Today, we will examine the 4 Kanban practices added in the Scrum With Kanban Guide together.
WARNING!
It is important to note that even though Kanban adds practices to Scrum, no element of Scrum is removed: events, roles, artifacts, everything is preserved because each topic has a reason to be within Scrum.
We are talking about “Scrum with Kanban”, we are complementing Scrum, not modifying it! As the SWK Guide specifies “Scrum Teams can optimize flow by using the following four practices”.
Visualization of the workflow
Visualizing with the help of the Kanban board allows the Scrum team to make their Workflow transparent. It includes defined steps to start and finish work, a definition of work items, stages of the workflow crossed, explicit rules on workflow and rules to limit WIP. Visualization aims to facilitate timely discussions and suggest proactive improvements. (We will talk about it soon).
Limitation of Work in Progress (WIP)
Limiting Work in Progress (WIP) is essential for Scrum teams using Kanban. This involves explicitly setting a limit to the number of work items in progress. This limitation creates a pull flow system, where the team only starts working on an item when capacity is available. This differs from a push flow system, where work begins as soon as the demand is made. Limiting WIP improves flow, self-organization, focus, commitment and collaboration within the Scrum team.
WIP Limits can apply at different levels, such as Product Backlog items, Kanban board columns, or the team as a whole. However, they always concern Product Backlog Item, never tasks.
Limitation rules are defined by team members who are directly involved in the process, thereby promoting self-organization. If we are talking about the sprint backlog, the developers are responsible for defining the limits, if we are talking about the backlog as a whole, it is the Scrum team, and if this involves more members of the organization then these people can also be involved.
During a sprint, when a team member completes a task and the limit is reached, instead of starting a new task, they help other members advance the ongoing elements. This promotes collaboration and teamwork.
In some emergency cases, work can be considered a priority and exceed the work in progress limit. However, this must be exceptional.
WIP Limits can be adjusted at any time, preferably during a Sprint Retrospective.
Limiting work in progress has many benefits, such as a sustainable work pace, enhanced collaboration, and faster feedback cycles.
Active management of work in progress
The active management of ongoing items is essential to establish effective flow, in addition to limiting work in progress. Within the Sprint, this involves ensuring that work items are pulled into the workflow at a similar rate to their output, avoiding unnecessary aging of items, and quickly responding to blockages or delays exceeding the team’s expected cycle time levels.
Inspection and adaptation of the definition of “Workflow”
The Scrum team uses Scrum events to inspect and adapt its definition of Workflow, thus improving empiricism and optimizing the value delivered. Aspects of the Workflow definition that the team might adopt include visualization rules of workflow states for more transparency and adjusting WIP limits, SLEs, and batch size to remedy obstacles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the four Kanban practices added to Scrum, namely workflow visualization, limitation of work in progress (WIP), active management of work in progress, and inspection and adaptation of the definition of “workflow”, optimize a Scrum team’s workflow. They do not modify Scrum, but complement it, making the workflow more transparent, improving collaboration and self-organization within the team, and promoting a sustainable work pace. However, it should be noted that all elements of Scrum, events, roles, artifacts, are preserved in “Scrum with Kanban”.