Check out the proven principles of Flow Engineering Now
Some people know how to stick to their knitting. They focus on one thing and become true experts. Steve Pereira is one of those people. He has been focused on Flow Engineering for a long time.
In this video, he shared the power of Value Stream thinking. I was fortunate to get an advanced copy of his upcoming book, Flow Engineering.
The Flow Landscape
We start by understanding why organizations get bigger. Simply put, to do more, these complex organizations need more focus. There is a cost to growth and scale.
Steve shares the 3 D’s of Human Scaling
Distraction
Disorganization
Disengagement
As a parent of two kids, I have seen these in trying to get some help with lawn work. The workplace is no different. Your priority is to develop a new feature. Although, your boss would love you to check the performance of our latest release too.
Steve details how these distractions lead to fragmented work. This reminds me of Cal Newport's wisdom in his book Deep Work. Essentially, it is the opposite of fragmented work—block time to work on your most important priority with no interruptions. Large organizations don’t heed this advice.
Mapping the Landscape
The next section begins with setting our desired outcomes. Any change small or large must share the vision. Steve elaborates on a clear process for outcome mapping.
Starting with discovery bringing all participants along. Then he brings us to the target outcomes. As move along to benefits and obstacles that we may encounter. Wrapping up with outlining the next steps.
Navigating the Landscape
In the final section, we cover the principles of engineering flow. Steve details how flow is a balance between prescriptive and generative remedies.
He shares some guidelines for this journey. The 5 Principles of Flow Engineering start with Specify Value. This can lead to interesting discussions with team members. A term used often but not collectively defined.
Steve continues with Map the Value Stream and Create Flow. He gives us descriptions that help you get going. He cites one of my favorite books in his discussion of flow.
In The Goal by Eli Goldratt, he tells the story of a plant manager who goes on a camping trip. Surprisingly he learns some lessons on how to track constraints. Focusing on one constraint can bring breakthroughs.
Principle 4 is Pull don’t push. Pull systems avoid overproduction. Similar to the Kanban system pioneered by Toyota. We must allow the customer demand to determine our speed.
Pursue Perfection is the last principle. Steve shares how we must constantly eliminate waste from the system. Approach our work like a scientist and study changes.
Steve has put together an amazing piece of work here. I see a lot of value for IT Leaders and executives. Having been a developer and Scrum Master I see where he shares some wonderful tools to unleash value in any organization.