Personal Kanban and the Startup

In a startup, everyone wears multiple hats. Deadlines are driven by desire. Constant small experiments are the difference between success and nothing. Continuous Improvement is a requirement, not a lu
xury. Everyone needs to understand what is happening and why. The goal is nothing short of constant clarity. Using Personal Kanban, startups around the world have taken Lean principles and given them both form and function. Using a simple display (either physical or electronic), small teams are doing great things.  People are able to stay well informed with only an occasional glance at the kanban. Standup meetings are more about effectiveness and kaizen than status and acknowledgement.  Jim Benson, co-author of the book Personal Kanban and creator of the technique, will discuss how it works, tell field stories of Personal Kanban in action from startups to world governments, describe how it transforms meetings into creative working sessions, and why the tool works socially and psychologically.  Jim hates PowerPoint and loves engagement. So Jim's talk will have exactly zero slides and involve a whole lot of sticky notes and conversation.  

Jim's Bio

Incorporating lessons from a multi-disciplinary background that includes psychology, urban planning, government technology planning, software development, and corporate change management, Jim Benson specializes in the management of “knowledge work.” Over the course of his 22 year career, he has acquired a rich understanding for how people process information, set goals, and achieve their objectives.

In 2007, he started his current company, Modus Cooperandi. As the name suggests, Jim believes that the successful completion of any project requires cooperation. To this end, he works with all elements of a project: the individual, the team, and the organization as a whole to ensure that communication and collaboration are sound.

With that collaborative framework in place,  a culture of continuous improvement can result - a culture that actively seeks out opportunities to improve job satisfaction and/or performance. Since starting Modus, Jim has helped The World Bank, NBC Universal, The United Nations UNDP and UNEP, The Library Corporation, Comcast and others find collaborative solutions, identify and implement improvements, and create more innovative cultures.

Jim is also the creator of “Personal Kanban,” a lean process used to manage knowledge workers. Knowledge work is a fundamentally tricky type of work to gain focus around, as those engaged in this type of work are by nature inventive. Invention and innovation are unpredictable, and related tasks are often amorphous. For the past two decades Jim Benson has worked at uncovering ways for groups to find clarity in unpredictable and amorphous environments.

Prior to Modus, Jim led transportation and software development projects of all sizes, and created custom software for government and business. He understands the trade-offs between marketing and development that inevitably arise in both government and private industry. His Lean and Agile project management backgrounds help him clearly express current work to staff and dynamically prioritize work based on current business needs. 

Go "Lean"

Come and learn about quick-turn around and rapid growth from some of the leading Lean experts in the field. This is also a great opportunity for networking, and yes, we have name-tags. (NOTE: It's $5 to cover food and other costs, but if you didn't RSVP, it's $10 at the door.) New to lean? That's okay! Go to  TheLeanStartup.com, check out   WikiPedia's Definition and tune into the   Startup Lessons Learned blog, and come prepared for the meetup. 

Agenda

6:00 - Registration

6:30 - Start w/ Intro & Scope

6:35 - "15 Second” Spotlights

6:45 - "15 Minute" Networking (Pizza, Beer/Wine Included)

7:00 - Personal Kanban and the Startup with Jim Benson 

8:00 - Raffle, Feedback And Closing Remarks

8:15 - Cocktail Hour