Kanban
A visual workflow management method that uses boards and cards to visualise work, limit work in progress, and maximise flow efficiency through continuous delivery.
In-Depth Explanation
Kanban (Japanese for "visual signal" or "card") is a method for managing and improving work across various systems. It visualises work, limits work in progress (WIP), and focuses on maximising the flow of value delivery.
Kanban principles:
- Start with what you do now: Do not prescribe a specific process
- Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change: Improve gradually
- Respect the current process, roles, and responsibilities: Do not overhaul everything
- Encourage acts of leadership at every level: Everyone can drive improvement
Kanban practices:
- Visualise the workflow: Map work stages on a board (e.g., To Do → In Progress → Review → Done)
- Limit Work in Progress (WIP): Set maximum items per column to prevent overload
- Manage flow: Monitor and optimise the movement of items through the system
- Make policies explicit: Document and display team agreements about how work flows
- Implement feedback loops: Regular review points (daily standup, replenishment, delivery planning)
- Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally: Use data to drive process improvements
Kanban metrics:
- Lead time: Total time from request to delivery
- Cycle time: Time from work starting to completion
- Throughput: Number of items completed per time period
- WIP age: How long items have been in progress
- Cumulative flow diagram (CFD): Visual showing work in each state over time
Kanban vs Scrum:
- Kanban is flow-based (continuous); Scrum is sprint-based (time-boxed)
- Kanban has no prescribed roles; Scrum defines roles (PO, SM, Dev Team)
- Kanban limits WIP per column; Scrum limits WIP per sprint
- Kanban allows priority changes at any time; Scrum protects the sprint commitment
- Both are Agile; they can be combined (Scrumban)
Business Context
Kanban improves delivery efficiency by making workflow visible, reducing multitasking overhead, and providing data-driven insights for continuous process improvement.
How Clever Ops Uses This
Clever Ops uses Kanban practices to manage operational work and support services for Australian clients. We implement Kanban boards, WIP limits, and flow metrics that provide visibility and drive efficiency improvements in both technology delivery and business operations.
Example Use Case
"A support team implements a Kanban board with WIP limits of 3 items per person, reducing context switching and improving average resolution time from 5 days to 3 days."