In software development organizations, large-scale distributed projects pose many challenges, such as hierarchical requirements, large team size, and managing workflow. Agile methods, like Scrum, seem to have limitations in addressing those issues. Kanban offers an interesting alternative in this concern by setting work-in-progress (WIP) limits to manage flow and establishing visibility of requirements using a visual signaling system. However, only few empirical studies have investigated scaling Kanban for large organizations. To address this concern, a case study was conducted in a large multisite company to identify the challenges and possible solutions in scaling Kanban. During the study, defining WIP limits, coordinating with distributed teams, and dividing features between teams were found as major challenges. Setting WIP limits by common agreement between teams and visualizing product backlogs and teams on electronic board, with teams pulling features from the board, were found as possible solutions for overcoming the mentioned challenges.

Nirnaya Tripathi, Pilar Rodríguez, Muhammad Ovais Ahmad, Markku Oivo (University of Oulu): Scaling Kanban for Software Development in a Multisite Organization: Challenges and Potential Solutions

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-18612-2_15