How should we limit WIP on the Portfolio Kanban? How is a Portfolio-level kanban system different when it comes to limiting WIP? Shifting from capacity management to leadership focus management

Most teams move slowly not because they lack effort, but because 75–85% of their delivery time is spent waiting in queues, handoffs, and decision delays — flow efficiency exposes this hidden latency.

A 40+ team retail division transformed delivery through a fundamental culture shift: from starting work to focusing on finishing it, creating trusted predictability.

When Scrum Teams blend Kanban with Scrum, they benefit from more predictable delivery, early detection of spikes in demand, sustainable pace, and data-driven decisions.

Kanban Boards make visible the flow of value – items of value. In a Scrum context, those items are Product Backlog Items. (Not the decomposed tasks of the Sprint Backlog.)

When we were developing the Professional Scrum with Kanban guide and class, Daniel Vacanti kept insisting I inspired the Work Item Aging flow metric we introduced. I was complimented, but didn’t recall the exact reference. Well, it turns out I did write and talk about this way earlier than the PSK.

Most people don’t understand “leading” and “lagging” indicators. And that’s fine, because the terms are meaningless. They’re used by consultants to sound authoritative but lack consistent definition or practical value.

One practice from Kanban that I think is often overlooked is related to the flow of work. Work on the Scrum board should flow from left to right - but it shouldn't flow backwards.

As a Scrum trainer, I get the chance to speak with people from many different industries—finance, healthcare, tech, education, government. Because of my unique position, I get a chance to notice trends in the industry. Here is what I am hearing a lot about lately.

Measuring individual cycle time in Kanban misleads teams, hides real bottlenecks, and harms flow. Focus on system-wide metrics like PCE, WIP, and throughput instead.

In knowledge work, backwards movement on the Kanban board often signals confusion or rework. Please don't confuse yourself anymore and find out whether moving cards backwards on a Kanban board aligns with practical knowledge work. Learn what Toyota can teach us about doing it right in Kanban. This a...

Case Study on the Power of Flow Metrics: How a struggling team slashed their Cycle Time by 89% and rocketed their Release Frequency by 1.200%.

Upstream Kanban is a Kanban system designed to uncover new knowledge and assess delivery options. The upstream is a highly creative, collaborative, and unpredictable activity. Consequently, the Upstream Kanban requires a specific set of metrics that can help guide your decisions. This article explor...

People often reach out to me — they're trying to decide whether to take a Scrum course or a Kanban course.

Case Study on Improved Workflow and Teamwork showing a 75% reduction in planning time and a productivity gain of 2 working weeks per year for each team member.

Product Backlog Management is challenging. Imagine you’re a Product Owner with a backlog of 300+ items. Stakeholders keep adding requests, developers feel lost in prioritisation, and every refinement session is a painful, drawn-out discussion. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. If you have e...

In this vlog, PST Joshua Partogi shares an overview on Evidence-Based Management to measure effectiveness in an organisation, regardless of whether they're using Scrum or Kanban.

What gets measured gets managed. But setting OKRs isn't enough. The flow and traction of OKRs need to be managed as well - otherwise, you'll find yourself in the OKR swamp. Using an OKR Kanban can help you both see the swamp and improve the flow and traction of OKRs.

So you have a Portfolio Kanban board managing your biggest investments. You’re actively managing the flow by using this Kanban board in your conversations about the portfolio. Kanban/Flow Metrics can help sharpen your flow focus even further. The four flow metrics described in the Kanban Guide for S...

They tell us a story of slow, centralized decision-making, often related to classic program management culture combined with an iron spaghetti portfolio where delivering product outcomes often requires wide collaboration across teams and even teams of teams.

Showing the value you offer to the organization is more critical than ever for Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters. It’s not easy, though. The three recommendations I provide in this blog post might help. If you’re interested, dig deeper into Evidence-Based Management, Kanban, and the scientific researc...

In this article, we explore the Kanban practice of "make policies explicit" and how it equips teams for self-management

Découvrez le framework Kanban, un cadre agile essentiel pour visualiser et gérer efficacement vos tâches. Regardez notre vidéo pour en savoir plus !

In this VLOG, Matt speaks with Adam Bullied, COO at Circus about his experience implementing Flow Metrics in a Startup Environment

In this video, Martin dives into the profound effects of enhancing your workflow within a Kanban system 🚀. He sheds light on the unseen costs of delays and how visualising these can lead to significant changes 📊. Join us as we explore the journey from identifying bottlenecks to implementing effectiv...

