Can you imagine what a busy road looks like without “Traffic Cop” directing the traffic? Imagine there is no traffic light…
The busy road becomes congested quite easily… and the number of cars going from point A to Point B in a span of time (the throughput) will be less… compared to…
if the same busy road has a “Traffic Cop” directing the traffic, the number of cars going from point A to Point B in the same span of time (the throughput) will be more.
The “Traffic Cop” is like the “WIP (Work In Process) Limit… both have the same function… both regulate and yield faster throughput… compared to “No Traffic Cop” or “No WIP Limit” respectively.
So, mind your WIP… Limit it…
Also, mind your Throughput (Delivery Rate — the number of work items finished within the certain span)… make this faster… invoke SAFe Principle #6: Make value flow without interruptions!
Putting all the elements together — to show the big Why!
Remember Little’s Law? The formula is:
Wait Time or Lead Time = WIP divided by Throughput
Less WIP and faster Throughput yield less wait time or less lead time!
What do you need the hay for when the horse is dead?
That’s the big Why!
Yup… Value is fleeting… hence you need the shortest lead time to deliver the value in the hands of the customer!
Putting WIP Limit is a small step but it has significant positive effect on Lead Time or Wait Time… making it less… and has significant positive impact on the Throughput (making it faster).
There are more ideas like this in my two books — both are available for purchase on Amazon.
SAFe (6.0) Is Like…
This reached “#1 New Release” and “#1 Best Seller” on Amazon
SAFe 6.0 Practice
My new book, released on October 15, 2023. Part II of SAFe (6.0) Is Like…
