How to Enable Remote Lean and Agile Teams

As engineers, we are adaptable by nature. We solve problems — that’s our job! And as we adapt to the new normal, we are all adopting new online tools so that everyone can remain connected and productive.

So, as you search for the right tools for your team, we’d like to share the benefits of Playbook that set it apart from other online Lean and Agile collaboration and Kanban tools, as well as update you on our approach to online training and importantly, our world-class support that you can count on — even after Playbook is in place.

First, let’s look at the benefits that set Playbook apart from other online Lean and Agile tools.

Apply Agile to Hardware

Playbook supports teams applying Agile to Hardware. In fact, that’s what Playbook was mainly designed to do! It is an online team collaboration tool, Kanban board and much more. It offers both a Kanban board and a Gantt view of your project plan so you can see and manage the work in process (Kanban) and plan for the longer-term (Gantt). And the plan is live, updating in real-time as audibles are called during the daily standup meeting which use the Kanban board view.

Do More Than Minimize Project Delays - Deliver Early

Daily slips due to teams working on the wrong work, overloaded critical resources and unmitigated risks are the main causes of exponential growth to project timelines. Playbook has several features that help teams minimize project delays. Here are just a few.

1. Ensure Your Team is Working on Priority Work
   Playbook’s algorithm ensures the team is working on the right tasks —across projects— daily. It’s a simple benefit, yet immensely effective in speeding up project timelines as daily slips caused by team members working on the wrong work are a primary source of delays.
   
   
2. See Risks and Issues As They Materialize
   When what people are working on is visible to the team, risks and issues can be readily identified and effectively managed. As changes are made to the plan you can immediately see new risks or blockages to the completion of upcoming critical tasks. Since you can see them, you can proactively manage them — before they impact the project timeline.
   
   
3. Get Notified When Critical Resources are Overloaded - Across Projects
   Playbook alerts you when resources are overloaded so that overloads can be actively managed and resolved. Resources can be freed up to work on tasks that are critical to moving the project forward — once again speeding up delivery times.
   
   

Increase Communication and the Ability to Quickly Adapt - While Working Remotely

15 minutes a day is all it takes to ensure the team is aware of any issues that are preventing team members from getting the job done. Playbook supports the daily meeting which enables teams to collaborate, problem solve and keep the project smoothly moving forward. For near-term course corrections, Playbook also supports Rolling Wave Planning, so the project remains on course with teams adapting to changes quickly and effectively.

Online Training on Lean and Agile Methods and Playbook Software

A tool is only part of the solution to achieving your product development goals. Playbook is a software tool that supports Lean and Agile methods designed specifically for hardware product development. So, we offer online training on both the tool and the Lean and Agile methods it supports.

In fact, the big “aha” moment occurs when product teams understand the fundamentals of the Lean and Agile methodology.

We offer tool and methodology training tailored to both Power users which include Project Leaders and Core Team Members, and Basic Users which include Managers and Extended Team Members.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to, cost of delay, how team members prioritize work to minimize unnecessary delays, applying Agile to hardware, project flow and the impact of queues, rolling wave planning, Critical Chain Project Management, project buffers, and managing resource loading and availability.

Live Weekly Q&A Sessions
Live weekly Q&A sessions help teams keep their online learning on track.

Custom Training
We also develop custom training plans for teams. So, we can dive deeper into specific training topics and/or schedule additional Q&A sessions as required.

Support You Can Count On

For us, giving you top-notch ongoing support is our passion. You can email us, chat with us or call us any time. There are no additional fees or support tiers. We are here to help you, every day.

“As I look back over our Playbook journey I have to say that the support provided during our onboarding process has been outstanding – probably one of the best companies I’ve worked with.”     --Manager of Lean R&D

So, get in touch. Get your teams up and running on Lean, Agile and Playbook.

In Partnership - The Playbook Team