Using the Theory of Flow to Find Your Impediments

A side note on predictability. It has been in vogue to talk about unpredictability in the Agile space. It is true that we often have a large degree of unpredictability in what is needed. This is the value of using an empirical process in determining what will provide value and delivering it. But it is a misconception to believe that our process cannot be founded on a well-defined and explicit theory. Flow thinking is such a theory.  Throughout this book we have described how large batches, lack of workload management, delays in workflow, delays in feedback, poor team organization and other factors contribute to delays which create additional work and which increase our cost of delay. Being aware of these relationships provides us a basis for making usually effective decisions on what to do. Of course, there is a large degree of unpredictability in the organization itself, so these decisions should always be considered hypotheses to try and validate.
Understanding the relationship between our process and where it contributes to the cost of delay is essential.  When we identify a challenge we can consider what practice changes have improved the challenge in the past. We can use the theory of flow to indicate which we should try for our situation. Because changes may have side effects outside of where the change is taking place we have to validate that the change is actually providing improvement. This is another reason for working on smaller pieces as it is usually easier to validate a workflow change when the work items are small. Very often, however, practices can be improved that do not require tradeoffs. For example, test-first methods are almost always beneficial.