Focus on flow to maximise productivity.
Here are 10 rules to assist with that:
Work done is fruitless until value is delivered.
Only the last part of the system delivers any value to us.
The worst place to have a bottleneck is at the end of the system!
The only acceptable place for a bottleneck is at the start of the system, not the end.
Limit the work entering the system in order ensure a smooth flow through the system.
There’s no point working on stuff that cannot finish.
Focus on finished work – not doing work but finishing it because that’s when the value is delivered.
Only work on things that have a clear path to completion – no point adding more to the bottleneck.
Finish the things you already started before you start new things – clear the bottleneck before you try to flow work through the system.
Pull isn’t quite good as the flow. So Flow if you can, Pull if you must!