Comments on: Kanban WIP Limits – The Fine Art of Focus http://www.agileweboperations.com/kanban-wip-limits-the-fine-art-of-focus/ Helping web developers and operations bridge the deployment gap Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:31:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Matthias Marschall http://www.agileweboperations.com/kanban-wip-limits-the-fine-art-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-1904 Matthias Marschall Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:20:06 +0000 http://www.agileweboperations.com/?p=1748#comment-1904 Max, you bring up a very important point. It's always problematic if you can only try to optimize one step in the whole value creation process. Better than waiting or taking on more tasks (breaking your WIP limit) would be to try to help the other department to get their stuff done faster. Either by talking with them directly or by trying to get attention to the Kanban idea for the whole process. If all that is not possible, you still can break your WIP once in a while, but you should be careful with that. Or maybe your WIP needs to be bigger because of the broken process? Max, you bring up a very important point. It’s always problematic if you can only try to optimize one step in the whole value creation process.

Better than waiting or taking on more tasks (breaking your WIP limit) would be to try to help the other department to get their stuff done faster. Either by talking with them directly or by trying to get attention to the Kanban idea for the whole process.

If all that is not possible, you still can break your WIP once in a while, but you should be careful with that. Or maybe your WIP needs to be bigger because of the broken process?

]]> By: Max Zenno http://www.agileweboperations.com/kanban-wip-limits-the-fine-art-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-1903 Max Zenno Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:47:22 +0000 http://www.agileweboperations.com/?p=1748#comment-1903 OK, i understand the concept of WIP but what when i can't finish my ongoing tasks cos I have too wait for another guys from another department to finish his part of the task? Should I sit and wait do nothing or better take a new task from backlog? OK, i understand the concept of WIP but what when i can’t finish my ongoing tasks cos I have too wait for another guys from another department to finish his part of the task? Should I sit and wait do nothing or better take a new task from backlog?

]]> By: Matthias Marschall http://www.agileweboperations.com/kanban-wip-limits-the-fine-art-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-1869 Matthias Marschall Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:12:57 +0000 http://www.agileweboperations.com/?p=1748#comment-1869 Yes, Mark, you're right. By limiting the stuff you work on in parallel you not only avoid task switching but the mental overload, too. It helps me to ignore those little task you talk about if I can put them anywhere I know I don't forget about them - either a backlog of a Kanban board or any other place where it is out of sight but I can be sure it will be there when I've time to address it. Yes, Mark, you’re right. By limiting the stuff you work on in parallel you not only avoid task switching but the mental overload, too.

It helps me to ignore those little task you talk about if I can put them anywhere I know I don’t forget about them – either a backlog of a Kanban board or any other place where it is out of sight but I can be sure it will be there when I’ve time to address it.

]]> By: Mark W Schumann http://www.agileweboperations.com/kanban-wip-limits-the-fine-art-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-1868 Mark W Schumann Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:43:14 +0000 http://www.agileweboperations.com/?p=1748#comment-1868 I don't know much about Kanban, Matthias, but I think an added advantage of limiting the number of cards in one column is completely mental. It's not just the task switching, it's the mental overload of too many things to think about. Sometimes when I can't focus on a big task I realize it's because there are so many little tasks running around. I can try to ignore them but it's actually too hard. Better to eliminate a bunch of those little tasks by completing, canceling, or delegating. I don’t know much about Kanban, Matthias, but I think an added advantage of limiting the number of cards in one column is completely mental. It’s not just the task switching, it’s the mental overload of too many things to think about.

Sometimes when I can’t focus on a big task I realize it’s because there are so many little tasks running around. I can try to ignore them but it’s actually too hard. Better to eliminate a bunch of those little tasks by completing, canceling, or delegating.

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