Kanban Pull System

5 minutes 5 Questions

The Kanban Pull System is a method that regulates the flow of products or tasks. Unlike traditional assembly lines, where each part is pushed down the line, a pull system works by having the demand drive the supply. This means new tasks are only started when existing tasks are completed and capacit…

Guide to Understanding the Kanban Pull System

The Kanban Pull System is a critical component in Agile and Scrum methodologies; essential for eradicating workflow inefficiencies and improving project management processes. It focuses on 'pulling' work when there is capacity rather than 'pushing' work to be done.

Why is it important?
The importance of the Kanban Pull System lies in its ability to –
1. Eliminate waste by ensuring labor isn't expended on unrequired work.
2. Limit multitasking and maintain focus on completing well-defined tasks.
3. Improve adaptability and responsiveness by aligning the workflow with actual team capacity.

How does it work?
In a Kanban Pull System, team members pull tasks from the backlog as soon as they finish a task and have capacity to start a new one. The work-in-progress is limited and tasks do not pile up. This helps identify bottlenecks and areas of improvement.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Kanban Pull System:
1. Understand and explain the concept clearly and concisely.
2. Discuss the benefits in detail to showcase your understanding.
3. Use practical examples to illustrate how it works and its effectiveness.
4. Ensure you contrast it with the 'push' system to emphasize its advantages.
5. Consider the potential challenges and present countermeasures or solutions.

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PSM I - Kanban Pull System Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Kanban Pull System

Question 1

You are the Scrum Master of a team that doesn't respect the pull principle, and they start many items but complete only a few. What will you do to enforce the Kanban's pull system?

Organize a workshop where the team members assign work to each other based on personal preference without considering WIP limits, to highlight the importance of self-organization. Work with the team to establish a policy for implementing WIP (Work In Progress) limits to ensure a balanced flow of work. Suggest the team to focus solely on accelerating their pace on all ongoing work items, aiming for faster completion without adjusting WIP limits. Implement a reward system for the team whenever they finish items within the WIP limits, to encourage adherence through external motivation.

Correct Answer: Work with the team to establish a policy for implementing WIP (Work In Progress) limits to ensure a balanced flow of work.

The correct approach involves helping the team understand and implement a system of WIP limits, facilitating a sustainable pace and a pull system, rather than push. The wrong answers suggest approaches that either do not focus directly on the issue of disregarding WIP limits (self-organization workshop, accelerating pace without considering WIP) or rely on external motivation (reward system), which might not lead to a genuine understanding or long-term adherence to the pull system principles.

Question 2

Your team is consistently delivering work faster than the stipulated Kanban cycle time. While it's not causing a problem now, what might be an appropriate action to take as a Scrum Master?

Direct the team to take on more work per cycle without assessing the impact on quality or sustainability Consult with the team to explore the possibility of revising the Kanban cycle time based on current capabilities Suggest to the stakeholders to increase the complexity of forthcoming work items to slow down the team's pace Propose the implementation of additional metrics beyond cycle time to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of the team's performance, which could lead to improvements in different areas such as work item size or variability in task complexity. This is a more comprehensive approach that doesn’t immediately address the cycle time disparity, but instead focuses on broadening the evaluation criteria.

Correct Answer: Consult with the team to explore the possibility of revising the Kanban cycle time based on current capabilities

While it's good practice to continuously improve the process and make adjustments based on the team's performance, the primary goal should always be to deliver value efficiently and sustainably. The correct answer encourages proactive engagement with the team to determine if the cycle time is still a relevant metric based on their current performance and capabilities. Simply adding more work, increasing complexity indiscriminately, or broadening the scope of metrics without addressing the specific observation of exceeding the cycle time might not effectively address the underlying opportunity for process refinement.

Question 3

Your Scrum team has adopted a Kanban pull system. However, during a new sprint planning, a few team members have started working on tasks even before they finish their current tasks. As a Scrum Master, what should be your response?

Adjust the sprint backlog to include buffer tasks that can be started if team members finish their assigned tasks early. Reiterate the importance of finishing current tasks before starting new ones as per the Kanban pull system principle Schedule a meeting to revise the Definition of Done to ensure tasks align better with team capacity Implement a new process where team members can reserve tasks they plan to work on next, marking them as 'upcoming work'

Correct Answer: Reiterate the importance of finishing current tasks before starting new ones as per the Kanban pull system principle

The correct answer focuses on adhering to the principles of the Kanban pull system, which encourages completing current work before taking on new tasks. This is to maintain a smooth workflow and respect the work-in-progress (WIP) limits. The wrong answers involve actions that might seem logical but don't address the core issue of respecting the pull system and WIP limits directly. Revising the Definition of Done doesn't directly impact the problem of starting new tasks too early. Allowing team members to reserve 'upcoming work' or adjusting the sprint backlog with buffer tasks might seem beneficial but can lead to process inefficiencies and doesn't encourage finishing current tasks first.

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