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how_would_you_describe_kanban_in_a_nutshell

How Would You Describe Kanban in a Nutshell?

  • Visualize the workflow
    • Split the work into pieces, write each item on a card and put on the wall
    • Use named columns to illustrate where each item is in the workflow
  • Limit WIP (work in progress)
    • Assign explicit limits to how many items may be in progress at each workflow state
  • Measure the lead time
    • Lead Time (sometimes called “cycle time”) = average time to complete one item
    • Optimize the process to make lead time as small and predictable as possible

As you can see, Kanban is very lightweight and requires a lot of (self-)discipline to implement on a team. The specific practices that Kanban teams might use include:

  • Kanban board shows all work of the team
  • Kanban board shows flow of work of the team so we can find and work bottlenecks
  • Different service levels (classes of service) for distinct types of work (e.g., expedite, fixed date, standard) are identified and supported
  • WIP limits in place and enforced
  • Kanban boards are processed “Right to left, top to bottom”
  • Continuous improvement occurring
  • Cycle time and throughput tracked, and improvements focused on improving these numbers
/home/hpsamios/hanssamios.com/dokuwiki/data/pages/how_would_you_describe_kanban_in_a_nutshell.txt · Last modified: 2023/03/07 11:29 by hans