This is a half-day version of Okaloa FlowLab
As most organizations have had their share of experience with Agile development they are now looking at how they can make their entire business agile. A deeper insight in how and why agile works is the pre-requisite for business agility and the agile organization. Flow thinking has proven to be foundational and Kanban systems are known to improve flow. But the concept of flow is not an easy concept to master for people that have not experienced it. Rational explanations of flow only go so far. Without intuitive understanding based on experience they are not sufficient to mobilize a team or organization into action. This is the fundamental bootstrap problem: in order to mobilize a team, flow must be experienced; in order to get the chance to experience flow, the team must be mobilized.
In this one-day workshop,
Brickell Key Award winner Patrick Steyaert, will help you solve this bootstrap problem and let you experience the deeper meaning behind the concepts of flow. Not just through a one-off game with predetermined rules, tucked somewhere between all the mind-boggling theories, but rather through a full blown simulation artificially creating a, true to reality, knowledge work environment.
The workshop is based on Okaloa Flowlab, a laboratory filled with a variety of board play flow simulations developed as experiments. Each experiment is designed to allow participants to experience the impact of decisions and policies on the flow of work and the flow of value. In the starting simulation (a team level simulation) participants experience how flow comes into existence and how agility emerges from that. It allows us to build the new metaphor of flow systems based on Stocks and Flows models, constraints, impedance, feedback and uncommon sense. Subsequent simulation(s) allow participants to experience how the flow systems metaphor scales up to the enterprise level (cross-team flow) and across the entire value stream (end-to-end flow from suspected to satisfied need), acting as a bridge builder between the islands of agility in the organization. At the end of the workshop participants will walk away with a deeper rational understanding of flow systems (flow systems theory); a deeper intuitive understanding of flow systems (flow systems experience); and a new way of teaching flow thinking through simulation that mobilizes into action.
Agenda / topics:1) Flow systems as a new metaphor for organisation
Introduction to how Business Agility differs from Agile development and the importance of flow systems as a new metaphor for agile organizations and organizations in general (in addition to new forms of self-organization such as Holacracy, Sociocracy, Teal organization, …).
2) The machine metaphor for organization
In the 1st round of simulation we explore the machine metaphor for organization in a typical command and control, resource efficiency, silo-ed way of working. Not only does this simulation set a baseline for improvement it also allows us to develop a deeper systems view. Participants learn how to observe and analyse such a system of work through the flow systems metaphor (Stocks and flows, constraints, impedance, feedback, uncommon sense).
3) Experiment with flow
In the 2nd round of simulation participants set up their own experiment(s) to allow flow to emerge. They will define an experiment to validate their hypothesis about how the system of work can be improved. By doing so they will test the understanding that they have developed in the previous round (e.g. what is the impact of WIP constraints on collaboration, what is the impact of collaboration on quality, …).
4) Enterprise flow
In the 3rd round of simulation participants will practice what has been learned in the previous rounds in a fairly complex and realistic business simulation. They will learn how the flow systems metaphor scales up to the enterprise level (cross-team flow) and across the entire value stream (end-to-end flow from suspected to satisfied need). This round will cover upstream was well as portfolio type of kanban systems.
5) Reflection and discussion
In a lean coffee style discussion we will reflect on what you have experienced and how this relates to your own situation, resulting in takeaways and concrete actions to start working on improving your flow.
Learning objective:Attending a workshop based on Flowlab will shorten the time that is required to become an experienced flow thinker and lean agile practitioner!
Participants of the workshop walk away with an understanding of
- how flow thinking scales up to the enterprise level (cross-team flow) and across the entire value stream (end-to-end flow from suspected to satisfied need), acting as a bridge builder between the islands of agility in their organization.
- the importance of flow thinking in creating an agile mindset and a shared deeper understanding in their organization and how this reinforces their existing agile practice.
While playing the simulations you will also discover new techniques to handle change and adaptation. You will learn:
- reflective observations (OODA)
- active experimentation (defining experiments and hypotheses)
Who the courses is targeted at?Beginning and experienced Kanban practitioners and coaches. Beginning Kanban practitioners will get a deeper understanding of flow thinking. Advanced practitioners and coaches will learn a new way of teaching and coaching flow thinking.
