Happy Tuesday!
Welcome to the first in a series of meandering musings I call “Tristan’s Tuesday Tidbits,” all centered on the topic of Kanban and continuous improvement. If you are on this initial missive, I have identified you as someone interested in improving how you work, and who you are as an individual...and I value your feedback.
First, my “Why”
I believe that God has a perfect potential for every one of us, and I envision a world where everyone has access to strive toward that potential. So, I teach, write, break rules, coach, drink coffee, and find other ways to further that cause. This email is a way of me sharing some of what I have learned along the way. With any luck, it should be a bite sized, Kanban related idea that may help you and your teams unlock the next aspect of your potential.
I will leave you with a short story…
Daily Stand-ups Don’t Have to Suck
As a side hustle, my wife and I were working with a local startup. I’m a practicing audio engineer, so they asked if I would build sound panels for their theater renovation. Each night, before we would start working, my wife and I would stand in the theater, drink coffee, recount what the goal was, look at the walls, and decide what we would tackle that night. We mentioned anything that may slow our progress or keep us from completing some specific area, made a decision, and then jump into the nights work.
That’s it. That’s all a stand-up really is. Getting together with your team, preferably right in front of the work (in this case maybe it’s a digital Kanban board), recalling your commitment, and deciding what you will tackle for the day that gets you one step closer to your commitment. Add in a dash of “favor finishing over starting” (and coffee) and you have all the makings of a healthy standup.
As always, if you have questions or want to discuss supercharging your stand-ups, feel free to reach out to your local Kanban Coach or Delivery Manager, if you have one. I’m always available for coffee and philosophical black holes. 😊
Until next coffee, um, week…
Keep on learning. Keep on growing.