As with many of you, sometimes my WIP (Work in Progress) is too high. When that occurs, I don't use a backlog or create iterations. Instead, I use continuous flow. That's because working in flow allows and creates ease in my development.
This week, I want to finish these things:
- 5 presentations, one of which I need to finish today.
- 1 book. I started it in the wrong place, so I'm reorganizing and rewriting. As much as I want to, I won't finish it this week, but I want to make as much progress as possible.
- My updated writing workshop.
- A mystery novella that I think is about 2/3 done. Maybe. It's hard for me to know.
- 2 columns I want to write.
I know that's too much for one week. But I chose to write more fiction a couple of weeks ago and now my WIP has grown.
I don't use iterations. I work in flow.
The sizes of my WIP are all over the map. A book is much larger than a presentation. I suspect at least one of the presentations will take more time than the novella.
But I use several guidelines for my work:
- Always, always, always finish work so it's clean. That way, I can pick it up again and quickly see where I am. (A form of technical excellence.)
- Look for the highest Cost of Delay (what will it cost me to be late on this work) as the way to rank the work.
- Work in short timeboxes with breaks, so I stay healthy. (I'll use Pomodoros with durations of 20-30 minutes with a 5-minute break.
I build in ease and continuous flow as I proceed to help myself finish.
Continuous Flow Creates Ease
I guess I could create iterations—even of one day—but I want the flexibility to change what I choose to do next. My feedback loops are shorter than one day, so I can change what I do next. And while I'm working with an editor on the book, I don't need to work with anyone else for anything else I do.
I'm using a form of Personal Kanban, where I don't have “Today,” but I have “This Week.” This Week is my portfolio for this week's worth of work. Because all my work is larger than one week, this is not a backlog. It's a portfolio of options. I get to choose what to do and when.
If I had less WIP, I would not even have “This Week,” but I would have goals for my business. Then I would create outcomes and finish them. But my WIP is too high to be strategic—I need to be tactical so I get out of the mess I created.
I'm only using Cost of Delay as my ranking method. If I wait too long to complete some of these, such as the updated writing workshop or some of the slides, I won't be able to deliver them when I want to.
And, I don't care if I don't finish all of it in one day, as long as I finish enough of it to see my progress. (The how-much vs. how-little thinking.) And because I leave my work clean when I stop that one thing, I don't have to worry about what I need to do when I return to this work. I might even discover that I have a useful outcome as is. I don't need to do more.
Focus on the Work, not the Process to Create Ease
You can see how I maintain a focus on the work, not the process.
- I choose the next thing on my list using Cost of Delay.
- What's the next simplest outcome I can achieve to finish this work? Does that outcome meet the idea of a Minimums?
- Is it time to ask, “Is this sufficient as is?” I don't need to add more. I can declare this work as done.
You can do this, too. Collaborate with other people and keep your team's WIP low, to one or two items. If you have a larger team, maybe three items.
If you are like me, you will also discover that you can create more ease in your work and increase your throughput.
I'll be back here tomorrow, explaining what I did and did not finish and where I am now.
The series:
- How I Manage My Product Development: Ease with Continuous Flow (Day 1)
- How Cycle Time and Cost of Delay Makes Product Development Decisions Easier (Day 2)
- Easier Product Development Decisions and Why Backlogs Might Slow You Down (Day 3)
- Focus on One Internal Deliverable Allows Me to Work Down My WIP (Day 4)