Kanban

Kanban is a visual project management method that uses boards and cards to track work progress and optimize workflow. It provides transparency into work status and helps teams identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

Core Kanban Principles

1. Visualize Work

Make all work visible on a shared board:

• Work Items: Each task or project becomes a card
• Workflow Stages: Columns represent different stages of work
• Progress Tracking: Cards move through columns as work progresses
• Team Visibility: Everyone can see the current state of all work

2. Limit Work-in-Progress (WIP)

Restrict how much work is active simultaneously:

• Focus: Encourages completion over starting new work
• Bottleneck Identification: Reveals where work gets stuck
• Quality: Reduces multitasking and improves focus
• Flow: Maintains steady progress through the system

3. Manage Flow

Optimize how work moves through the system:

• Measurement: Track cycle time and throughput
• Optimization: Identify and remove bottlenecks
• Predictability: Establish reliable delivery patterns
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly refine the process

4. Make Policies Explicit

Clearly define how work gets done:

• Definition of Done: Clear criteria for completion
• Entry Criteria: Requirements for work to enter each stage
• Exit Criteria: Requirements for work to leave each stage
• Quality Standards: Expectations for work quality

5. Improve Collaboratively

Use data and feedback to enhance the system:

• Team Involvement: Include everyone in improvement discussions
• Empirical Approach: Use data to guide decisions
• Regular Review: Hold periodic process improvement meetings
• Incremental Changes: Make small, experimental improvements

Kanban Board Structure

Basic Board Layout

Columns (left to right):

1. Backlog/Ideas: Work that might be done in the future
2. To Do: Work ready to be started
3. In Progress: Work currently being done
4. Done: Completed work

Advanced Board Layouts

Development Team Board:

• Backlog → Ready → In Development → Code Review → Testing → Deployment → Done

Marketing Team Board:

• Ideas → Planning → Content Creation → Review → Approval → Publishing → Analysis

Support Team Board:

• New Tickets → In Progress → Waiting for Customer → Resolved → Closed

Card Information

Each Kanban card typically includes:

• Title: Brief description of the work
• Description: Detailed requirements or context
• Assignee: Who is responsible for the work
• Due Date: When the work should be completed
• Priority: Relative importance of the work
• Tags/Labels: Categories or types of work
• Attachments: Supporting documents or files

Work-in-Progress (WIP) Limits

Setting WIP Limits

• Start Conservative: Begin with low limits and adjust as needed
• Team Capacity: Consider team size and skill distribution
• Bottleneck Analysis: Set limits based on constraint identification
• Empirical Adjustment: Use data to optimize limits over time

Common WIP Limit Strategies

• Per Column: Limit items in each workflow stage
• Per Person: Limit items assigned to each team member
• Per Work Type: Different limits for different types of work
• Total WIP: Overall limit across all active work

Benefits of WIP Limits

• Reduced Multitasking: Focus on fewer items at once
• Faster Completion: Complete work before starting new work
• Bottleneck Visibility: Quickly identify where work gets stuck
• Improved Quality: More attention to each work item

Kanban Metrics

Flow Metrics

Cycle Time: Time from work start to completion

• Measurement: Track time in each column
• Analysis: Identify which stages take longest
• Improvement: Focus on reducing bottlenecks

Lead Time: Time from request to delivery

• Customer Perspective: Total time customer waits
• Includes Queue Time: Time work waits before starting
• Service Level: Commitment to delivery timeframes

Throughput: Number of items completed per time period

• Capacity Planning: Understand team delivery capacity
• Trend Analysis: Track improvement over time
• Forecasting: Predict future delivery rates

Quality Metrics

Defect Rate: Percentage of work requiring rework Blocked Items: Work items that cannot progress Aging: How long items have been in each stage

Predictability Metrics

Delivery Rate Variance: Consistency of delivery Cycle Time Variance: Predictability of completion times Service Level Agreement (SLA): Percentage of work delivered on time

Kanban Implementation

Getting Started

1. Map Current Process: Document how work currently flows
2. Create Initial Board: Set up columns matching your process
3. Add Current Work: Put existing work items on the board
4. Set Initial WIP Limits: Start with conservative limits
5. Begin Daily Standups: Review board progress regularly

