Have you ever seen team managers do daily stand-ups like this?
Of course you've seen it. You probably do it, too.
Here's what team members think in these meetings:
It kills team spirit, shifts the focus to overproduction, and encourages self-justification. So why do we keep doing it?
The first rule of the Kanban method is: you manage work, not people.
The second rule of the Kanban method is: you manage work, NOT people.
Or, well, they're not really "rules", more like "Service Delivery Principles" or something like that. Okay, the first principle sounds different. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's the second one.
So what does it mean? It means that you shouldn't micromanage every team member, demanding constant updates on what they're doing. Instead, let people organize themselves around their work. To do this, you'll need to visualize the work using a Kanban board.
Here are three steps:
*If you already have a board, good news! You can skip this part. Your board may not be perfect, but that's not the focus right now.
Create TODO
columns before each stage. This separates the queues from the actual work columns
Set WIP limits for each column
The Work In Progress WIP
limit is a number that limits the maximum number of tasks in a column. You can't add a new task to a column if it's already full. To start, keep it simple: one task per person in the IN PROGRESS
column and 1-2 tasks in the TODO
column. Adjust these limits later as you like.
At this stage, the main goal is to keep the board clean and tidy. It transforms the stand-up from a status call to a coordination meeting.
Don't worry about tracking the status of every task. As a manager, your main goal is to create a steady flow of completed work. Even if it's a small flow, consistency makes the system more predictable.
If the flow gets blocked, it's up to you to find ways to unblock it.
Here's what you need to do:
The work on the right side of your board is already well underway and highly invested. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can start earning money to invest in new work. So make it a priority to focus on these tasks.
Find out if there are any defects in the previous stages, infrastructure problems, or dependencies that prevent tasks from moving forward. Flag these tickets as blocked in some way to draw attention to them.
*Jira allows you to use built-in flags. Right-click an issue in the board and select Add Flag.
Ideally, you should reassign workers from the previous stages to solve the blockers. Remember, it's better to focus on completing existing tasks. Stop starting, start finishing
Make a list of each type of work you do for clients. For each type, set a standard time frame for completion. You can make it up - just try to remember how long it usually takes you to complete a task. Be a little pessimistic, that's not the time the customer wants. If you give your estimate an 8/10 chance - that's great.
*Of course, if you are familiar with the lead time distribution chart and have enough statistics, you can use it to define the SLA properly. If not, the method I have given you is sufficient
Let's call these numbers Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Now you can even give them to your customers to correct their expectations.
You don't need to know every detail of a ticket's progress. If a ticket is within the SLA, you don't need to ask if everything is okay.
*If delays do occur, adjust SLAs to better reflect reality
Ask who can help with the delayed task. Instead of discussing the solution in the daily meeting, organize the After Meetings
for each problem. Better yet, let people organize them themselves.
Sure, people might say that doing stand-ups isn't that big of a deal, that they're used to it.
But if tomorrow the manager starts hammering nails into their heads every morning, some of them might get used to it and even see some strange benefits.
So let's get rid of them.