Here are the top 12 plays in our Scrumban playbook:

1. Visualize Workflow: Utilize a Kanban board (physical or digital) to visualize the entire workflow, from backlog to deployment. This ensures transparency and helps identify bottlenecks.
2. Limit Work in Progress (WIP): Restrict the number of tasks in progress simultaneously. This prevents context switching and improves focus, leading to faster task completion.
3. Continuous Flow: Aim for a smooth, continuous flow of work. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks to maintain efficient task progression.
4. Pull System: Teams pull tasks from the backlog only when they have capacity. This prevents overcommitment and ensures efficient task completion.
5. Collaborative Planning: Conduct short, focused planning sessions to prioritize tasks and ensure alignment between development and professional services teams.
6. Daily Stand-ups (Optional): Keep daily stand-ups concise, focusing on progress, roadblocks, and next steps. Adapt frequency and format to team needs.
7. Regular Retrospectives: Conduct regular retrospectives to identify process improvements. Use data-driven insights from the Kanban board.
8. Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Establish clear SLAs with professional services to ensure seamless integration and timely delivery of software updates.
9. Metrics and Data: Track key metrics (cycle time, lead time, throughput, WIP) to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement. Use data to inform decisions.
10. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster collaboration between development and professional services teams. Ensure clear communication and shared understanding of priorities.
11. Continuous Improvement: Embrace continuous improvement. Regularly review the process, identify areas for optimization, and adapt the Scrumban approach.
12. Flexible Adaptation: Recognize that Scrumban is a framework, not a rigid process. Adapt the approach to fit team and project needs. Experiment and iterate.

Specific plays

Visualize Workflow Template:

Our Kanban board will use a digital tool like Jira, Trello, or even a whiteboard. The columns represent workflow stages:

• Backlog: User stories and tasks awaiting prioritization and assignment.
• To Do: Tasks ready for development.
• In Progress: Tasks currently being worked on.
• Testing: Tasks undergoing testing and quality assurance.
• Done: Completed tasks awaiting deployment.
• Deployed: Tasks successfully deployed to production.

Each card on the board represents a user story or task and includes:

• Brief Description: Concise summary of the task.
• Assigned Developer: Name of the developer responsible.
• Estimated Effort: Time estimate for completion (e.g., story points, hours).
• Priority: Priority level (high, medium, low).
• Linked Professional Services Ticket (if applicable): ID of the related ticket in our professional services system.

2. Limit Work in Progress (WIP)

Template:

• Definition: Establish limits on the number of tasks in each workflow column to prevent multitasking and improve focus.
• Implementation:
  • Define WIP limits for each column on the Kanban board (e.g., “In Progress” might have a limit of 3 tasks per developer).
  • Regularly review and adjust WIP limits based on team performance and bottlenecks.
  • Enforce WIP limits; no new tasks can enter a column if the limit is reached.
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, cycle time, throughput.

3. Continuous Flow

Template:

• Definition: Focus on creating a smooth, uninterrupted flow of work through the system.
• Implementation:
  • Identify and eliminate bottlenecks in the workflow.
  • Optimize processes to reduce wait times between stages.
  • Encourage collaboration and communication to keep tasks moving.
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, cycle time, lead time, throughput.

4. Pull System

Template:

• Definition: Team members pull tasks from the “Ready” column only when they have capacity, rather than being assigned work.
• Implementation:
  • Developers actively monitor the “Ready” column.
  • When a developer has available capacity, they select the highest-priority task.
  • The team focuses on completing tasks before starting new ones.
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, cycle time, lead time.

5. Collaborative Planning

Template:

• Definition: Short, focused planning sessions to prioritize tasks and align development with professional services.
• Implementation:
  • Hold regular (e.g., weekly) planning meetings.
  • Prioritize tasks based on business value, customer needs, and technical feasibility.
  • Involve both development and professional services representatives.
  • Ensure clear communication of priorities.
• Tools/Metrics: Backlog, Kanban board, stakeholder feedback.

6. Daily Stand-ups (Optional, Adaptive)

Template:

• Definition: Brief daily meetings to discuss progress, roadblocks, and next steps.
• Implementation:
  • Hold stand-ups at a consistent time and location.
  • Each team member answers: “What did I do yesterday?”, “What will I do today?”, “What obstacles are in my way?”
  • Keep the meeting focused and concise (e.g., 15 minutes).
  • Adapt the format to team needs (e.g., asynchronous updates).
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, team communication tools.

7. Regular Retrospectives

Template:

• Definition: Regularly review the process to identify areas for improvement.
• Implementation:
  • Hold retrospectives (e.g., every two weeks).
  • Use data from the Kanban board (cycle time, lead time, etc.) to inform discussions.
  • Identify actionable improvements and assign owners.
  • Track progress on improvement initiatives.
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, cycle time, lead time, retrospective notes.

8. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Template:

• Definition: Establish clear SLAs with professional services to ensure seamless integration and timely software updates.
• Implementation:
  • Define service levels for responsiveness, bug fixes, and feature releases.
  • Establish clear communication channels and escalation procedures.
  • Regularly review and adjust SLAs as needed.
• Tools/Metrics: SLA performance reports, customer satisfaction scores.

9. Metrics and Data

Template:

• Definition: Track key metrics to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement.
• Implementation:
  • Track cycle time (time to complete a task), lead time (time from request to completion), throughput (number of tasks completed per period), and WIP.
  • Use the data to identify bottlenecks, measure the impact of process improvements, and make data-driven decisions.
  • Visualize the data using charts and graphs.
• Tools/Metrics: Kanban board, reporting tools, dashboards.

10. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Template:

• Definition: Foster strong communication and collaboration between development and professional services teams.
• Implementation:
  • Establish regular communication channels (e.g., shared Slack channels, joint meetings).
  • Involve professional services representatives in planning and retrospectives.
  • Share knowledge and expertise across teams.
• Tools/Metrics: Communication logs, feedback from both teams.

11. Continuous Improvement

Template:

• Definition: Create a culture of continuous improvement, where teams regularly review and refine the process.
• Implementation:
  • Encourage experimentation and innovation.
  • Regularly review the Scrumban process and identify areas for optimization.
  • Use data and feedback to drive improvements.
  • Empower teams to make changes.
• Tools/Metrics: Retrospective notes, cycle time, lead time, throughput.

12. Flexible Adaptation

Template:

• Definition: Recognize that Scrumban is a framework, not a rigid process. Adapt it to fit your team’s specific needs and project requirements.
• Implementation:
  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with different practices.
  • Adjust WIP limits, workflow stages, and other aspects of the process as needed.
  • Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the Scrumban implementation.
• Tools/Metrics: Team feedback, process performance data.