Kanban

What Is Kanban?

Kanban is a visual management system used in project management and workflow optimization. Coming from the Japanese manufacturing system, Kanban focuses on continual incremental improvements and efficiency through visual work stages and work in progress (WIP) limit. It uses visual stimuli in the form of cards (or sticky notes) for tasks to be displayed and tracked through the different phases of the workflow. Through a visualization of the flow of work teams can locate bottlenecks, set up a process optimization and hold up a sustainable pace of work delivery. Kanban assures continuous improvement by using feedback loops and promotes teamwork among team members. It is not uncommon to see it applied across industries to automate processes, improve productivity, and ensure projects run smoothly and flexibly.

Example

An instance of Kanban application is software development as well. The teams take use of Kanban boards to visualize the tasks like coding, testing, and deployment. Each task has its own card that passes through columns representing different development phases, such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." Developers move the relevant cards about the board as they work on tasks. This visual representation allows teams to overview the process, eliminate impediments, and prevent the workflow breakdown. For example, if the "Testing" column holds a huge sum of cards, it indicates an obstacle, so the team is supposed to concentrate on its solution. Kanban helps software development teams to deliver high-quality products and do so in the most efficient way possible so that they can adapt quickly to changing needs.