Kanban, Agile Mindset, & Service Delivery

My coaching team engaged with the infrastructure teams within a regulated energy and utilities industry to help the company achieve its goal of becoming more agile. The focus was on enhancing business agility aligned with Agile practices to quickly adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace and increase responsiveness to customers. Kanban was chosen as the primary tool for this transformation.

The infrastructure teams delivered various non-IT products and services such as process improvements, help desk support, telecommunications, routers, servers, and switches. To support their transformation, we began with Agile foundational training to explain the 'why' behind Agile and the necessary cultural shift. We then provided specific Kanban training, covering its history, values, principles, continuous improvement, and tactical implementation strategies. Following the education and workshops, we helped the service delivery teams get started with Kanban.

Initially, these teams operated in silos with a constant, head-down work approach, lacking attentiveness to workflow, work in progress, visibility, and cross-functional collaboration. We needed to address principles such as work visibility, transparency, and customer focus for continuous improvement in service delivery.

Each team had its unique personality and type of work. Some teams embraced the Agile approach, exhibiting multiple agile leaders, team chemistry, and a growth mindset. Despite struggles, they committed to making difficult changes and continued to adapt. Other teams were less successful, often hindered by legacy mindsets and lack of real support from immediate managers who merely "went with the flow" instead of actively supporting the Agile transformation. Success in Agile enablement depends on aligning individual team members, middle management engagement, and Agile leadership support, all demonstrating a growth mindset.

Kanban significantly benefited many teams by fostering a cultural shift to an Agile mindset, improving productivity, and enhancing service delivery. Cost savings were realized through continuous improvement driven by empowered individuals and teams. Kanban made knowledge work more visible, revealing opportunities for workflow improvement. Flow issues became more apparent and understandable through the visibility provided by the Kanban board. Teams learned the value of Work in Progress (WiP) limits, which improved their ability to complete tasks efficiently. On a personal note, I observed growth in team chemistry, happiness, and morale among the more successful teams.