How to release using Kanban?

Question

In Scrum, it’s obvious that after each sprint we could create a demo.

I don’t know how to create demos in Kanban since it does not have a sprint concept (I could be wrong).

Could you tell me how to make releases in Kanban?

Thanks for the help and time.

Answer 1

When we implemented Kanban at my last job, releases came in one of three ways:

• Scheduled vacation every two weeks.
• If enough sticky notes fall into the “finished” bucket on the board to deserve an off-cycle release, let us know about the release of the business unit that we released so that we can prevent too much synchronization.
• A business unit requires an off-cycle release for a specific feature set of functions that are needed immediately.

It was pretty frank, really.

Answer 2

Kanban says how to control the work flow and limit work in progress; he says nothing about the frequency of output per se. However, this is quite demanding, because it requires constant work of the integrated version of the product with the addition of new functions as soon as they are considered complete (done, last column on the board).

A frequently used concept is that there is a "cadence" - a regular interval when this "finished product" is taken and actually deployed in a living system / sent.

However, I think that one concept, which is very clear in Scrum, can also help here. Scrum clearly states that Scrum requires a “shippable product gain” (confirming the definition of DONE) at the end of each sprint. Regardless of whether it is actually being sent / deployed, it goes beyond the development process, as it is ultimately a business decision. The same thing that I think applies to Kanban, a ready-made, integrated product is available at any time, whether actually using it as a business solution that goes beyond the development process and its management.

Answer 3

There is no single definition. Usually in Kanban we add MMF (Minimal Marketable Features), which, by definition, means that each function should add value to the client, so you should be able to release each function independently.

This does not mean that you should release each function separately, so you will find a number of approaches (David mentions several of them). I find this a common case when the Kanban team releases more often than they if they followed one of the methods with short times.

Demonstrations in Kanban are optional, but if the client wants to use them, you can demonstrate functions during deployment, even if you perform each function independently. Theoretically, every feature should add value, so this approach should work well.

Answer 4

We are doing a demo of the conditions for the transition of the function from "Testing" to "Ready for release". Thus, this is a feature, not a sprint-s-sprint, but the nature of this function will determine the nature of the demonstration. The more business involvement during development, the less the problem becomes.

Answer 5

You can try adding a transition step to your DOD, where you can organize a quick demo. But the difference would be, it will be an individual demo, whereas in the scrum sprint review the demo will be available to all participants.

As for the release cycle, it was already mentioned in previous answers. I would like to add one more point, you may have a restriction on the release of elements. For example, if you have 10 MMF on the board ready for release, then the release process can be released then and there.

This method can help you track bandwidth in some way.