will i ever learn the secrets to predictability?

I had a great time at the DevOps Enterprise Summit last year so I decided to submit a few talks for the 2016 event. As this was the event in which I gave my inaugural conference presentation at in 2015, I was thrilled to be invited back!

In my talk for this year’s event I wanted to try something new. Many people struggle to get through, and understand, the excellent “Principles of Product Development Flow” by Don Reinertsen. I wanted to see if I could take a crack at putting a core concept or two in terms that were most accessible to a larger audience. As with any first iteration of something, there are many adjustments I’ll make going forward, but hopefully you and the attendees of the actual talk will find value in this presentation. Enjoy!

Predictability: No Magic Required

When you merge onto a freeway and are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you know right away that its going to be a long trip. Similarly, you can predict the cycle time of your work before it is finished without time consuming, and often incorrect, estimation. Sound like magic? Fortunately for all of us, it’s not.

This talk explains the basics of queueing theory; demonstrates how allocation models and pull policies affect the cycle time of work; discusses the effects of batch size and variability on queues; and teaches how to successfully monitor your workflow to get leading indicators of effectiveness. With this information, you’ll be doing better forecasting, and achieving better outcomes, in no time!

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For information on future speaking opportunities, take a look at my speaking page.