3.1 Kanban principles and practices

Kanban is a lean method for managing work that focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency. It's built on four core principles and key practices like visualizing workflow, limiting work in progress, and improving collaboratively. These principles help teams optimize their processes and deliver value more effectively.

Kanban boards are central to the method, providing a visual representation of work and its status. By setting work-in-progress limits and making policies explicit, teams can identify bottlenecks, improve flow, and make data-driven decisions. This approach promotes transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement in project management.

Kanban principles and practices

Core principles and practices

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• Kanban is a lean method for managing and improving work across human systems, aiming to minimize waste and maximize efficiency
• The Kanban method is based on four core principles:
  • Start with what you do now
  • Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change
  • Respect the current process, roles, responsibilities and titles
  • Encourage acts of leadership at all levels
• Key practices of Kanban include:
  • Visualizing the workflow (Kanban boards)
  • Limiting work in progress (WIP)
  • Managing flow
  • Making policies explicit
  • Implementing feedback loops
  • Improving collaboratively

Kanban boards and WIP limits

• Kanban boards are used to visualize the workflow, with columns representing the different stages of work and cards representing individual work items
  • Example stages: To Do, In Progress, Testing, Done
  • Example work items: User stories, features, bug fixes
• Work in progress (WIP) limits are set for each column to prevent overloading the system and ensure a smooth, continuous flow of work
  • WIP limits help teams focus on completing work before starting new tasks
  • Example WIP limit: Only 3 items allowed in the "In Progress" column at a time

Workflow visualization in Kanban

Visualizing the workflow with Kanban boards

• Kanban promotes workflow visualization through the use of Kanban boards, which provide a clear, visual representation of the work process and the status of each work item
• Visualizing the workflow helps teams:
  • Identify bottlenecks, blockers, and areas for improvement
  • Optimize their processes
  • Align their efforts and communicate effectively
  • Make data-driven decisions

Transparency in Kanban

• Kanban boards make the work process transparent to all stakeholders, fostering collaboration and shared understanding
• Transparency in Kanban extends to making policies, rules, and guidelines explicit and visible to everyone involved in the process
  • Example policies: Definition of Done, acceptance criteria, WIP limits
• Transparency helps teams:
  • Stay on the same page and work towards common goals
  • Identify and address issues more quickly
  • Build trust and accountability

Limiting Work in Progress (WIP)

Benefits of limiting WIP

• Limiting work in progress (WIP) is a critical practice in Kanban that helps teams focus on completing work items before starting new ones
• By limiting WIP, teams can:
  • Reduce context switching and multitasking
  • Minimize waste and improve efficiency
  • Improve the flow of work through the system
  • Reduce lead times and increase throughput

Identifying bottlenecks and optimizing processes

• WIP limits help identify bottlenecks and constraints in the workflow, enabling teams to address them and optimize their processes
  • Example bottleneck: Testing stage consistently reaches its WIP limit, causing delays
• Limiting WIP promotes a pull system, where new work is only started when there is capacity available
  • Pull systems help prevent overloading and ensure a steady flow of work
• By identifying and addressing bottlenecks, teams can continuously improve their processes and deliver value more efficiently

Kanban vs Other Agile Methodologies

Continuous flow vs time-boxed iterations

• Unlike other Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, Kanban does not prescribe fixed-length iterations or specific roles
• Kanban is a continuous flow method, focusing on the smooth, uninterrupted flow of work, while other Agile methodologies often work in time-boxed sprints
  • Example: Scrum teams work in 2-week sprints, while Kanban teams continuously deliver work items

Adaptability and incremental adoption

• Kanban does not require significant changes to existing processes or organizational structures, making it easier to adopt incrementally
• Kanban is more flexible and adaptable than some other Agile methodologies, allowing teams to tailor their processes to their specific needs and context
  • Example: A team can start using Kanban by simply visualizing their current workflow and gradually introducing WIP limits and other practices
• While other Agile methodologies may emphasize estimation and velocity tracking, Kanban focuses on lead time and cycle time as key metrics for measuring and improving performance
  • Lead time: Time from when a work item is requested until it is delivered
  • Cycle time: Time from when work begins on an item until it is completed