Undo Podcast: How to Build a Car or Plan a Wedding Using Kanban

Episode Title: How to Build a Car or Plan a Wedding Using Kanban
Host: Mark Steadman
Release Date: May 11, 2025

In this enlightening episode of Undo – How history's outliers got stuff done, host Mark Steadman delves into the versatile world of Kanban, a productivity system originating from the Toyota Production System. Steadman masterfully bridges historical manufacturing techniques with modern-day project management, offering listeners practical insights to enhance their personal and professional workflows.

1. The Restaurant Analogy: Introducing Kanban

[00:31]
Steadman begins with a vivid analogy of a sous chef managing orders in a bustling restaurant. He emphasizes the complexity of keeping track of multiple tasks simultaneously—paralleling how project managers handle intricate projects.

"Sure, you can try and keep it all in your head, but then you end up having an aneurysm or being played by someone small and wiry in a streaming miniseries, or both."
— Mark Steadman [00:31]

This sets the stage for introducing Kanban as a solution to declutter mental processes and enhance efficiency.

2. Understanding Projects and Traditional Management Flaws

Steadman explores the essence of projects, defining them as series of interconnected tasks. He critiques conventional methods like simple to-do lists and David Allen's Getting Things Done, highlighting their limitations in handling nuanced, multi-layered projects.

"Systems like that treat every task as either done or not done, which just isn't realistic."
— Mark Steadman

He humorously notes that some individuals manage complex tasks mentally by foregoing sleep, underscoring the need for structured systems like Kanban.

3. Historical Roots: The Toyota Production System

Delving into history, Steadman recounts how Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer, revolutionized manufacturing during WWII by implementing the two-bin system to streamline Spitfire production in Britain.

[04:27]
Akio Toyoda, the current head of Toyota, shares the impact of Ohno's innovations:

"So successful was this program that in 1973, at the height of the gas crisis, the government of Japan sent investigators to our factories to determine why we were still able to make a profit while others were not. They discovered that the secret of our success truly was our lean manufacturing approach."
— Akio Toyoda [04:27]

Steadman explains how the Toyota Production System (TPS) minimized waste and enhanced flexibility, laying the groundwork for modern Kanban methodologies.

4. Ohno’s Precepts and Modern Productivity

Steadman discusses Ohno's 10 precepts, focusing on their relevance today. He highlights principles like "I can do it" and "try before everything," advocating for audacity and perseverance in tackling tasks.

"Once you start something, persevere with it. Do not give up until you finish it."
— Mark Steadman [05:50]

He personalizes these guidelines, relating them to balancing work and personal sanity—embracing rest and creativity as integral to productivity.

5. Kanban Explained Through Wedding Planning

Transitioning to practical application, Steadman uses wedding planning as an example to illustrate how Kanban can manage complex projects.

"The Japanese word kanban literally translates to signboard."
— Mark Steadman

He outlines setting up a Kanban board with three columns: Backlog, In Progress, and Done. Using sticky notes or digital tools like Trello and Notion, he demonstrates how to break down tasks into "atomic" units, ensuring each step is manageable and transparent.

Key Steps:

• Visual Organization: Mapping all tasks on a board to relieve mental burden.
• Task Management: Moving tasks through stages to track progress.
• Collaboration: Assigning tasks to different individuals to distribute workload effectively.

6. Kanban in Popular Culture and Modern Workflows

Steadman references the sitcom Silicon Valley and Pixar's use of Kanban to manage team workflows, showcasing its adaptability across various industries.

[12:14]
"This way of working was profiled briefly in an early episode of the amazing sitcom Silicon Valley... they appointed a sort of goalie, not unlike our sous chef..."
— Mark Steadman [12:14]

He discusses the limitations of Kanban, such as handling large backlogs, and contrasts it with Scrum, another Agile methodology that manages extensive projects through "epics."

7. Digital Tools for Enhanced Kanban

Steadman emphasizes the benefits of digital Kanban boards, particularly for handling large and dynamic projects. Tools like Trello and Notion offer features such as:

• Card Linking: Connecting related tasks across multiple boards.
• Checklists: Breaking down complex tasks into sub-tasks.
• Automation: Streamlining transitions between columns based on triggers like calendar events.

Example:
For a podcast managing multiple episodes, digital Kanban allows simultaneous tracking of guest invitations, scheduling, recording, and promotion without losing oversight.

8. Practical Applications and Final Thoughts

Steadman provides actionable advice for listeners to implement Kanban in various scenarios:

• Creative Projects: Managing podcast episodes, blogs, and video content.
• Personal Tasks: Organizing home renovations, event planning, and more.

He encourages listeners to embrace Kanban's simplicity and flexibility, adapting it to their unique needs without overcomplicating the system.

"At its heart is something very simple, very visual, and thus very tangible."
— Mark Steadman [Final Remarks]

Notable Quotes

• "You don't have to call yourself a project manager to have managed some kind of project." — Mark Steadman [00:31]
• "I reckon I could have a go at that without any prior experience." — Mark Steadman [05:50]
• "Kanban is really just a simple visual metaphor." — Mark Steadman [12:42]
• "At its heart is something very simple, very visual, and thus very tangible." — Mark Steadman [Final Remarks]

Conclusion

In this episode, Mark Steadman successfully demystifies Kanban, presenting it as a powerful yet accessible tool for managing a diverse range of projects. By intertwining historical insights with contemporary examples, he provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how to adopt and adapt Kanban to enhance productivity and reduce mental clutter. Whether you're planning a wedding, managing a creative project, or overseeing a complex work assignment, Kanban offers a structured yet flexible framework to help you succeed without succumbing to overwhelm.

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