Kanban is a visual management method that was born in the Toyota factories in Japan in the ’40s. Developed as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS), its original goal was to improve efficiency on production lines, but over time, Kanban has been adapted to a range of industries beyond manufacturing, from software development to project and service management.
Its simplicity, flexibility and ability to optimize workflow have made it one of the most popular tools within the framework of agile methodologies.
In this article we explore the key principles of Kanban, its implementation and the advantages it offers to maximize efficiency and productivity in any team or organization.
What is Kanban?
In Japanese, the word Kanban means “visual card” or “signal”, and although the concept may seem simple, the methodology of this system has proven to be very effective. With this method, a visual representation of tasks or work units is used to improve understanding of the production flow through a board, which organizes the work into columns, where each column represents a phase or status of the process such as “pending”, “in process” and “completed”.
Often, Kanban boards also use swimlanes, horizontal lines that group types of work or different teams, which adds another layer of organization and clarity to the workflow.
The main objective of Kanban is to visualize the workflow and thus be able to identify bottlenecks, limit work-in-progress (WIP) and maximize system efficiency using principles such as Kaizen (continuous improvement) and JIT (Just-In-Time). In this way, tasks are managed so that they are completed just when they are needed, ensuring that teams are not overloaded and incomplete tasks do not accumulate.
Kanban principles
The Kanban approach is based on four fundamental principles that make it different from other methodologies:
- Start with what you do now: Kanban does not require radical changes or the implementation of new processes from scratch. You can start with your current workflow, visualizing it through a dashboard and gradually improving it.
- Look for evolutionary and incremental change improvements (Kaizen): Instead of implementing drastic changes, Kanban promotes continuous improvement through small adjustments and incremental changes to the system, allowing for greater adaptability and less resistance from teams.
- Respects current processes, roles and responsibilities: There is no need to reorganize the existing team and responsibilities, as it can be integrated without significantly altering current structures.
- Promotes leadership at all levels: Continuous improvement should not come exclusively from top management, and in the context of Kanban, all team members are empowered to identify improvement opportunities and propose solutions.
Key elements of Kanban
To better understand how Kanban works, it is essential to analyze some of its most important components:
- Kanban board: The Kanban board is used as a visual manifestation of the workflow where tasks are represented by cards. In it, there are columns that reflect the stages through which the tasks flow, from the initial idea to its completion and can be customized according to the needs of the team or project, for example, complementing it with swimlanes to further segment the types of work or teams.
- Pull system: Unlike traditional systems, Kanban uses a pull system, where work is only passed to the next stage when there is capacity to do so, avoiding work overload and optimizing the flow.
- Work in progress limits (WIP): This principle states that you can only have a certain number of tasks at each stage of the workflow. WIP limits are designed to avoid overloads and ensure that ongoing tasks are completed before starting new ones.
- Continuous flow: Kanban seeks to optimize the smooth flow of work, so that as one task is completed, a new one can begin, ensuring a constant and efficient movement of tasks along the board.
- Blockers: A key aspect of task tracking in Kanban is the quick identification of blockers. When a task is blocked, the problem must be identified and solved to prevent it from slowing down the workflow.
- Feedback cycles or cadences: Cadences are regular feedback and review cycles, such as work reviews and retrospectives, that allow the team to evaluate performance, discuss possible improvements, and adjust WIP limits or workflows if necessary.
- Little’s Law: This mathematical law applies to workflow in Kanban, stating that the average lead time is proportional to the amount of work in progress divided by the task completion rate. In simple terms it would be, the less work in progress you have, the faster the tasks will be completed. WIP limits help control this factor.
How to implement Kanban
Kanban implementation may vary from one organization to another, depending on the context and specific targets. However, the following steps provide a general guide to get started with Kanban:
- Visualize your workflow: The first step is to create a Kanban board that represents the key stages of your process. This can be as simple as having basic “pending”, “in process” and “completed” columns, or more complex depending on the needs of your project.
- Establish a pull system: Implement a system where work can only be performed when capacity is available to ensure that each task receives the proper attention.
- Define your tasks: Use cards or notes to represent each task or unit of work. Make sure each task is clear and specific so that everyone on the team understands what it entails.
- Set WIP limits: One of the keys to successful Kanban is to limit the amount of work you can have in each phase. This helps reduce multitasking, improve quality and minimize lead time.
- Track workflow: Kanban requires constant monitoring, so it uses metrics such as “Lead Time” (time from when a task enters the system until it is completed) and “Cycle Time” (time it takes for a task to be completed from the time you start working on it) to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
- Embrace continuous improvement (Kaizen) through cadences: Kanban is not static, so the team must regularly review the system, adjust WIP limits, modify columns if necessary and look for improvement opportunities.
Conclusion
As we have seen, Kanban is an agile and versatile tool that helps visualize workflow, improve efficiency and foster continuous improvement. Its simplicity and flexibility make it an ideal choice for organizations of any size or industry.
By implementing Kanban, companies can optimize their processes, reduce bottlenecks and ensure continuous delivery of value. In addition, through WIP limits and proper prioritization of tasks, teams can focus on completing tasks before starting new ones, which reduces multitasking and improves work performance.
On the other hand, unlike other agile methods such as Scrum, Kanban does not require sprints or pre-planned iterations, allowing teams to quickly adapt to emerging changes and priorities.
Resources:
[1] Businessmap – Kanban Terminology: The Complete Glossary
[2] Kanban Tool – Kanban Guide – an Introduction to Kanban Method
[3] Toyota – TPS
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