Whatever we focus on, we’ll get more of. If we focus on the flow of value then we’ll get more value. If we focus on being busy then we’ll get more of that.
I frequently see boards (both Scrum and Kanban) that are filled with busyness and where it’s difficult to identify if there even is value in anything there. Maybe there is, but how would we know?
What might this look like?
When we visualize sub-tasks moving across a board then by definition we’re not focused on value. The unit of value is the story and anything smaller than that has no value on its own. By showing the smaller pieces, we’re introducing noise that makes it harder to see the actual value.
When we create filters or swimlanes to show only the work being done by one person then we’re focusing on keeping that person busy, rather than delivering any kind of value.
When we put generic titles on the work that doesn’t represent the value then we make it harder to see if there actually is any.
What do you want more of? Make that visible on your board and focus there.