"First, when we're busy, we naturally believe we're accomplishing. But busyness doesn't equate to productivity. Activity doesn't necessarily equal achievement." - John C. Maxwell
Hi, today we are going to explore a bit about Kanban and KMM (Kanban Maturity Model) that is helping the way companies manage their projects and workflows. Right at the beginning of the text, I mention a quote from John C. Maxwell, a renowned leadership expert, reminding us of the pitfalls of constant busyness. Kanban encourages teams to avoid being overwhelmed and instead focus on maintaining a sustainable pace, allowing them to deliver excellent results.
In today's fast-paced world, companies and teams are constantly looking for ways to streamline their workflow and improve productivity. And Kanban along with KMM have gained wide recognition and adopted in various sectors in the market. Together they offer a combination of efficiency and flexibility, allowing teams to adapt and evolve their processes as they grow.
Both Kanban and KMM are built on the philosophy of continuous improvement. Teams are encouraged to regularly review their processes, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes to adapt to ever-evolving circumstances. Thus, by combining Kanban and KMM, we managed to obtain a powerful form of management and use knowledge resources efficiently.
Kanban: A Continuous Journey Toward Excellence
Kanban, originally developed by Toyota in the 1940s, emphasizes visualizing work in progress, limiting work items, and optimizing workflow. According to David J. Anderson, author and Kanban expert, "What is important to show: that the Kanban system is predictable and is working as designed, that the organization has business agility, that there is a focus on flow, and that there is a clear development of continuous improvement.
By visualizing work on a Kanban board and setting work-in-progress thresholds, teams can reduce bottlenecks, identify areas for improvement, and increase productivity. And here I have a clear opinion that the focus is on your customer, so we must keep in mind to remove everything that generates waste in the flow so that the company can be and have short answers to meet the needs of its customers.
All we're doing is looking at the timeline," he said, "from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we receive the money. And we're shortening that timeline by removing the waste that They don't add value." - Taiici Ohno
At its core, Kanban is a visual management method that promotes workflow and encourages continuous improvement. It allows teams to visualize their workflow on a board, preferably breaking tasks into manageable units and promoting collaboration. The visual nature of Kanban provides transparency, essential for identifying bottlenecks and optimizing workflow, improving productivity and quality.
You can see that Kanban values visual management that allows us enormous transparency about the workflow, and that when accompanied by metrics it is possible to make the necessary improvements together with the people of the teams. Reading the book: Show Me the Number, by Stephen Few, specialist in data visualization, it becomes clearer the power of visualizing information.
Underneath the “cause” of a problem is hidden the real cause. In each case, we need to discover the real cause by asking why, why, why, why, why. can be taken and the problems will not truly be solved."- Taiici Ohno
In the context of Kanban, visualization empowers teams to better understand their work and make informed decisions to increase their productivity as we get answers to some unclear questions for everyone.
However, we need to make it clear that the idea of using Kanban is not to do things faster, but to build higher quality products and/or services at a lower cost , based on continuous improvement of its processes and focus on reducing waste.
Kanban is one of those tools that, if used improperly, can cause a lot of problems. To use Kanban correctly and skillfully, we must clearly understand its purpose and role and then establish rules for its use. Kanban it's a way to achieve just-in-time its purpose is just-in-time. Kanban, in essence, becomes the autonomic nerve of the production line." - Taiici Ohno
KMM (Kanban Maturity Model< /strong>): Driving Efficiency and Collaboration
KMM is an extension of Kanban that seeks to measure the maturity of adoption of the method within an organization and guide the evolution to more advanced levels. It provides a clear framework for teams to evolve on their agile journey, providing greater efficiency and collaboration.
The main focus of KMM is to help us evolve some characteristics within companies, such as: better guiding the distribution of activities by reducing overloads, aligning customer expectations and monitoring and evolve to agile maturity.
The Kanban Maturity Model appears because reaching these outcomes is observed to be challenging for lots of organizations. It responds to the need for help to cope with resistance to change and to properly introduce the practices needed to make an entire organization resilient, robust, and ultimately antifragile. - David J. Anderson
KMM is based on the principles of Kanban and aims to guide organizations towards greater agility. It provides a roadmap for teams to assess their current practices and maturity level, allowing them to take steps towards continual improvement. KMM is not a rigid structure, but a flexible model that adapts to the unique needs of each team.
This guidance and structure help organizations to develop their process and service management practices. The model is presented in levels that represent the maturity of the organization in the use of Kanban, and each level has associated practices that are introduced progressively. Here is an overview of the Kanban Maturity Model (KMM) levels:
Level 0: At this level, the organization is not aware of its delivery problems. Processes are opaque and there are no management methods in place.
Level 1: Here, basic visualization practices are introduced. Teams are starting to use Kanban boards to visualize work, but they still don't have a defined process and face a lot of variability in delivery.
Level 2: At level 2, processes begin to be more defined. Teams implement work-in-progress (WIP) limits and start managing their flow. They also adopt explicit policies to guide their work, and flow metrics are collected and analyzed.
Level 3: Here, the organization begins to focus on delivering value to the customer. Advanced Kanban practices are implemented, including classes of service, risk management, and continuous improvement.
