The practical application of the Kanban development approach, its features at Uklon, and the reason we call it Kanplan. This topic will cover the following questions: - Philosophy of Kanban How we got to Kanban methodology; - What key metrics we use; - Why Kanban is not just about support, but also about active development; - Where to start setting up and what to monitor at the start; - Our practice of building the product plan and how it is connected to Kanplan

2. Our switch to Kanban
and how it integrates with the product planning
Vadym Pospielov
VP of Engineering

3. 1. What is Uklon today?
2. Evolution of the processes at Uklon
3. What is Kanban method?
4. Where to start?
5. Flow Metrics
6. Measuring Tools
7. Product plan Kanplan and BigGuntt
Agenda

4. Uklon in numbers
12 220+
IT Division
Product Teams
16 M
Android/iOS
downloads
1.3M+
MAU
30+
microservices
3
Countries
30
Cities

5. Evolution of the processes at Uklon
2022
Transformation
Scaling Kanban to all teams. New process
settlement, workflow, configuration Jira
Boards and work tools. Define key process
metrics.
2023
Kanban as
a standard
for all teams
2015
Scrum
Uklon actively uses SCRUM with all the
attributes. Intensive headcount growth.
Spring 2021
Launching Kanban
Starting from several teams.
Engineering Manager positions for
all teams appeared.
2019
Experiments with
SAFe and initiatives
prioritization

6. ● Scrum without timeboxing
● We lose our ability to plan
● Suitable for technical support services but not for
developing innovative products
● An excellent replacement for a to-do list
● A method for implementing small changes
● More closely related to the Waterfall model than to Agile
● Three rules are clearly insufficient to provide any guidance
● A method that does not involve a specific procedure
Kanban myths
https://www.onlineprogrammingbooks.com/kanban-for-skeptics/

7. Source: https:/
/kanbanzone.com/2022/big-companies-using-kanban-for-business-operations/
Who uses Kanban
From
1958

8. What is Kanban method
Visualize
Work
This visual representation allows teams to quickly grasp the status of work and identify
bottlenecks or areas that require attention.
Kaizen
Improve Collaboratively
Japanese business philosophy that concerns the processes that continuously improve
operations and involve all employees. Kaizen sees improvement in productivity as a gradual
and methodical process.
Manage
Flow
Kanban places a strong emphasis on the smooth flow of work through the system.
Work items should move through the workflow stages at a sustainable pace, and the goal
is to reduce lead times. By optimizing flow, teams can deliver value to customers more
predictably.
WIP
By setting WIP limits teams ensure that they focus on completing existing tasks before
starting new ones. This helps in preventing overloading and reduces multitasking, ultimately
improving efficiency.
The philosophy of Kanban revolves around several key principles:

9. Align your managers
before start
Where to start? Step 1
Best way to do that is pretty trivial.
Make sure your managers that will be
contributing to Kanban deployment
(EMs, TLs, even maybe HRs)
read at least 1 book to understand
what Kanban is*
*Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business

10. Where to start? Step 2
Kanban doesn't require a complete
overhaul of existing processes.
Teams can start implementing
Kanban in their current environment
and gradually make improvements.
It's adaptive and incremental.
Start Where You Are

11. Where to start? Step 3
Because you have to change mindsets,
processes and culture.
The culture of continuous improvement
is foundational to Kanban. It promotes a
mindset of learning, adapting,
and striving for excellence.
Prepare yourself to fight for
continuous changes :)

12. Where to start?
● Change approach to estimation
● Fight with variability: it helps for predictions
● Focus on quality
● Configure boards and WIP Limits
● Focus on release management (release often)
● Determine system bottlenecks
● Find a tool to monitor the system
● Define flow metrics and its targets
Some practical
advises

13. At Uklon we track these Flow Metrics:
Cycle time
It measures the time it
takes for a specific task,
work item, or project
to move through a given
process, from initiation
to completion.
Flow Efficiency Throughput
Measures the number
of work items
completed within a
specified time frame
WIP
Represents the
amount of work that is
actively being worked
on at any given time.

14. Measuring Tool: Nave
Nave is a Kanban analytics suite that helps managers increase their team performance,
identify bottlenecks with ease, and focus on improving flow efficiency. Nave uses the
Kanban Method to reveal the fundamental characteristics of your workflows. We have
enhanced the industry-standard analytical charts to help you manage your work using
a data-driven approach.

15. Flow Efficiency

16. Flow Efficiency

17. Throughput

18. Cycle time

19. Work In Progress

20. Where our product plan meets Kanplan

21. Monte Carlo
Where our product plan meets Kanplan

22. Process Metrics Trends: 2023 year

23. Where our product plan meets Kanplan:
Sustained short releases increased our predictability, allowing us
to keep commitments for the deadlines of our Initiatives.
All teams increased their key indicators, but some of them 2.5x
decreased Release cycle time days and increased 2x Flow Efficiency.
We are good enough at the teams level, but now we are considering
to spread the Kanban practices on Initiatives.

24. Contacts
VP Of Engineering
Vadym Pospielov
Let's connect with me
on LinkedIn