I have been on agile projects in the past but did not have a chance to explore Kanban. Earlier this year, following few discussions about kanban, lean at the Scrum Alliance’s – Orlando Scrum Gathering in Florida, USA, got my attention.
While researching, reading, and learning I came across Jim Benson’s Personal Kanban (PK) blog/site. It really got me interested and I decided to start practicing PK. The visual flow of the work, limiting the work-in-progress and amount of tasks DONE in front of my eyes gave me a boost. I was feeling good while moving tasks on the board from “ToDo” to “WIP to “Done”.
Recently, I came across Derek Huether using “Pomodoro technique“. Putting it to use made my PK – productive and effective by helping me focus better to get things done! I must admit this combination has been pretty effective.
All these experiments, excitements, and improvements I shared with my wife, Meghana. Today, while cooking she asked me, “Does the Pomodoro technique apply to cooking, too?” My answer was: Absolutely, Yes! and why not. Think about the chefs in the restaurants. Do they start cooking from scratch? Nope, they’ve spent some time for preparation already. They have to manage time and create exotic, tasty dishes in minutes! [psst. I am huge. I mean HUGE fan of Chef Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen].
Few more tweeps I came across on social media using PK for everyday:
- @Sprezzatura shared a story of a Pre-K teacher using PK
- @gerrykirk is using it with his family
- @agilescout uses kanban for their work
What’s your story? Have you used PK or know someone who uses it for day-to-day activities? Share your experience.
Btw: Did you notice the Pomodoro timer on the Pomodoro Technique site? It’s a tomato! Fits right in with the food/chefs analogy above, doesn’t it?! 😉
Original post: PK for everyday?! | Spice of life (wordpress.com)
