About the Author
Hello, I am Ivo. As an agile coach and trainer, I support banks, Fintech, and IT companies in transforming to adaptive strategy and efficient workflow. A method that has proved to be effective in those journeys was Kanban. It is an evolutionary method that does not push immediate changes in the teams and management but facilitates smooth improvements within the administration and teams.
Most of the people I work with readily understand the core Kanban concepts, but they need time and additional efforts to see how those concepts would work in their teams and organizations. My colleague Via and I created realistic simulations in which the teams and managers experiment and learn how to use Kanban.
The simulations engage the participants and demonstrate how Kanban works in practice. They are what my customers say they value the most. Last but not least, I really enjoy facilitating simulations!
How Does the Simulation Work?
This simulation facilitates comprehensive and realistic experimental learning among a team of 3-5 participants. The simulation features a simple story of events providing a light and simple context of the simulated environment.
Participants, guided by knowledgeable facilitators, "experience by doing" the critical Kanban practices such as visualization of workflow, the introduction of WIP limits, conducting team Kanban and retrospective meetings, elaboration of policies related to work types and classes of services, interpreting of Cumulative Flow Diagram and Scatterplot Charts, dealing with variability in the context of planning and organizing work and others.
In addition, they experience the change to the habits and behaviors of the team member. Namely, greater collaboration, knowledge sharing, and focus on understanding and meeting the customer expectations.
The Simulation in Action
The team runs the simulation on a fully operational software, the leading Kanban platform Kanbanize. As a result of the simulation, the participants discover how Kanban can support effective workflow management on a team level, and they are curious to learn in-depth Kanban practices.