Kanban is a popular agile methodology that helps teams deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently. But what does it take to lead a Kanban team? In this article, you will learn about the key responsibilities of a Kanban team leader and how they can facilitate the flow of work, improve collaboration, and foster continuous improvement.
A Kanban team leader is responsible for defining and communicating the vision and goals of the team, as well as aligning them with the organization's strategy and customer needs. They should also ensure that the team understands the value proposition of their products or services and how they contribute to the overall success of the business. A Kanban team leader should use tools such as the Kanban canvas, the value stream map, and the customer journey map to visualize and communicate the vision and goals of the team.
Being a leader is utmost important is set the right goals and for this clear and to the point communication helps. For successful KANBAN implementation having right channels for communication is important to manage work flow items, to adapt the learning from feedback loop
A Kanban team leader is responsible for managing the Kanban board, which is a visual representation of the team's workflow and progress. They should ensure that the board reflects the current state of the work, that the work items are prioritized and categorized according to the team's policies, and that the board is updated regularly and transparently. A Kanban team leader should also monitor the key metrics of the board, such as the lead time, the cycle time, the throughput, and the work in progress (WIP), and use them to identify and resolve bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and waste.
To set the explicit policies, remove the assumption and identification of dependencies putting this on paper or card is must. Being KANBAN leader it important to coach team to working on putting this on paper and keeping priorities backlog up to date.
A Kanban team leader is responsible for facilitating the Kanban meetings, which are regular sessions that help the team coordinate, collaborate, and improve their workflow. The main Kanban meetings are the daily stand-up, the replenishment meeting, the delivery planning meeting, and the retrospective meeting. A Kanban team leader should ensure that these meetings are focused, productive, and respectful, and that they address the team's challenges, opportunities, and feedback. A Kanban team leader should also use tools such as the Kanban cadences, the Kanban agenda, and the Kanban health check to structure and optimize the Kanban meetings.
I think there is no need of separate felicitator for KANBAN team, the more team self organised the more they are self resilient. A true leader foster culture of psychological safety.
A Kanban team leader is responsible for empowering the team members, which means giving them the autonomy, authority, and accountability to make decisions and take actions that benefit the team and the customers. They should also support the team members in their professional development, learning, and growth, and provide them with the necessary resources, tools, and feedback. A Kanban team leader should foster a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration among the team members, and encourage them to share their ideas, opinions, and concerns.
A Kanban team leader is responsible for implementing the Kanban principles and practices, which are the core values and guidelines of the Kanban methodology. The four Kanban principles are: start with what you do now, agree to pursue incremental and evolutionary change, respect the current roles, responsibilities, and job titles, and encourage acts of leadership at all levels. The six Kanban practices are: visualize the work, limit the WIP, manage the flow, make policies explicit, implement feedback loops, and improve collaboratively and evolve experimentally. A Kanban team leader should ensure that the team adheres to these principles and practices and that they are continuously reviewed and improved.
A Kanban team leader is responsible for promoting the Kanban mindset, which is a way of thinking and behaving that embraces change, customer focus, and continuous improvement. They should also inspire and influence other teams and stakeholders to adopt the Kanban methodology and to collaborate with the Kanban team. A Kanban team leader should demonstrate the benefits and outcomes of the Kanban approach, such as increased customer satisfaction, reduced waste, improved quality, and faster delivery. A Kanban team leader should also be a role model and a coach for the Kanban mindset, and share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with others.
A Kanban team leader fosters predictability of all user stories or cards planned for sprint. The leader plans sprints, dependencies and escalation process. Manage the WIP velocity to ensure user-stories are delivered as required. As a leader update the board to reflect the latest state of deliverables, dependencies and effort required.