Kanban in Action

This is the first proper book I read about the Kanban Methodology. Most other books I’ve tried are too shallow and doesn’t explore the agile area of using Kanbans.It also contains a lot of references of for deep diving into the adjacent subjects.The only downside for me personally, is that Tia book uses software development as a base for the examples and explanations.On the other hand, the Kanban Methodology is easily applied to any matter subject.

“Kanban In Action” is a wonderful, well organized, and well-written book. I can see this being a book that I reference frequently due to the richness of the content and its practical approach.In general, I am a fan of Kanban and believe that there are principles that can be used in any implementation (traditional, Agile, Scrum, etc) and not just Kanban. My comments are mainly focused on the book, compared to the subject, and I do plan on doing a more in-depth discussion of Kanban in future posts.What I Liked:* The book is both practical and pragmatic. You can get dirty using Kanban quickly with a minimum of theory and overhead.* The first chapter nicely introduces the material by telling a short story about a software development team being introduced to Kanban* The pass the pennies game is mentioned and discussed. It’s a great resource that I can never find easily. There is also an entire chapter dedicated to teaching games.* The authors focus on three simple principles (visualize, limit work in process, and manage flow) that form the foundation of Kanban. This is central to their pragmatic approach, but they also provide a sidebar conversation that explains how this varies from other Kanban material.* The authors support and encourage a large physical kanban board, even if you also have an electronic board. The main reasons are that this server as an information radiator and as a natural gathering place for the team.* There is a fabulous section about the daily standup along with practices to makes your event efficient and productive. These practices include “walk the board” and “focusing on smells”. This section is invaluable and can be used by any Agile practitioner to improve their daily stand ups.* There is a lot of material covered in 310 pages, not only Kanban-centric topics such as WIP and flow management but also topics such as #noestimates, retrospectives, root-cause analysis, statistical process control, and cumulative flow diagrams.* External material is referenced often in the book and there is a great appendix for related books, blogs, and twitter accounts.* You can get a free electronic version (pdf, epub, kindle) by registering your physical copy of the book because it is a Manning publication.What I Didn’t Like:* I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters or the icons. I think having characters can help make a connection with the reader, but thought it was overdone. For example, I honestly can’t remember if Eric was a developer or tester.* “Line of cards” estimating is discussed and the material is present well. However, I don’t know why “affinity estimating” is never mentioned, which is the more common name for the technique.Quotes:* “He’s an agile coach; naturally he has stickies with him at all times.” (p.7)* “Remember, we want it simple and easy. If you see a need to later, you can always change it.” (p. 13)* “Work isn’t done until it’s producing value to the customer”. (p. 18)

I found this book both thorough, informative, well rounded, and inventive. I the multiple solutions offered for the potential issues presented.

Can't even speak to the content because the book is such low physical quality I didn't even bother reading it. The pages are cheap and thinner than newspaper, the cover is basically a normal sheet of paper and the entire book was warped due to the low quality construction.For the price this thing is a total ripoff.

Great book. I'm starting implementing Kanban in my workplace and I went straight to this book to get more insightful and practical examples.

Well written with great explanations and practical examples. I preferred this book over Anderson's Kanban book because it was organized a little better and the graphics were more clear and understandable.

excellent starting out book with some clear practical examples.

Great theory and very useful work practices.

This is a very clear and concise Kanban primer. It doesn't really go into any detail on the science and theory behind Kanban but it does make Kanban accessible and appealing for people who don't necessarily want a master class on queuing theory. The book is structured almost like a play with a cast of characters consisting of a small software delivery team including PM and PO types, a product owner type and the two authors as coaches. Practices are revealed through discussions between each of the characters. It was an enjoyable read and I'd recommend the book to anyone in product development/delivery who wants to get a sense of how/why an agile team functions in general and especially for anyone who wants to get a taste for how/why Kanban differs from things like Scrum.

Non lo ho ancora letto tutto, ma quello che posso che dire è che lo consiglio vivamente. Ha una struttura narrativa molto semplice e facile da capire. Aiuta molto ad imparare piano piano i vari step.Per iniziare secondo me è l'ideale, trovo la Bibbia sull'argomento (Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business di Davide Anderson) più difficile per un neofita.Poi rispecchia in pieno della collana "in Action" di Manning, semplici ma molto efficaci e approfonditi.Consigliato!

Uno dei migliori libri che abbia mai letto relativamente a Kanban: molto pratico e di facile comprensione. Lo tengo sempre a portata di mano perchè, oltre a fornire le basi teoriche del metodo, dà spunti presi da casi reali.Risponde alle classiche domande e dubbi che un pratictioner si troverà a dover rispondere quando andrà a proporre il metodo ad un gruppo di lavoro.

Ottima guida per cambiare il modo di pensare e cambiare l'approccio ai problemi. Si legge bene, ha diversi contenuti pratici.

J'ai apprécié l'approche pédagogique de ce livreEn acceptant de partir des b-a ba de l'approcheHyper clair et opérationnel