Team Adoption

• Training: Educate team on Kanban principles
• Facilitation: Have someone guide initial implementation
• Experimentation: Encourage trying different approaches
• Patience: Allow time for new habits to form

Common Implementation Challenges

• Resistance to WIP Limits: Some team members prefer multitasking
• Over-Engineering: Creating unnecessarily complex boards
• Inconsistent Use: Not maintaining the board regularly
• Lack of Improvement: Using Kanban without optimizing

Digital Kanban Tools

Popular Platforms

• Trello: Simple, card-based Kanban boards
• Asana: Project management with Kanban views
• Jira: Advanced features for software development
• Monday.com: Customizable work management platform
• Notion: All-in-one workspace with Kanban capabilities

Tool Selection Criteria

• Team Size: Some tools better for small vs. large teams
• Integration Needs: Connecting with other tools and systems
• Customization: Ability to adapt to your specific workflow
• Reporting: Analytics and metrics capabilities
• Budget: Cost considerations for team size

Physical vs. Digital Boards

Physical Boards (Whiteboards, Sticky Notes):

• Advantages: High visibility, tactile experience, low cost
• Disadvantages: Limited remote access, harder to track metrics

Digital Boards:

• Advantages: Remote accessibility, automated metrics, integration
• Disadvantages: Screen time, potential complexity, cost

Kanban for Different Teams

Software Development

• Code Review: Explicit column for peer review
• Testing: Separate testing phase with dedicated resources
• Deployment: Staging and production deployment tracking
• Bug Tracking: Separate swim lanes for bugs vs. features

Marketing Teams

• Content Pipeline: Idea → Research → Writing → Review → Publishing
• Campaign Management: Planning → Creation → Approval → Launch → Analysis
• Creative Process: Brief → Concept → Design → Feedback → Final

Operations Teams

• Incident Management: New → Investigating → Resolving → Closed
• Change Management: Request → Planning → Implementation → Verification
• Project Delivery: Scope → Planning → Execution → Delivery

Personal Productivity

• Personal Kanban: To Do → Doing → Done
• Learning: Want to Learn → Learning → Learned
• Household: Planned → In Progress → Completed

Advanced Kanban Concepts

Service Classes

Different types of work with different treatment:

• Expedite: Urgent items that jump the queue
• Fixed Date: Work with specific deadlines
• Standard: Regular work items
• Intangible: Overhead work like meetings or training

Swim Lanes

Horizontal rows that categorize work:

• By Work Type: Features, bugs, maintenance
• By Priority: High, medium, low priority
• By Team: Different teams sharing a board
• By Customer: Work for different clients

Cumulative Flow Diagrams

Charts showing work distribution over time:

• Work in Each Stage: Visual representation of flow
• Bottleneck Identification: Where work accumulates
• Trend Analysis: Improvement or degradation over time

Kanban vs. Other Methodologies

Kanban vs. Scrum

• Kanban: Continuous flow, no fixed iterations
• Scrum: Fixed sprints, specific roles and ceremonies
• Hybrid: Many teams use "Scrumban" combining both

Kanban vs. Waterfall

• Kanban: Continuous delivery, adaptive planning
• Waterfall: Sequential phases, upfront planning
• Use Cases: Kanban better for unpredictable work

Kanban vs. Getting Things Done (GTD)

• Kanban: Team-focused, visual workflow
• GTD: Individual productivity, capture and organize
• Combination: Personal Kanban inspired by GTD principles

Measuring Kanban Success

Team Metrics

• Delivery Predictability: Ability to meet commitments
• Cycle Time Reduction: Faster completion of work
• Quality Improvement: Fewer defects or rework
• Team Satisfaction: Improved work experience

Business Metrics

• Customer Satisfaction: Faster, more reliable delivery
• Cost Efficiency: Reduced waste and overhead
• Market Responsiveness: Faster response to changes
• Innovation Rate: More time for improvement and innovation

Continuous Improvement

• Regular Retrospectives: What's working, what isn't?
• Metric Reviews: Are we improving on key measures?
• Process Experiments: Try new approaches systematically
• Feedback Loops: Learn from customers and stakeholders

Kanban provides a flexible, visual approach to managing work that can be adapted to virtually any context. Its emphasis on continuous improvement and flow optimization makes it particularly valuable for teams dealing with unpredictable or rapidly changing work environments.