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TameFlow

A management approach for knowledge work that integrates Theory of Constraints, Kanban, and Agile principles to optimize the flow of work, information, and value.

Practices Employed

  • Approvals: Full-Kitting ensures all approvals are obtained before work begins, preventing interruptions. Referred to as:
    • Full-Kitting
  • Automation: TameFlow encourages automation to maintain flow efficiency and reduce manual bottlenecks.
  • Change Management: Buffer Management detects issues early, enabling proactive change management before problems escalate. Referred to as:
    • Buffer Management
  • Demand Management: Drum-Buffer-Rope ensures the constraint receives continuous work supply, managing demand through the system. Referred to as:
    • Drum-Buffer-Rope
  • Estimating: Buffer Management provides empirical data on task completion, improving estimation accuracy. Referred to as:
    • Buffer Management
  • Issue Management: Flow Efficiency Boards visualise work items and their status, making issues visible. Referred to as:
    • Flow Efficiency Boards
  • Measurement: TameFlow uses flow metrics like throughput, cycle time, and buffer consumption to measure performance. Referred to as:
    • Flow Metrics
    • Throughput Accounting
  • Meeting: Management by Exception focuses meetings on areas where performance deviates from expectations. Referred to as:
    • Management by Exception
  • Monitoring: Buffer Management and Flow Efficiency Boards provide continuous monitoring of work progress. Referred to as:
    • Buffer Management
    • Flow Efficiency Boards
  • Prioritising: Work is prioritised based on constraint capacity and buffer status, focusing on what matters most. Referred to as:
    • Drum-Buffer-Rope
    • Buffer Management
  • Release: TameFlow optimises flow to enable predictable, reliable releases. Referred to as:
    • Flow Efficiency
  • Requirements Capture: Full-Kitting ensures all requirements and inputs are gathered before starting work. Referred to as:
    • Full-Kitting
  • Retrospectives: TameFlow uses the Thinking Process from Theory of Constraints for systematic improvement. Referred to as:
    • TOC Thinking Process
  • Stakeholder Management: Management by Exception keeps stakeholders informed of significant deviations without information overload. Referred to as:
    • Management by Exception

Description​

"TameFlow is a holistic approach to improve the performance of collaborative knowledge-work organizations. It is based on the combination of the Theory of Constraints, Lean Thinking, and Agile practices, unified through a focus on flow." - TameFlow, tameflow.com

TameFlow optimises knowledge work by focusing on flow efficiency rather than resource utilisation. Its core practices—Drum-Buffer-Rope (from Theory of Constraints), Buffer Management, Flow Efficiency Boards, Full-Kitting, and Management by Exception—work together to identify constraints, protect against variability, and ensure work flows smoothly through the system. Unlike traditional approaches that maximise individual busyness, TameFlow maximises throughput by managing the constraint and using buffers to absorb uncertainty.

See Also​