Why is it that organizations using Agile methods such as Scrum and SAFe struggle with and suffer anxiety over dependency management, while it is largely a non-issue for organizations using the Kanban Method?
Reservation systems have been observed in Kanban implementations since 2008. They are used immediately upstream of a delivery kanban system, to indicate the desired start date of the request for work (a work item).
Since the early days of the Kanban Method our guidance on where to start in your organization has been consistent – start with a customer facing service! Why?
We don´t perform a specific activity to prioritize work for kanban systems. Instead we practice dynamic prioritization, selecting items of work on-the-spot, based on risk, or other desirable outcomes such as fairness, good customer service, or value.
Over the past 15 years, I have observed that managing dependencies has been a constant source of anxiety and a huge challenge for organizations adopting Agile methods. Meanwhile, dependency management has largely been a non-issue for organizations using the Kanban Method.