Andon cord
…you are failing to deliver on time and all signals show failure is virtually certain. Rapid identification of problems and quick response is fundamental to the spirit of agility.
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You want defect-free, high quality products as it will create customer delight and speed you up. At some point, it is obvious that you cannot complete the product successfully in time due to emergent requirements, technical problems, quality issues, or the loss of critical people or capabilities.
Poka-yoke (ポカヨケ?) [poka joke] is a Japanese term that means "fail-safing" or "mistake-proofing". A poka-yoke is any mechanism in a lean manufacturing process that helps an equipment operator avoid (yokeru) mistakes (poka). Its purpose is to eliminate product defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur. (Wikipedia)
Therefore:
Eliminate production defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur. Notify and consult the product owner, always. flow master or scrum master, execute this emergency procedure immediately whenever needed. Management, pull the andon cord when you think it is not pulled enough. “No problem is problem.” Remember, we don’t make mistakes, we learn.
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The sooner we fail, the sooner we succeed. Don’t be afraid to pull the andon cord.
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Sources
- http://franklincovey.com/blog/consultants/toddwangsgard/2010/02/12/pulling-andon-cord-lessons-timeout/
- Medium » Paddy Corry » Andon processes can help your team value fire prevention over fire-fighting