In this video, Martin shares insights into defining and visualising workflow in a Kanban system 📈. He discusses the importance of team consensus on work processes and decision-making criteria to ensure stability and efficiency 🛠️. Emojis are sprinkled throughout to add a touch of engagement!

In this video, Martin Hinshelwood, a seasoned Agile and Kanban expert, takes us on a detailed journey through the intricacies of leveraging Azure DevOps to enhance our Kanban practices. 🚀 From setting up your first board to advanced customisations that breathe life into your workflow, this video is ...

In this video, Martin delves into the nuances of effectively managing a Kanban workflow, stressing the significance of being more than a passive observer in the process. He articulates the need for proactive involvement in fine-tuning and adjusting the workflow to prevent bottlenecks, ensure tasks p...

In this video, Martin discusses transitioning from traditional project management to agile frameworks, particularly focusing on the Kanban approach. He highlights how Kanban can be a gentle yet effective pathway for organisations hesitant about drastic changes. Through a personal journey and reflect...

In this video, Martin delves into the symbiotic relationship between Kanban and Scrum, arguing that integrating Kanban strategies can significantly enhance any Scrum practice. 🎥🔧 He discusses how Kanban's focus on metrics and continuous improvement can address Scrum's limitations, particularly in pl...

Eric shows how you could use Kanban in conjunction Product Discovery techniques to add transparency to your innovation efforts.

In this video, Martin dives into the nuanced world of workflow optimisation within creative industries, exploring why Kanban is gaining traction over traditional methods like Scrum. 🎨🖌️ He shares insights from his own journey, highlighting Kanban's flexibility and its ability to mould into the uniqu...

In this video, Martin explores the lean philosophy of prioritising task completion over initiation, a practice that fosters enhanced productivity and focus within teams 🚀. He delves into the detrimental effects of multitasking and the importance of a singular focus through the lens of lean and agile...

Enabling constraints are an often misunderstood but powerful tool when coping with complexity.

Today I got a call from a customer who is trying to understand what's going on in their teams and is getting lost among the many different Features and Product Backlog Items on their boards.

A Tool for Creating Real Change with Michael Lloyd at the 58. Hands-on Agile Meetup

This article covers a few ways in which discovery and delivery of work on a Kanban Board can be managed.

An unusual article featured in the latest edition of the Harvard Business Review titled "Case Study: Should I Pitch a New Project-Management System?" raised several concerns and demonstrated misconceptions about Scrum. The piece created a false dilemma between "Scrum" and a hypothetical "Flow" proce...

This article explores the different classes of service in Kanban and the Kanban Guide view on whether you should use different classes of service.

In most situations, blocked items are included in the work-in-progress limit, and only in edge case situations would you have a situation where you would exclude blocked items from work-in-progress (eg, we made all the phone calls, we shook all the trees, we’re thinking of canceling one work item an...

Focus on improving your Scrum game in 2024 with one of these five resolutions to enhance collaboration within your team and deliver value sooner to your customers.

In this video, Martin explores the nuanced dichotomy between resource efficiency and flow efficiency in the modern workplace. 🔄 He delves into how organizations often lean towards optimizing resources - treating people and materials as cogs in a machine - and contrasts this with the holistic approac...

A video walkthrough of 4 key reports in Actionable Agile: Cycle Time Scatterplot, Aging Work In Progress, Cumulative Flow Diagram and Monte Carlo forecasting.

In this article, PST Stefan Wolpers explores the pitfalls of 'The Illusion of Velocity' in agile contexts, peeling back the layers of traditional metrics as leadership tools and what to do instead.

Leverage KPIs for faster delivery times and improved customer satisfaction. Gain insights for using Flow Metrics to optimize your product delivery process.

Look at the limitations of deterministic estimates and innovative approaches for effective decision-making via the Agile practices such as Scrum & Kanban. Learn to handle complexity while keeping projects on track.

🚀 Diving deep into the world of Story Points! 📊 Ever wondered about their true value and how they fit into the bigger picture of team performance? Dive into my latest article where I unravel this enigma. Let's journey together from the subjective realm of Story Points to the tangible metrics of thro...

We have seen many Scrum teams attempt to resolve challenges by giving up and moving to Kanban. However, the decision to switch from Scrum to Kanban typically arises not from Scrum shortcomings, but rather from challenges in its implementation. In this episode, Jeff and Mike explore misguided reasons...

Explore 8 red flags indicating incomplete Kanban adoption. Enhance your team's agility with Practicing Kanban

In my opinion, the section on the definition of workflow in the Kanban Guide is probably the most important section. If you don’t understand your definition of workflow, many other things don’t work that well in the Kanban Guide as a result. If you don’t get that part, it’ll be difficult to really m...