Featureban Online: Simplify Kanban Learning with Kanban Zone

I recently participated in the 10th year anniversary of Featureban with Mike Burrows and Allan Kelly. They wanted to run a session of Featureban online so I offered to use Kanban Zone. The overwhelming response, with the event selling out within 24 hours, highlighted the community’s enthusiasm for Featureban. 

I had the pleasure of participating in this session, at first to ensure that everything would run smoothly in Kanban Zone, but I quickly became a participant and greatly enjoyed the online experience. Based on this successful experience, we decided to get a few coaches together to record a session. 

Want to give it a go with your team? Here is a rundown of the basics of Featureban, how to set it up through Kanban Zone, and how to run the simulation with your team.

What is Featureban?

Featureban, a simple yet powerful Kanban simulation game, has been revolutionizing the way teams learn and implement Agile practices since its inception in 2014. Created by Agendashift, Featureban is currently at version 3.0 and is widely used by trainers and coaches in Lean, Agile, and Kanban-related events worldwide. Our recorded session demonstrates just how easy and engaging it is to facilitate Featureban online using the Kanban Zone platform.

Featureban is designed to be fun and interactive. The game progresses through multiple iterations, each adding new layers of learning:

1. Iteration 1: Introduces visual management.
2. Iteration 2: Adds Work In Progress (WIP) limits.
3. Iteration 3: Incorporates metrics.

This incremental approach helps participants grasp the fundamentals of Kanban and Agile practices step by step. The game encourages experiential learning, allowing participants to discover insights through practice and discussion, which are then consolidated in debrief sessions.

Setting Up Featureban in Kanban Zone

Facilitating Featureban online is seamless with Kanban Zone, an intuitive platform that brings the game to life in a virtual environment. It’s so simple to get started: 

1. Access the Featureban template in Kanban Zone
2. Invite participants
3. Start running the simulation

Facilitating the Game Online

Running Featureban in Kanban Zone is straightforward and requires minimal setup. Here are some tips for an effective online session:

• Experience: Allow participants to discover key concepts through gameplay rather than upfront teaching. This approach enhances learning and keeps the session engaging.
• Facilitate: Encourage teams to discuss and coordinate their moves during virtual standup meetings. This helps participants realize the benefits of collaboration.
• Iterate: Be ready to stop iteration one as soon as most teams have delivered a couple of items. This sets the stage for discussing bottlenecks and introduces WIP limits in the next iteration.
• Improve: Remind teams to hold replenishment events before their backlogs are depleted and to reuse “done” tickets to save time in later iterations.

The Power of Kanban Zone

Kanban Zone not only facilitates the Featureban game but also enhances the learning experience with its robust features:

• Real-Time Collaboration: Teams can collaborate in real-time, ensuring smooth communication and coordination.
• Intuitive Interface: Using the Featureban template, everything needed to run the simulation is ready to use. Participants waste no time to jump directly into the simulation.
• Metrics and Analytics: Kanban Zone’s built-in metrics and analytics provide valuable insights, making it easy to track progress and performance.

Watch Featureban in Action

The Featureban Flow Experience showcases how effortlessly you can implement Featureban in a virtual environment. The session walks through each iteration, offering practical insights and tips for facilitators.

Conclusion

Featureban is more than just a game; it’s a powerful way to learn and implement Agile and Kanban practices. Whether you’re a trainer, coach, or team leader, Featureban offers a hands-on, engaging way to foster collaboration and continuous improvement. Check out our YouTube session here to see Featureban in action and learn how you can bring this innovative simulation to your team using Kanban Zone.