Kanban

Last updated Apr 3, 2023

• Sapling
• Project

• An Agile Approach framework that is relatively new
• Originally used in lean manufacturing in the 1940s to control inventory and manage workflow, it eventually made it into software development
• Today we use Kanban to control work in progress levels and manage workflows in software and other business processes.

1. Visualize work
   1. Create a Kanban board that shows the specific phases that work moves through on your team. Then create the actual pieces of work that are moving through the stages
2. Limit WIP
   1. When people focus on too much work, they get overwhelmed. Context switching lowers productivity and degrades the workplace environment. Limiting work in progress allows team members to focus and increases throughput
3. Make policies explicit
   1. Clearly define how work gets completed and moves from one phase to another. Clear policies create a shared understanding of the work and the workflow.
4. Manage flow
   1. look for and eliminate bottlenecks in your workflow. This practice embraces Kanban’s roots in lean and reduces waste in the system.
5. Implement feedback loops
   1. build feedback into the system to stay informed about the system’s performance. Create and measure metrics and the flow of work across the Kanban board; these signals can help you identify bottlenecks and changes in your system.
6. Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally
   1. Use the scientific method to test ideas and measure the results in the Kanban signals. Kanban’s goal is to start now and keep improving. This practice reinforces the idea that whatever the organization is doing now is a good starting point because the team will keep improving the workflow.

1. Product Owner prioritizes and orders the backlog
2. Team member selects the top-ordered item in the backlog and pulls it into progress
3. The team moves the work item through the workflow, keeping within the WIP limits
4. When the team is ready to start new work, they select the next item in the backlog

• Strengths
  • The simplest Agile Approach framework to learn
  • Can be applied to any industry
  • Lightweight
  • Focuses on routine work over iteration planning
  • Governed by clearly defined, transparent policies and metrics
• Weaknesses
  • Works best in a relatively stable work environment
  • Can suffer if teams are oversized or have high turnover
  • Inaccuracies or changes between work items can disrupt the team’s focus
  • Cycle times may stretch out in the absence of set iterations