Real-World Kanban

Chapter 4Using Kanban to Save a Derailing Project

The first step in solving a problem is seeing that it exists. That sounds simple enough, except in situations where everyone wants to solve a different problem. Everyone involved knows there is something wrong, but each person sees different things. It’s really difficult to figure out how to fix the problem if no one agrees what the problem is in the first place.

Throw in other challenges, such as a looming deadline and lack of coordination across teams, and the problem seems unsurmountable. Let’s see how a company used Kanban to identify—and agree on!—the problems, prioritize the issues, and come up with a plan to address them.

Figure 1. In situations like these, you’d be well advised to equip ...