Episode 14 – Keep the focus
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A key barrier to effective delivery is Parallelism – teams working on multiple items at once. A highly tuned team will focus on a piece of work to complete it and deliver it. Everyone in the team knows what the most important work is and where the priorities lie. And everyone is contributing to making that happen. But many teams lose that focus. Instead they are working on multiple features in parallel. This may seem harmless. There is a tendency to think that all work is good work and that being busy is sufficient. But unfocussed work can be expensive.
This podcast is AI-generated based on material from the “Agile Plays” website and book.
Transcript
Ever feel like you're just drowning in tasks? Yeah. Like a to do list just chasing you down? It's a feeling a lot of us have. Yeah.
But it's fascinating how certain companies, specifically in tech, seem to not just survive, but actually thrive Right. In the face of all this pressure and constant change. And one of the things we're looking at in this deep dive is how they do that. And one of the keys lies in understanding something called the ordered backlog. An ordered backlog.
Okay. So is that like a to do list Yeah. But just like a fancier word for it? Well, it's more than a list. Okay.
It's really about intentional prioritization. Think about it this way. Think about, like, a medieval fireplace. Like, back in the day Right. You wouldn't just, like, throw any old log on the fire.
Right? Right. There was actually a term back then called the fireplace backlog, and it was about how you carefully select and arrange the wood for optimal burning. Interesting. An ordered backlog is kinda similar.
It's about understanding the value of each task, sequencing them in a very specific way, and then not wasting time Right. Constantly restarting things. So it's about working on the most important things first and not getting sidetracked by all the little fires that are popping up everywhere. Exactly. A well maintained backlog helps us to navigate complexity.
It gives us clarity and focus, and it actually reduces that feeling Mhmm. Of being chased by a mountain of tasks. Which we all have. Yeah. This makes me think about all the times I've started a 1,000,000 things, and I finished maybe 1.
Right. Is there a connection between feeling scattered and this idea of a backlog? There is. And it's something called work in progress or WIP. Okay.
And too much WIP Too much WIP. Is like having a pipeline Yeah. That's clogged up with half finished projects, so nothing gets completed and the whole system slows down. Also, it's that feeling of having a 1000000 tabs open on your computer and not getting anything done. So starting a bunch of things and not finishing them is actually making us less productive.
Exactly. It leads to delays. It increases costs, and it makes us less adaptable to change So even just, like, a quick glance at my phone or checking an email when I'm working on something can throw me off. Absolutely. Those small interruptions add up.
Good. They have a real impact on efficiency and on the quality of our work. So how can a well managed backlog help me tackle this WIP problem? Well, a prioritized backlog can guide us to focus on one thing at a time Okay. Which then reduces that temptation to constantly be switching gears.
Right. And then that minimizes WIP and allows us to make real headway on those high value tasks. Wow. This is really giving me a whole new way to think about my to do list. Yeah.
But how can we actually measure if we're getting better at this whole WIP thing? Well, this is where WIP becomes more than just a concept. It can actually be a key performance indicator or a KPI. Okay. By tracking our WIP, we can pinpoint bottlenecks Mhmm.
Identify areas where we're getting bogged down, and we can make adjustments to actually optimize our workflow. So we can use WIP as a way to improve. Exactly. That's really cool. I like it.
It's about going from feeling overwhelmed to a position of empowered action. That's a good way to put it. We're using data and insights to work smarter, not just harder. I love that. Yeah.
This has been so interesting already. I feel like we've gone from medieval fireplaces to modern productivity hacks all in the name of taming this to do list beast. Yeah. But I'm sure there's so much more. There is.
Stay tuned because we're gonna dive even deeper into some agile strategies I can't wait. For sustainable productivity. Awesome. Welcome back to our deep dive into sustainable productivity. Last time, we were talking about how important it is to prioritize work Right.
And manage our work in progress or WIP. Right. Right. Now let's explore something that seems pretty simple but can have a big impact on how we work. Okay.
It's the power of done. Done. Okay. Well, that seems pretty straightforward. I mean, isn't it just checking things off the to do list?
Well, there's a little more to it than that. Okay. In the world of agile, done represents a shared understanding of what it actually means for a task to be completely finished, And this clarity is essential for both quality and efficiency. So it's not just about me feeling good about crossing something off my list. Right.
It's about knowing for sure that it's done to a certain standard. Exactly. Just imagine you're working on a project with a team Okay. And everyone has a different idea of what done means. Oh, yeah.
That would be a problem. Some people might think, oh, the code's written. We're done. Right. Others might say, no.
It's not done until it's been tested and it's deployed. Right. This kind of ambiguity can lead to confusion. It can lead to rework, and, ultimately, you end up with a product Yeah. That's not as reliable.
That makes a lot of sense. It's like assuming a cake is done just because it's been in the oven for a while. You gotta make sure it's cooked all the way through, right, not just brown on the top. I love that analogy. A clear definition of done Mhmm.
