Making Work Visible: Exposing and Optimising Flow

Engineering leaders spend most of their time reacting to surprises because the work that actually consumes capacity is invisible. The author argues that this hidden work is the single biggest source of delays and burnout, and that making it visible is a prerequisite for any meaningful improvement.

The book lays out a step-by-step playbook: start with a visual board that captures all work types, enforce a disciplined intake process, and use metrics that reveal flow bottlenecks. It walks through real-world examples of teams that adopted simple kanban-style systems, trimmed meeting overload, and aligned priorities across product and engineering. The tactics are low-tech, repeatable, and focus on the data that matters most to delivery.

When leaders adopt these practices, they gain predictability, can allocate resources more wisely, and reduce the endless firefighting that erodes morale. Visibility turns vague complaints into actionable data, enabling better decision-making and a healthier work rhythm for the whole organization.