Discussion Forum > Standardized work, kanban and AF
My view is that the most important part of "standard work" in Kanban parlance is the discovery, exploration and adaptation to your specific context. This ability to adapt quickly and effortlessly is the key advantage over more traditional business processes.
The "standard work" manual is exploitation of that discovery process. For personal chores, I find reviewing the "what's better list" sufficient, assuming that my current goal is to do chores more quickly and effectively :)
I use a Kanban board at work to communicate to myself and stakeholders the commitments I've made, but it feeds into my SF planner (or AF planner at work).
The "standard work" manual is exploitation of that discovery process. For personal chores, I find reviewing the "what's better list" sufficient, assuming that my current goal is to do chores more quickly and effectively :)
I use a Kanban board at work to communicate to myself and stakeholders the commitments I've made, but it feeds into my SF planner (or AF planner at work).
September 6, 2011 at 1:14 |
Ryan Freckleton
Ryan Freckleton
If I where in your situation Alan, I'd work it exactly as you do.
September 6, 2011 at 5:23 |
Erik
Erik
Alan:
There is a difference between the systems followed in a business, which are there to coordinate the activities of a number of people, and the routines followed by an individual.
As I've written on numerous occasions systems are immensely important to both businesses and individuals. See for example:
1) http://www.markforster.net/blog/2006/10/4/more-about-systems.html
2) "One of the best investments of your time is to establish good systems" on pp. 129-132 of "Get Everything Done."
However once you've optimised your individual systems do you really need a kanban board to keep track of them? The fact that you are "doing the same things over and over" is surely going to mean that it's quicker just to do them than to look up how to do them?
There is a difference between the systems followed in a business, which are there to coordinate the activities of a number of people, and the routines followed by an individual.
As I've written on numerous occasions systems are immensely important to both businesses and individuals. See for example:
1) http://www.markforster.net/blog/2006/10/4/more-about-systems.html
2) "One of the best investments of your time is to establish good systems" on pp. 129-132 of "Get Everything Done."
However once you've optimised your individual systems do you really need a kanban board to keep track of them? The fact that you are "doing the same things over and over" is surely going to mean that it's quicker just to do them than to look up how to do them?
September 6, 2011 at 11:05 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I have not seen such articles before now.
As for why I feel value in retaining the charts, I think of three:
1) so everyone knows the process to follow
2) because with many different tasks, it's easy to forget
3) some processes, like purchasing, occur over time with multiple parties. This is a convenient way to track where everything is at.
4) processes can change. A chart scan easy way to remember the change.
If those weren't at issue, I suppose just doing it would be faster.
As for why I feel value in retaining the charts, I think of three:
1) so everyone knows the process to follow
2) because with many different tasks, it's easy to forget
3) some processes, like purchasing, occur over time with multiple parties. This is a convenient way to track where everything is at.
4) processes can change. A chart scan easy way to remember the change.
If those weren't at issue, I suppose just doing it would be faster.
September 6, 2011 at 12:31 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
I rarely do the same thing over and over. Some things, yes, but most vary. I do several things 4x a week (ideally). The routine is "check to see what is behind, and do it". For that, I need a record of what's been done. Another part of the routine is "check to see what else is on the list for office work and do it".
September 6, 2011 at 16:16 |
Cricket
Cricket
Alan, let's not forget:
- Accountability: harder to not fulfill your duty if everyone knows
- Communication: cut's unnecessary meetings and such while promoting problem solving discussions
- Worker empowerment: showing your boss what your workload is in an understandable and irrefutable manner
- No need to track stuff in your personalized system ;)
- Accountability: harder to not fulfill your duty if everyone knows
- Communication: cut's unnecessary meetings and such while promoting problem solving discussions
- Worker empowerment: showing your boss what your workload is in an understandable and irrefutable manner
- No need to track stuff in your personalized system ;)
September 6, 2011 at 23:39 |
Erik
Erik
Hi Alan - I've been using kanban boards recently at work to coordinate with one of my coworkers and communicate with our management, and also dabbling with "personal kanban." I was wondering if / how you are still using kanban boards in the way you describe here.
November 21, 2013 at 22:10 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
When I was last managing a team I used kanban boards. I don't use it for solo work.
November 23, 2013 at 23:04 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
A ubiquitous example for home is laundry: collect, wash, dry, fold, put away. I can't think of others so common, but people like the flylady have made up lists detailing how to clean a house efficiently, room by room, following a plan.
In business there are many. In fact, most businesses operate by doing the same things over and over, so that there really isn't much that doesn't fit standardizing, at least at the macro level. Project details might vary tremendously, but the basic scheme is the same. Purchasing goes through Rfq, quote, purchase order, delivery, invoice, payment regardless of what is bought.
So if several purchases are made from several suppliers, you draw up a grid and move each through the process. Effectively this is a kanban board. Checklists and templates can serve similarly. I find as I identify these processes at work, it's easier to manage these tasks by setting up these charts and following them, rather than have a temporal succession of tasks popping up in AF for what to do.
The ultimate is that all steps involved in these processes get removed from AF, and replaced by invocations to examine the corresponding board. So AF still directs me through my day, but these charts direct me in, and track, the workflows. As a bonus, other people can share the same chart easily, and if any interruptions come during the day related to these, it's easy to look and see where things are at, or make a special AF note to advance a particular project.