The guest discusses the concept of making work visible and introduces the five thieves of time, including too much work in progress, conflicting priorities, unplanned work, unknown dependencies, and neglected work. The chapter also highlights the purpose of the book and its exercises for addressing these time thieves.
“The five thieves of time are: too much work in progress, conflicting priorities, unplanned work, unknown dependencies, and neglected work."
Dominica DeGrandis is the author of “Making Work Visible”. In this episode, we discussed how we can optimize our workflow and reclaim control of our work and time. Dominica unveiled the concept of the five thieves of time that rob us of our productivity, that includes too much work-in-progress (WIP), conflicting priorities, unplanned work, unknown dependencies, and neglected work. She also shared actionable practices and tips on dealing with each of these thieves. Towards the end, Dominica emphasized the importance of bringing visibility to and measuring the flow of what leadership and customers care about - the delivery of customer value—big picture items that span end-to-end value streams.
Listen out for:
- Career Journey - [00:03:47]
- Making Work Visible & Five Thieves of Time - [00:08:45]
- Thief: Too Much WIP - [00:15:31]
- WIP is a Leading Indicator - [00:18:33]
- Thief: Unplanned Work - [00:20:45]
- Making Sense of WIP - [00:23:04]
- Thief: Conflicting Priorities - [00:24:38]
- Thief: Unknown Dependencies - [00:29:17]
- Managing Dependencies - [00:32:53]
- Thief: Neglected Work - [00:36:40]
- Make Organization Work Visible - [00:41:21]
- Measuring Flow - [00:50:19]
- 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:55:11]
_____
Dominica DeGrandis’s Bio
A huge fan of using visual cues to inspire change, Dominica DeGrandis, author of Making Work Visible - Exposing Time Theft to Optimize Work & Flow, and Principal Flow Advisor at Planview, helps organizations make work visible to improve workflow. Obsessed with useful metrics & influencing change, Dominica advises customers on flow metrics, value stream management and how to effect change.
Follow Dominica:
_____
Our Sponsors
Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags.
Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/156
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.
