The TameFlow Circle - A New Online Community for All TameFlow Practitioners
A place for all and everything about the TameFlow Approach
Posts by Year
2022
2021
Daily Flow - A Chat with Steve Tendon about Constraints in Knowledge-Work
Steve Tendon interviewed by John ‘The Agility Chef’ Coleman
The ToC-aissance Episode 2: The Book of Tameflow with Steve Tendon, June 13, 2021
Steve Tendon interviewed on the Agile Uprising Podcast
2020
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#29) and Peter Merel
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 29
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#28), Patrick Steyaert and Arlette Vercammen
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 28
TameFlow and the Manifesto for Agile Software Development
How does Agile and the Manifesto for Agile Software Development relate to the TameFlow Approach?
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#27) and Tom Gilb on Quantification
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 27
Self-Interest: The Secret Sauce of the TameFlow Approach
Enlightened Self-Interest is a driving force in the TameFlow Approach. It is not considered as an idealstic concept of ethical philosophy, but as an Alexandr...
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#26) and Clarke ‘The Bottleneck Guy’ Ching talking about Agile and TOC
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 26
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#25) and Venkatesh Krishnamurthy
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 25
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#24) and Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 24
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#23) and J. B. Rainsberger
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 23
eXtreme Programming and the TameFlow Approach
How does eXtreme Programming (XP) relate to the TameFlow Approach?
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#22) and Jitesh Dineschandra
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 22
Market Disruption the TameFlow Way
We can reason about disrupting markets with the Six Innovation Questions.
Constraints Everywhere
The distinction between the Constraint in the Work Flow, Work Execution and Work Process may seem academic. The Jungle-Jeep-Journey metaphor will help you un...
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#21) and Cherifa Mansoura
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 21
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#20) and Sandeep Joshi
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 20
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#19) and Richard Kasperowski
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 19
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#18) and Abrar Hashmi
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 18
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#17) and Martin Nantel
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 17
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#16) and Ad Vermeulen
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 16
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#15) and Rudiger Wolf
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 15
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#14) and Øystein Mehus
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 14
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#13) and Julia Wester
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 13
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#12) and Daniel Plourde
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 12
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#11) and Daniel Gagnon
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 11
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#10) and Srinivas Garapati
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 10
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#9) and Katharine Chajka
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 9
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#8) and Mario Latreille
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 8
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#7) and Mark Jørgensen Chaudhry
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 7
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#5) and Tom Cagley
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 5
Steve Tendon on Agility Chef’s Live Show, May 29, 2020
John Coleman and Steve Tendon talk about OKRs, TOC and TameFlow
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#4) and Aram Petrosyan
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 4
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#3) and Minton Brooks
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 3
Campfire Talks with Herbie (#2) and Michael Küsters
Summary of Campfire Talks with Herbie No 2
Campfire Talks with Herbie No. 1
Summary of the very first Campfire Talks with Herbie Webinar
Announcement of the TameFlow Connection Newsletter
A newsletter about anything relevant to the TameFlow Approach
Steve Tendon on Agility Chef’s Live Show, May 22, 2020
John Coleman interviews Steve Tendon
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #599
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
2019
Leanpub Frontmatter Interview, June 12, 2019
Len Epp, co-founder of Leanpub, interviews Steve Tendon
2017
TameFlow Insights: Cost of Delay (CoD) Improved via Theory of Constraints (TOC)
The Throughput Octane (or Financial Throughput Rate) is the most reliable measure of speed of generation of value.
Steve Tendon Interviewed by Bill Fox, July 1, 2017
Bill Fox interviews Steve Tendon - Exploring Forward-Thinking Workplaces
How to Draw Buffer Fever Charts
A Buffer Fever Chart is a powerful tool. It provides even earlier leading signals than the other buffer penetration diagrams, because it is based on the Buff...
2016
Pattern Language Development
A pattern language is constructed when the confidence of the collected patterns is assessed, and when interrelated patterns are cross-referenced. Just collec...
How Patterns become a Pattern Language
Patterns are the result of empirical observations, and they can constitute a phenomenological foundation for a scientific theory.
Pattern Languages are Means of Expression of Organizational Design
A pattern language is a means of expression that provides: (1) A descriptive notation for modeling and understanding organizational designs; (2) An actionab...
Relevance and Applicability of Design Patterns to Organizational Design
Alexandrian Patterns can be employed to represent knowledge about organizational structures, and Pattern Languages can be successfully applied to the domain ...
The Connection between Organizational Patterns for Software Development and Organizational Design
Contemprary organizational improvement approaches must be applicable to decentralized, distributed and networked knowledge-based organizations, that are shap...
Design Patterns are a form of knowledge
Patterns always represent social and human factors (comfort, convenience, utility, aesthetic, etc.). Thery are good at representing knowledge in socio-techni...
Alexandrian Patterns
A solution to a problem in a context.
2015
Steve Tendon Interviewed by Clarke Ching, November 4, 2015
Clarke Ching “the Bottleneck Guy” interviews Steve Tendon
TameFlow and PopcornFlow foster Unity of Purpose
Unite a systematic way to achieve exploratory validated learning, the PopcornFlow approach, with the focusing and knowledge discovery contributions of the Le...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 11
Dan’s book is simply a must read for any TameFlow practitioner.