Or DOD as it's sometimes called. DOD. Okay. Acts as our recipe. It makes sure everyone involved understands the criteria for completion, And it helps us avoid those, like, gotcha moments where we think something is finished only to realize later that there were all these hidden tasks Yeah.
Those are the worst. Or requirements we didn't even know about. So a well defined DOD helps us stay on the same page from the beginning to the very end. Exactly. It's like having a really clear recipe for that cake.
So everyone knows what ingredients to use Right. How long to bake it Yeah. And you end up with a perfect result every time. I like that. So how can I apply this to my own work?
I mean, obviously, it's good for big projects. Yeah. But what about for individual tasks? Right. Let's say you have something on your to do list.
Like, write a report. Yeah. Instead of just writing that down Yeah. Define what done actually means for that specific task. Okay.
Does it mean gathering all the data? Does it mean writing the report, proofreading it, getting feedback, incorporating the edits, and then finally sending it out to everyone who needs to see it? I see what you mean. So it's about setting myself up for success. Mhmm.
By actually knowing what success looks like for each task. It's about setting yourself up for success by defining what success actually looks like. That's good. I like that. For each task.
This has been so insightful. We've gone from prioritizing work with a backlog to understanding how much work in progress can hurt us, and now the power of a clear definition of done. And this is just the beginning. Oh, there's more. In the final part of our deep dive, we'll be exploring even more strategies to help you maximize productivity I can't wait.
Drawing inspiration from the world of agile development. Alright. Welcome back to our deep dive. So we've covered a lot of ground already. We've talked about using backlogs, taming all that work in progress, and really understanding what done means.
Right. Now I'm curious, how does all of this fit into, like, a bigger picture of productivity? Well, so far, we've been focusing on individual tasks and projects. Mhmm. But to really level up our work, we need to shift from what's called a project centric mindset Okay.
To a product centric one. Project centric versus product centric. Yeah. What's the difference? So instead of thinking about our work as these, like, separate projects Okay.
With a start and a finish Right. We start to see it as this continuous flow Okay. Of value creation. So it's less about checking things off a list and more about creating something that keeps growing and getting better over time. Exactly.
It's like the difference between, say, building a house Okay. And tending a garden. Interesting. One is kinda static. The other is dynamic, and it's always evolving.
I like that. It makes sense, especially when things change so fast. Right. Especially in the tech world. Exactly.
And when we think about work this way, understanding the value stream becomes super important. A value stream. Okay. What is that? Imagine a stream of work that flows from, like, an initial idea Mhmm.
All the way to a finished product. Okay. That's in the hands of a customer. Got it. That whole process.
Okay. That's your value stream. So are you saying my work is like a river? Should I be worried about, like, rapids and waterfalls? Maybe not rapids and waterfalls.
Okay. Good. But just like a river can get clogged with debris Right. Our value streams can get bogged down with inefficiencies Okay. And bottlenecks.
So we need to clear the path and make sure those ideas are flowing smoothly from beginning to end. Right. How do we do that? Well, by mapping out our value stream Okay. We can actually visualize every single step in the process.
Okay. And then we can pinpoint those areas for improvement. I see. We can look for handoffs between teams, unnecessary approvals, really anything that's slowing down the flow. That makes sense.
It's like when you see those traffic reports on the news and they highlight the areas that are jammed up. Exact So by knowing where the bottlenecks are in our value stream, we can find ways to reroute the traffic and keep things moving. That's a great analogy. And by optimizing that value stream, not only do we deliver things faster Right. But we also reduce waste, and we improve the overall quality of our work.
So who's responsible for making sure that value stream keeps flowing? Is it just me, or do I need a team? Well, collaboration is key. Remember that agile principle we talked about? Mhmm.
Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. So it's not just about having individual rock stars. It's about building a team that's aligned on goals and communicating well to keep those ideas moving. Exactly. Open communication, shared understanding, and a willingness to adapt, these are all crucial.
That makes sense. And tools like agile boards, which can visually represent that workflow k. Can be really helpful for tracking progress and identifying any roadblocks early on. So by combining this product centric mindset, a well mapped value stream, and a great team, we can really unlock a whole new level of productivity. Exactly.
It's about working smarter, not harder. It's about creating a system that supports continuous flow and improvement. Well, this has been a fantastic deep dive. We've learned so much. We started with backlogs, then we talk about work in progress, the power of done, and now how to optimize our entire value stream.
And remember, this is a journey. It's not a destination. The beauty of agile is that it encourages us to always keep improving. That's a good point. So keep experimenting, keep adapting, and find what works best for you.
Great advice. And to all of our listeners, thanks for joining us on this deep dive. We hope you come away with a fresh perspective and some actionable strategies to streamline your work and unlock your full potential. Keep learning, keep exploring, and keep diving into all that amazing knowledge out there. Until next time.
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