Classes of service are a set of guidelines to categorize different work items based on their priority and risk level. The principles and method can nicely be applied to our private life.
In kanban, classes of service (CoS) are a set of guidelines used to categorize different work items based on their priority and risk level. Generally, kanban defines 4 classes of service: expedite, fixed delivery date, standard and intangible, but they can also vary depending on the organization – however the number shouldn’t be too high, as a rule of thumb, four to six classes of service should do. (Anderson, 2010)
For each class of service, there should be agreed policies so that incoming work items are handled based on their class. For example, expedite items may require immediate attention, fixed delivery date items are planned so the deadline is respected, and some time is reserved to work on intangible items, as otherwise they tend to not get worked on.
In private life, we can literaly define classes of service like we do for our organizations. It will give clarity of mind when different items come up, and help us manage them. Here’s how I did it.
Applying Classes of Service in Life
I use 4 classes of service: fixed date, emergency, standard and intangible.
Fixed date class of service is for any item with a fix date, for instance, paying bills, submitting documents or tax, applying for conferences etc.
Emergency class is for anything that needs to be handled as soon as possible, it can be unpredicted events, health or family emergency, as well as work emergencies.
Standard class is for “work as usual”. Most of the items here is my regular, full-time work, work with the clients, side projects, exercise and anything “regular”.
Intangible class is reserved for items that are not urgent, so they seem like standard, but are also never finished. In work, this can be code refactoring, infrastructure and similar. In my private life, this is learning Hebrew and Python, self-development and therapy.
When I plan for the week or day, I know what items I need to acommodate and how, based on my personal policies for each of the classes of service. For example, I leave at least 4 hours per week for intangible class, come fire or rain. These are items that require some time to make visible progress, but tend to be neglected as something else is always more urgent.
Classes of service give me clarity and peace of mind, and I would heartly recommend trying them out. You can start simply by using the 4 general classes and go from there.
Anderson, David J. Kanban Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business. Blue Hole Press, 2010.