Flow Manager

The Flow Manager course is key for scaling organizational agility, as it focuses management on the workflow from start to finish. The Flow Manager ensures that work progresses without interruptions, aligning customer demand with value delivery and promoting data-driven decisions.

In a 16-hour training format (two full days or four 4-hour sessions), participants will learn to visualize and map end-to-end workflows, measure and manage flow, and improve predictability and delivery times. The operational and management practices of the Kanban method will be addressed, with a focus on organizational maturity and the introduction of the Flow Manager role in different contexts.

Through simulations and practical exercises, participants will apply key metrics, management cadences, and explicit policies to stabilize systems, coordinate dependencies, and make decisions that improve delivery capability. ​

The course provides professionals with technical skills to optimize delivery, achieve faster and more predictable results for customers, and the competencies needed to manage beyond a single team and create a real impact on overall business performance.

 

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the principles of flow management, optimizing Kanban systems and improving service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Analyze the effectiveness of workflows, identifying inefficiencies and applying metrics such as lead time, cycle time, and throughput to evaluate system performance.
• Improve service delivery by designing policies to manage WIP and establishing feedback systems that promote adaptability.
• Increase predictability and scalability by using probabilistic forecasts for data-driven commitments and creating workflows aligned with organizational objectives.
• Promote collaboration between teams, fostering a shared understanding of objectives and workflows, and implementing visualizations and reports to reinforce communication.
• Drive evolutionary change by developing improvement initiatives based on flow metrics to support agile transformations.
• Prepare for the responsibilities of a Flow Manager by gaining confidence and learning how to guide teams in flow management.

 

The course is aimed at any professional, team leader, or manager from any company or sector who wants to go beyond team-level agility and learn how to manage end-to-end workflows to improve value delivery. It is ideal for those in roles where faster, more reliable, and predictable delivery is key to success, or for those looking to progress in their careers towards larger-scale agile responsibilities.

It is recommended to have previously taken the Team Kanban Practitioner (TKP) course to have a solid foundation in the principles and practices of the Kanban method and thus get the most out of the Flow Manager content.

 

All levels of experience are welcome. It is recommended that participants have experience in service delivery, a good understanding of Kanban, and have read the book “Discovering Kanban: The Evolutionary Path to Business Agility” by David J. Anderson

All participants will receive one month of free access to the Better With Kanban+ (BWK+) platform, where they can access online the book “Discovering Kanban: The Evolutionary Path to Business Agility” by David J. Anderson (the updated edition of the well-known “Blue Book”). In addition, they will have access to exclusive Kanban method content, including case studies, articles, posters, and videos that will enrich their learning and facilitate the practical application of what they have learned in the course.

 

The workshop is delivered in face-to-face or online format, with an active and participative approach. Participants will incorporate the knowledge through real-world application exercises, working on real situations facilitated and guided by the trainer at all moments. This approach ensures the understanding, assimilation and practical application of the main concepts and tools of the Kanban method from day one.

 

This training is certified by Kanban University and allows participants to obtain the Flow Manager (FM) professional credential without the need for an exam.

In addition, this course grants 14 PDU hours for “Ways of Working” and 2 hours for “Power Skills” from the Project Management Institute (PMI), contributing to participants’ continual professional development.

A Certificate of Attendance will be issued for the FM 200 course only to participants with an attendance over 75% and a Diploma of Achievement if they also pass the assessment test.

 

1. Motivations and benefits of applying Kanban​
2. Origins and definition of the Kanban method​
3. Principles of Change Management and Service Delivery​
4. Experimenting with Kanban through a simulation​
5. The 6 practices of the Kanban method applied to the team context​
6. Introduction to STATIK​
7. Case study​
8. Sources of dissatisfaction​
9. Demand analysis​
10. Capability analysis​
11. Model the workflow.​
12. Types of service​
13. Designing the Kanban system​

FM 200