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 10: Forecasting and Analytics
Forecasts, linear projections, Montecarlo simulations are all options for knowing when work will be done. They are all heavily data driven. Become methodical...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 9: Pull Policies
Avoiding Classes of Services, trying to stick to a strick FIFO pull policy, designing the process for predictability, countering variability with excess capa...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 8: Service Level Agreements
A delivery commitment should be expressed as date range. The closer you are to a stable process, the less data points you need. Service Level Agreements can ...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 7: Scatterplots
Scatterplots give a temporal view and can uncover trends over time. You cannot identify special/common causes simply by looking at a Scatterplot. Figure out ...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 6: Flow Debt
Learn to use the Approximate Average Cycle Time read off a Cumulative Flow Diagram and compare it to the Exact Average Cycle Time to detect if we are incurri...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 5: Conservation of Flow
In order not to overload the process you simply need to control how much work is allowed to enter it across the arrival point. Getting a balanced process is ...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 4: Cumulative Flow Diagrams
With actionable agile metrics, you can run experiments with your process and see what gives the best measured outcome in your context. Cumulative Flow Diagra...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 3: Little’s Law
Little’s Law can be applied exactly between the start and end points of an MMR/MOVE. When process policies warrant the assumptions of Little’s Law, the entir...
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 2: Flow Metrics
Striving to reduce Cycle Time (i.e. elapsed time) goes in the same direction of decreasing Operating Expense in terms of Throughput Accounting.
Actionable Agile Metrics Review - Part 1: Flow and Predictability
By employing actionable metrics, the Unity of Purpose and the Community of Trust patterns of TameFlow can expand beyond the boundaries of your own organizati...
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #326
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
2014
Management of Extra Work
Unplanned work will always come our way; and because it is “unplanned” it will always disrupt our plans. How can we manage it? Let’s find out.
Visual Portfolio Management
Visuals that busy exectutives wil love; while teams will be more in control.
‘Tame the Flow’ to be Published by J. Ross Publishing
With the new title of: “Hyper Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban.”
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #291
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #287
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
The TameFlow Time Terminology
The right word, for the right time!
Bottleneck in the Work Flow vs. Constraint in the Work Process
Finding where the Constraint is in your way of working is not always straightforward.
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #277
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #273
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
2013
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #269
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
TameFlow on the SPaMCast #258
Tom Cagley interviews Steve Tendon
Kanban Column WIP Limits: Good or Bad?
Improvement by happenstance is better than no improvement at all. If used at all, they can serve as training wheels; then they should be taken off once the o...
Virtue No. 7 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Organizational Learning
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 6 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Swarming
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 5 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Positive Teams
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 4 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Habits of Reflection
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 3 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Acting on Signals
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 2 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: New Patterns of Conversations
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Virtue No. 1 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Open Discussions
Column WIP Limits can be good. Sometime.
Harm No. 13 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Induced Instability
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 12 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Improvement by Happenstance
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 11 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Moving Constraint Syndrome
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 10 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Directionless Change
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 9 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: They Hinder Flow
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 8 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Local Optimization
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 7 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: They are Waste
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 6 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: They are Artificial Bottlenecks
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 5 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Loss of Focus
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 4 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: It is Tampering with the System
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 3 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Excessive Trial and Error
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 2 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: Too Many False-Positives
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Harm No. 1 of Kanban Column WIP Limits: They Hide the Real Constraint
Column WIP Limits are harmful!
Jack Vinson Reviews ‘Tame the Flow’
TameFlow is a way to combine approaches that make the best of several worlds.
Mike Burrows on TameFlow
Pay attention to the quality of interactions, the flow of information and the overall level of connectedness.
Replacing Cycle Time with Flow Time
If you divide Reinertsen’s Cycle Time by Ohno’s Cycle Time you get Work in Process. The terminology is confusing. Let’s use the unambiguous term of Flow Time...
Cumulative Flow Diagrams with Buffer Fever Charts
Get leading signals of negative variability and risk materialization by combining the Cumulative Flow Diagram of the Kanban Method with the Buffer Fever Char...
What is the Meaning of ‘Pattern’
TameFlow is based on organizational design patterns; but what is the meaning of “pattern?” Here’s a possible explanation. Patron, which derives from the...
2012
The Kanban Method Improved via Theory of Constraints
In this post we look into what are the elements to consider when enhancing the Kanban Method via the Theory of Constraints.
Virtues of Minimum Marketable Releases
In this fifth and last post about how to improve risk management in the Kanban Method via the Theory of Constraints we examine the benefits of using Minmum M...
Risk Management in the Kanban Method
In this fourth post about how to improve risk management in the Kanban Method via the Theory of Constraints we explore what options the Kanban Method offers ...
Root Cause Analysis and People Factors in the Theory of Constraints
In this third post about how to improve risk management in the Kanban Method via the Theory of Constraints we look in the tools of TOC that can be used to pe...
Buffer Management and Risk Management in the Theory of Constraints
In this second post about how to improve risk management in the Kanban Method via the Theory of Constraints we discover what is and how to use Buffer Managem...
Critical Chain Project Management in the Theory of Constraints
The cross-pollination of two different schools of thought — the Kanban Method and the Theory of Constraints — generate innovative ways to manage projects, en...
Theory of Constraints and Software Engineering
Explore how the Theory of Constraints and Throughput Accounting can be used to make better software engineering management decisions.
Agility as an Expression of Empiricism
It is in the layers of of middle management that fortresses of rationalism, determinism, and command-and-control mentality still have the strongest foothold.
2011
Software Hyper-productivity and Function Points
While Function Points are a weak tool for estimating project, they do present this apparently interesting use case: after the fact assessments with Function ...
Story Points Are NOT Function Points
When we critique Function Points and happen to mention Story Points in the same context, it is frequent to receive the objection that Story Points are like F...
Function Points Are Fantasy Points
Function Points are a relic of the past; they are based on perceptions and opinions; they use many magic numbers and correction factor; they do not consider ...
Friction Is Feedback
Friction is like training: it prepares the company for the real race – the race that happens in the marketplace.
Software Craftsmanship Management
That is an oxymoronic title, with the words “Craftsmanship” and “Management” side by side! Isn’t the essence of craftsmanship skilled individuality? While ma...