The following blog post was written by Andre Boscatto, my Product Owner, and explains our team’s motivation for moving to Kanban.

Introduction

In our quest to improve our workflow and ensuring a great product providing a better customer experience, we have made a significant decision to move away from traditional sprint planning. Instead, we have embraced Kanban, a methodology that gives us the flexibility we need to handle the demands of support scenarios. This change allows us to address urgent tasks promptly without being tied to strict sprint schedules, ultimately putting our customers at the forefront.

The Limitations of Sprint Planning

Sprint planning presented significant challenges for our support-focused team, especially when it came to dealing with constant changes in priorities within set timeframes. Our three-month plans didn’t match well with our ever-changing needs, making it difficult to meet expectations. Long-term planning brought risks because our work environment was unpredictable, leading to sudden shifts in priorities. Despite our best efforts to create detailed plans, the evolving circumstances made it risky and resulted in frustrations as commitments went unmet quarter after quarter, looming frustration among both stakeholders and within our own team.

The Support Scenario

Our team operates in a support-focused environment where external factors and stakeholder interactions are constantly changing based on customer needs. This dynamic setting makes it challenging to stick to fixed timeframes. The traditional sprint model, which required waiting for the next designated sprint, hindered our ability to respond promptly to urgent matters. We understood the importance of enhancing the product and customer experience, so we needed a framework that could adapt quickly without compromising our commitments.

Unleashing the Power of Kanban

This is where Kanban comes in. It’s a methodology that suits our support-oriented environment perfectly. Kanban gives us the flexibility to address urgent tasks promptly and adjust our priorities accordingly. Unlike sprint planning, Kanban allows us to allocate our efforts dynamically, responding to changes without being bound by predefined timeframes. This flexibility optimizes our workflow and empowers us to meet the evolving demands of our customers!

Conclusion

In conclusion, our decision to embrace Kanban and move away from fixed timelines delivery model marks a significant shift in our approach. By adopting Kanban, we are able to invite early feedback, create an adaptable environment, and ultimately strive for increased productivity. Kanban introduces a more flexible approach to our support-oriented scenarios, where we prioritize adaptability and focus on meeting customer needs. Through this transition, we aim to enhance our support processes, deliver faster outcomes, and cultivate a customer-centric approach that sets us on the path to success. Nevertheless, we have strong confidence that this shift allows us to move away from frustration and work towards meeting expectations effectively.