Kanban

Kanban is an Agile method that focuses on visualising work, limiting work in progress (WIP), and optimising the flow of value. Unlike Scrum, Kanban does not prescribe roles, events, or time-boxed iterations. Instead, it provides a set of principles and practices that can be applied to any existing workflow.

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Origins of Kanban

The word "kanban" is Japanese for "signboard" or "visual card". The concept originated in the Toyota Production System in the late 1940s, where Taiichi Ohno developed a system of visual cards to signal demand and control inventory in manufacturing.

In 2007, David J. Anderson adapted these ideas for knowledge work and software development, creating what is now known as the Kanban Method.

Era	Development
1940s-50s	Taiichi Ohno develops kanban cards for Toyota's just-in-time manufacturing
2004	David Anderson applies kanban concepts at Microsoft
2007	Anderson's work at Corbis formalises the Kanban Method for software development
2010	Anderson publishes Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business
2020s	Kanban is widely used alongside Scrum (often as "Scrumban")

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The Four Foundational Principles

Principle	Description
Start with what you do now	Kanban does not require a radical reorganisation; it respects existing roles, responsibilities, and processes
Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change	Small, continuous improvements rather than large-scale transformations
Respect the current process, roles, responsibilities, and titles	No upfront changes to job titles or organisational structure
Encourage acts of leadership at all levels	Everyone, from senior management to individual contributors, can suggest improvements

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The Six Core Practices

Practice	Description
1. Visualise the workflow	Use a board to make all work visible — columns represent stages
2. Limit Work in Progress (WIP)	Set explicit limits on how many items can be in each stage
3. Manage flow	Monitor and optimise the flow of work through the system
4. Make policies explicit	Define and display the rules for how work moves (e.g., Definition of Done for each column)
5. Implement feedback loops	Regular reviews and meetings to inspect and improve
6. Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally	Use models and data to drive improvements

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The Kanban Board

A Kanban board is the central tool for visualising work. Each column represents a stage in the workflow, and each card represents a work item.

Example Kanban Board

| Backlog | Analysis (WIP: 3) | Development (WIP: 4) | Testing (WIP: 2) | Done |
|---------|-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|------|
| Item H  | Item E            | Item C               | Item A            | Item X|
| Item I  | Item F            | Item D               |                   | Item Y|
| Item J  |                   | Item G               |                   | Item Z|

Board Design Tips

• Columns should reflect your actual workflow, not an idealised one
• Add sub-columns (e.g., "In Progress" and "Done" within Development) for more granularity
• Use swimlanes (horizontal rows) to separate work types (e.g., features, bugs, expedites)
• Make WIP limits visible on the board
• Use colour coding to distinguish work item types

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Work in Progress (WIP) Limits

WIP limits are the defining feature of Kanban. They cap the number of items that can be in any stage at one time.

Why Limit WIP?