Level 4: The organization now uses flow metrics to forecast delivery and manage risk. Processes are optimized based on customer and organization needs.
Level 5: At this level, the organization is continually optimizing its processes. It adapts to market changes and uses customer feedback to inform decisions. The culture of the organization is one of continuous improvement and adaptation.
Level 6: This is the highest level of KMM. Here, the organization is in harmony with its market environment. It has an adaptive leadership culture, where practices and policies are regularly reviewed and adjusted to ensure congruence with the environment.
It is important to note that the Kanban Maturity Model is not just about adopting Kanban practices, but also about evolving the culture, leadership, and mindset of the organization. Each KMM level offers unique challenges and learnings, and the goal is to help organizations progress through these maturity levels to achieve excellence in their processes and value delivery.
And with this monitoring it is possible to "embrace" change and adaptability, allowing teams to thrive in a dynamic business landscape, where agility is crucial for the survival and growth. This way we carry out an efficient management of knowledge within the organization.
By creating an organizational structure that encourages knowledge sharing, KMM enables teams to harness collective intelligence and make better-informed decisions. The model emphasizes the importance of capturing, sharing and continually improving knowledge.
The power of combining Kanban and KMM
When they are combined, the results can be transformative. The visual nature of Kanban allows teams to easily identify knowledge gaps and bottlenecks, while KMM provides the framework to capture and share knowledge effectively.
By combining Kanban and KMM, organizations can create a feedback loop that captures lessons learned and continually improves processes. Their combination offers several benefits for project management:
Improved Visibility: Kanban provides a visual representation of work, while KMM ensures that relevant knowledge is readily available to all team members.
Improved Collaboration: KMM facilitates knowledge sharing, allowing teams to collaborate and leverage each other's expertise more effectively.
Continuous Improvement: By using Kanban and KMM together, organizations can identify opportunities for improvement and make iterative changes to processes and workflows.
Knowledge retention: KMM ensures that valuable knowledge is captured and shared, minimizing the risk of losing critical information when team members leave the organization.
Adaptability: The combination of Kanban and KMM fosters a culture of adaptability and encourages teams to continually learn and evolve.
Transparency and Visibility: Kanban provides a clear view of the flow of work, allowing all team members to be on the same page.
Focus on Quality: Kanban encourages the delivery of completed work , reducing rework and ensuring quality from the start.
Flow Management: Kanban helps you avoid bottlenecks and maintain a stable workflow, keeping teams productive.
Agile Evolution: KMM enables the constant and conscious evolution of adoption of Kanban, empowering teams to continually improve their processes.
Team Engagement: Kanban and KMM foster a culture of collaboration and autonomy, increasing the engagement of team members.
Kanban and KMM offer several possibilities for project management and knowledge sharing, respectively. When combined, they allow efficient management, maximizing the use of organizational knowledge. Because by using the power of visualization, flexibility and continuous improvement it is possible for teams to work smarter and achieve greater efficiency.
As teams embrace this knowledge and reap its benefits, they position themselves for success in an ever-changing business landscape.
By leveraging their strengths, organizations can achieve better results and drive continuous improvement in their projects. Both Kanban and KMM are built on the philosophy of continuous improvement and allow teams to be incentivized to regularly review their processes, identify areas for improvement and implement changes to adapt to circumstances .
Excellence is a journey not a destination, and in the context of Kanban and KMM, teams should pursue continuous improvement as a key aspect of their work culture.
Thus, the adoption of such knowledge, in an increasingly competitive world, becomes essential for organizations to achieve operational excellence. By using the systemic view provided by Kanban and following the structured path of KMM, teams can streamline their workflows, drive quality and achieve impressive results.
Bibliographical References
The Law of Priorities. In: MAXWELL, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: A Proven Recipe for Developing Your Inner Leader. Rio de Janeiro: Thomas Nelson Brasil, 2007. chap. 17, p. 168. ISBN 978-85-7860-444-8.
Timeline. In: OHNO, Taiichi. THE TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM: Beyond Large-Scale Production. [S. l.]: 1997. Preface, p. 5. ISBN 978-8573071702.
Incorrect Usage Causes Problems. In: OHNO, Taiichi. THE TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM: Beyond Large-Scale Production. [S. l.]: 1997. cap. 2, p. 29. ISBN 978-8573071702.
Real cause. In: OHNO, Taiichi. THE TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM: Beyond Large-Scale Production. [S. l.]: 1997. Glossary of Key Terms, p. 91. ISBN 978-8573071702.
PURPOSE. In: ANDERSON, David J; BOZHEVA, Theodora. Kanban Maturity Model: Evolving Fit-for-Purpose Organizations. 1st ed. [S. l.: s. n.], 2018. cap. 1, p. 3. ISBN 978-0985305154.
ANDERSON, David J. Metrics and Management Reporting. In: ANDERSON, David J. Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business. 1st edition. ed. [S. l.]: Blue Hole Press, 2011. chap. 12, ISBN 978-0984521463. E-book (290 p.).
FEW , Stephen. Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten. 2nd Second Edition. ed. [S. l.]: Analytics Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0970601971.
Revision: Fernanda Baqueiro