The Kanban method’s second Foundational Principle is very direct:
FP2: Agree to pursue evolutionary change.
In just a few more words: Agree that change is necessary; agree to pursue it with an evolutionary strategy.
The word pursue is very well chosen. So much stronger than adopt, it evokes the energy and tenacity to counter any complacency, and it reminds us that it’s an ongoing process. Pursuit combines challenge and commitment.
I’d like to remind you that the agreement principle (FP2) starts with the word agree. Don’t take for granted the people involved, nor those likely to be impacted by it.
By way of analogy, I’m reminded of a bumper sticker [1] that would be quite familiar to anyone who lived in the UK during the late ’70s and for many years afterward:
A dog is for life, not just for Christmas
Agreement is not just for the kickoff meeting! Most of the changes that will be catalyzed by Kanban will stick only through agreement, so start as you mean to go on. Part III will help you with this; it describes a highly repeatable approach designed to generate agreement in practice, not just the slippery agreement in principle that falls away as soon as there is work to be done.
