Making Work Visible

Key Concepts

Metrics to Track Work Effectiveness

• Cycle Time – Time from work starting to value being delivered.
• Throughput – Number of completed work items in a time period.
• Efficiency – Ratio of active work time vs. wait time.
• Distribution – Breakdown of work types (features, bugs, debt, etc.).
• Load – Work started but not yet finished (WIP).

Things to Avoid

1. Too Much Work-in-Progress (WIP)

   • Effects: Delayed delivery, quality issues, team burnout from context switching.
   • Pitfalls: Fear of saying no, underestimating complexity, excitement for new work.
   • Indicators: Long cycle times, frequent interruptions.
   • Solution: Limit WIP, enforce prioritization, finish before starting new work.

2. Unknown Dependencies

   • Types:
     • Technical (software/hardware dependencies)
     • Expertise (specialized knowledge required)
     • Process (approvals, reviews, etc)
   • Indicators: Excessive coordination time, waiting on people/resources, unexpected downstream impacts.
   • Solution: Map dependencies, document knowledge, improve communication.

3. Unplanned/Expedited Work

   • Effects: Interrupts planned work, increases context switching, makes delivery unpredictable.
   • Indicators: Work repeatedly pushed aside, lack of deep focus time, missed timelines.
   • Solution: Reserve time for unplanned work, improve system reliability.

4. Conflicting Priorities

   • Effects: Lack of clarity on what’s most important leads to wasted effort.
   • Indicators: Frequent priority debates, teams working at cross-purposes.
   • Solution: Establish clear prioritization rules and urgency levels.

5. Neglected Work (Debt)

   • Effects: Old work slows down future progress and creates unseen blockers.
   • Indicators: Unexpected obstacles, high effort required for simple changes.
   • Solution: Track and address debt proactively, dedicate time for maintenance.

Core Principles

• Make Work Visible – Use Kanban boards, dashboards, or other tools to track all work.
• Limit WIP – Prevent overload; finishing work is more valuable than starting more.
• Measure & Manage Flow – Use cycle time, throughput, and efficiency to identify bottlenecks.
• Prioritize Effectively – Rank work based on urgency, impact, dependencies.
• Continuously Adjust – Use feedback loops to refine processes and workload.

Common Pain Points & Solutions

For Teams:

For the Business:

Key Takeaways

Work Type Ratios Matter

• Track distribution of work (features, bugs, debt, unplanned work).
• Too much time on fixes → strategic work suffers.

WIP Limits Should Be Prioritized

• A limit is meaningless if ignored.
• “Stop starting, start finishing” should be a core mantra.

Cost of Delay (CoD) is a Critical Prioritization Tool

• Work that sits idle loses value over time.
• Prioritize based on impact, urgency, and cost of delay.

Interruptions Have a Measurable Cost

• Context switching destroys efficiency.
• Reduce disruptions with time blocking & categorization.

Making Work Visible = Making Blockers Visible

• Visualization isn’t just about knowing what’s in progress.
• It exposes hidden work, blockers, dependencies, and waste.

Unplanned Work is a Leading Indicator of Chaos

• If constant firefighting disrupts priorities, systemic issues exist.
• Reduce urgent escalations and reactive work.

Meetings Shouldn’t Be a Hidden Time Sink

• If work is visible and priorities are clear, meeting overhead can be reduced.
• Shift discussions from meetings to asynchronous updates.

Urgent ≠ Important

• Many teams treat urgency as importance and fail to focus on long-term success.
• Balance urgent work with important, strategic efforts.