GDC-3.1-Kanban - How to Make Your Production Scream

by Clinton Keith ( President of CK Consulting )

Kanban is :

• a tool for managing the flow of assets or information in a process.
• translated from Scrum, where it is visualizing the flow of valuable stuff being built.
• something that does not rely on a plan of 'should', since Reality > Planning.

3 Basic Rules

• Visualize workflow so there are clear goals for delivery.
• Limit work-in-progress to reduce multitasking/batching assets.
• Measure and improve flow, seeking ways to introduce measurable improvements.

Scrum vs. Kanban

• Scrum is based on a To Do-Ongoing-Done approach, making it better for slower or more definitive projects.
• Kanban works with a To Do-Ongoing1(#)-Buffer(#)-Ongoing2(#)-Done setup, where # is how many tasks are in that process at max capacity, making it better for faster hand-off projects.

Setting-Up Kanban

• Visualize the process, map it, add metrics, inspect it, and adapt everything for your situation.
• The process is the 'as-is' of the situation.
• Consider sticking a Process column to a Kanban board.
• There is only 1 asset from beginning to end.
• Set WIP limits as identified by numbers (#) next to each column title.
• Pay attention to limits - if they are overshot or never reached, they may show that there needs to be more/less of something.
• Create an Emergency Lane, where if any item is in the lane and in a specific column, all other things in the column are put on hold until the item leaves.

Edits/Mods to Kanban

• Split columns and assets between specialized teams.
• Add a marking for assets requiring special attention.

Sprint Planning from Scrum is not a feature of Kanban; it is replaced by 2 week cadences that reflect on what has happened when they end.  Planning lies mainly in Burn-Down charts, where the y-axis is how many tasks are being taken-on during a cadence, the x-axis being major time landmarks during the 2 weeks.

Summary:

• Kanban can be started quickly, it improves workflow with its features, and it regularly leads to a +50% improvement.

// Up next from GDC: The Walking Dead: Crafting a Stylized World for the Mature Franchise.