitments...

Reach me at:

@sudiptal

lahiri.sudipta@gmail.co

m

sudiptalahiri.wordpress.com

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