Kanban is a Gateway Drug
For years I have preferred Scrum as a starting place rather than XP since it is easier to adopt. One of the patterns of Fearless Change is to take small steps. Scrum is a much smaller step than XP. That’s old news. Lot’s of folks like to start with XP, that’s OK by me.
Probably a good thing to clarify at the start is that Kanban is part of the Agile family of processes.
Kanban is easier to adopt than Scrum
Way easier. Like almost trivial. Let’s see: no process change, no role change, no change in team structure. Just make the work visible. Wow! There is so much value in just making the work visible. Lot’s of little problems can be fixed and voila – productivity and cycle time gains.
Kanban uses Kaizen = Continuous Improvement
Kaizen is about continuous improvement. Define a standard process and then start improving. Take smalls steps. Get everyone involved. Kanban is a standardized process flow that starts with the existing process.
In the graph of performance vs time on the left, kaizen will result in improvements that will asymptotically approach the limit within that paradigm.
As teams mature, they may go beyond this into the place where Scrum/XP start…
Scrum/XP is Kaikaku = Radical Overhaul
Kaikaku is discontinuous improvement. It is about a revolution in the way things are done. It is also called Breakthrough Kaizen.
Can anyone say Scrum or eXtreme Programming? It changes work groups, job titles, roles, and project basics. For contexts where Scrum is a good fit, it is a high-value, high-cost game-changing move. James Shore has a great post on Kaizen and Kaikaku where he argues that this is a better starting place if you want a high-performance team.
What does this look like in terms of performance? See graph below. It looks like Virginia Satir’s Change Model.
In the Lean world, companies use both kaizen and kaikaku depending on circumstances as they are complementary approaches.
Why a gateway drug?
The gateway drug theory states that softer drugs (Kanban) can lead to harder drugs (Scrum, XP). This is a great metaphor because this theory has been proven as well as dis-proven. To quote David Anderson “we are only beginning to understand the differences between Scrum and Kanban”.
Do I believe in the the theory? I’m not sure that I care – as long as people are working to improve their work environments at a pace that works for them, that is good enough for me. For me, any Agile is good – it does not need to be one particular style.
Let’s face it – lot’s of organizations are ready for a radical overhaul. For companies like these, Kanban is a great place to start. Getting off the sofa and going for a marathon may not be a good idea. For some it may be better to start by jogging around the block.
Other Perspectives
David Anderson has a contemporaneous post (go read it, it’s good) supporting the notion that Kanban is primarily focussed on continuous evolution until the organization has enough maturity for more radical changes.
Ken Schwaber is continuing the drum beat that Scrum is the one true path.
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paul boos Said,
June 11, 2010 @ 9:24 am
This the exact practice I used – it is the perfect gateway drug to Agility. I couldn’t agree more. I am now introducing Scrum on a few projects. Next will be Various XP practices within both frameworks (Scrum and Kanban).
Thanks for the post!
George Rathbun Said,
June 11, 2010 @ 11:20 am
Although not what I would call “PC”, the metaphor is dead on. Specially when you are trying to shift an organization’s culture, starting with the easy stuff and proving it works is a great way to get massive buy-in.
Marko Taipale Said,
June 12, 2010 @ 3:06 am
Interesting post, especially for us who experienced the totally opposite of this theory of yours:
http://huitale.blogspot.com/2009/10/huitale-way-is-it-scrum-or-is-it-kanban.html and http://huitale.blogspot.com/2010/03/huitale-way-our-value-stream-map.html
How would you use drug metaphor in this case?
)
Michael Sahota Said,
June 13, 2010 @ 10:44 pm
Hi Marko, I agree – you are at the opposite end of the spectrum (rainbow?).
I see different styles of Kanban: for those who aren’t be very Agile (beginners) as well as those that are already very Agile such as your company.
I call your style the elite team that has reaped the benefits from Scrum and is ready to relax iterations to become more even more Lean.
The gateway drug metaphor is for companies that are just starting down the Agile/Lean road.
Thanks for sharing the links.
Yuval Yeret Said,
April 23, 2011 @ 1:57 am
Thanks for posting this!
I’ve been thinking lately of this. Ive seen many managers that come to us (agilesparks.com) asking for the hard stuff ( full on agile with scrum in your face) since they want the benefits fast. but along the path of introducing Scrum we/they understand it might be a bit more than they Really are ready for or are willing to risk.
The good cases are where we help them realiZe this up front, and go for an approach that might be a more evolutionary one. The tougher ones are when the realization comes deep into the change…. Where the regression might be more painful and make it harder to switch to an evolutionary mode rather than go back to the status quo for a while ( or worse)
I think systematic usage of the gateway drugs will help in most cases. You want the hard stuff? Prove you can deal with the first steps (kanban) and show patience ( yes, kanban kaizen or kanban and then scrum takes longer than jumping straight into scrum). Without patience even Scrum will only be veneer…
Oh, and I also see teams that use kanban to shed off the Scrum iterations training wheels like Marko is talking about. But I would say you can reach very high results with both. Depends on the context and if you’re really into it.
Oh, and I also see teams using
Michael Sahota Said,
April 23, 2011 @ 5:02 pm
Yuval, thanks for sharing your stories. I really like your idea of starting everyone on Kanban before they are allowed to graduate to small cross-functional Scrum teams. Not sure they would ever change from Kanban to Scrum and hence not be ever make a radical shift in thinking.
Charles Bradley, CSM, PSM I Said,
November 7, 2011 @ 4:19 pm
I’ve also seen Kanban be a gateway drug to dysfunction and mediocrity too, so I’m not sure it will lead to Scrum, or improved productivity, in a large percentage of cases.
I would rather see a team start with a lightweight Scrumbut and work diligently towards full on Scrum.
Michael Sahota Said,
November 7, 2011 @ 6:42 pm
Any tool (including Kanban) can be misused or mis-applied. I prefer Scrum too – when there is a cultural fit.
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