An Introduction to Kanban for Individuals & Teams

An Introduction to Kanban for Individuals & Teams

Taught by Simon Marcus

Knowledge work is defined by friction. Every time you start something, something else pops up that needs your attention, getting anything done feels like wading through quicksand. Its really hard - especially in work characterized by the need to process and manipulate information to create value, to get stuff done, while making sure you're doing the right stuff.

There are no silver-bullets for the state of constant overload that is modern work, but some approaches work better than others. Kanban is a simple framework that asks you to find ways to visualize your work and limit your work in progress (WIP) in order to stop starting shit and start finishing it.

It's a great compliment to Agile development and Lean Startup efforts. In fact, it's a great compliment to any process you currently use to help you be more effective (and perhaps even more efficient).

Who's this for? Anyone who wants to find ways to be more effective (doing the right things) and efficient (doing them well) at work. People from all walks of life are benefiting from Kanban: executives, developers, writers, marketers, teachers, health care professionals, construction workers...

We'll cover:

Kanban's roots in the Toyota Production System, the Theory of Constraints and other antecedents David Anderson's Kanban Method's Principles and Practices Jim Benson's Personal Kanban, with a focus on the psychology of work How to get started with a physical or virtual kanban board Kanban and the Pomodoro technique When we're done, you'll be ready to start using kanban by yourself or with your team, and you’ll have a sense of where to turn for lots more depth, ideas and support.

If you're interested in learning more after this talk, there is an active NYC Lean Coffee (https://www.meetup.com/nyc-kanban/) meetup where practitioners get together to discuss issues, problems, strategies for implementing Kanban in their teams.