Kanbanzine

Kanbanzine is an immersive serious game that allows participants to understand the key concepts of Kanban, such as WIP limits, bottlenecks, and pull flow. Through the creation of a magazine, teams discover the importance of continuous improvement and the effects of multitasking on productivity. This game is ideal for experimenting with Lean principles in a playful and engaging way.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Introduction to the game

   10 min

   The facilitator presents the context: the team is responsible for producing a weekly magazine whose first issue has failed. They explain the objectives of the game: to understand and apply Kanban principles to improve the creation process. Participants are divided into teams and receive an overview of the game rules.

   Tip — Use an engaging story to capture participants' attention from the start.

2. 2

   Presentation of roles and the board

   15 min

   Each participant chooses a role within the team (writer, editor, designer, etc.). The facilitator explains the game board which represents the value chain of the magazine, with the steps of article creation up to printing. They highlight the importance of WIP limits and bottlenecks.

   Tip — Use cards or labels to help participants remember their roles and responsibilities.

3. 3

   First iteration

   20 min

   Teams begin working on the magazine articles. The facilitator observes and notes the difficulties encountered, particularly bottlenecks and WIP exceedances. Participants must collaborate to adhere to WIP limits and optimise workflow.

   Tip — Encourage participants to communicate openly about the problems encountered and propose solutions.

4. 4

   Review and adjustment

   15 min

   After the first iteration, the facilitator gathers the teams for a brief retrospective. They ask participants to share their observations and suggest adjustments to the processes for the next iteration. Participants implement actions to improve workflow.

   Tip — Use post-it notes for each participant to write down a possible improvement, then discuss it together.

5. 5

   Second iteration

   20 min

   Teams apply the decided adjustments and work on new articles. The facilitator continues to observe and provide feedback. The goal is to reduce bottlenecks and improve the fluidity of the process.

   Tip — Conduct a quick check-in halfway through to ensure that the adjustments are being applied and are effective.

6. 6

   Conclusion and sharing of results

   10 min

   The facilitator gathers the teams for a final debriefing. They summarise the improvements observed and the learnings achieved. Each team shares its results and the lessons learned about applying Kanban principles.

   Tip — Conduct a roundtable for each participant to share one thing they learned.

Variants

• Add a time constraint for each iteration to simulate deadline pressure.
• Introduce random event cards that disrupt workflow to test the team's resilience.
• Allow teams to switch roles between iterations to explore different aspects of the process.