Kanban
Kanban is a visual management system for optimizing workflows.
Classification
- ComplexityMedium
- Impact areaOrganizational
- Decision typeDesign
- Organizational maturityIntermediate
Technical context
Principles & goals
Use cases & scenarios
Compromises
- Misunderstandings in task prioritization
- Lack of acceptance in the team
- Excessive adjustments to the process
- Regular meetings to review progress
- Clear definition of tasks and responsibilities
- Visualization of all tasks on the board
I/O & resources
- Task List
- Team Members
- Resource Allocation
- Visualized Workload
- Identified Bottlenecks
- Completed Tasks
Description
Kanban is an approach to improving workflows that is based on visualizing tasks and managing workloads. It promotes efficiency and flexibility in teams by increasing transparency and identifying bottlenecks.
✔Benefits
- Increased Transparency
- Improved Efficiency
- Faster Response Times
✖Limitations
- Not suitable for all team sizes
- Can lead to overload if not managed properly
- Requires discipline and commitment
Trade-offs
Metrics
- Lead Time
The time taken to complete a task from start to finish.
- WIP (Work in Progress)
The number of tasks currently in progress.
- Team Productivity
The amount of work a team completes in a given time period.
Examples & implementations
Kanban in Software Development
A software development team uses Kanban to visualize the progress of features and bugs.
Kanban in Manufacturing
A manufacturing company implements Kanban to control material flow and avoid bottlenecks.
Kanban in Marketing
A marketing team uses Kanban to plan campaigns and track progress.
Implementation steps
Train the team in Kanban principles
Set up the Kanban board
Conduct regular reviews and adjustments
⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks
Technical debt
- Insufficient documentation of processes
- Lack of clear responsibilities
- Technical debt due to insufficient implementation
Known bottlenecks
Misuse examples
- Ignoring bottlenecks and issues
- Too many tasks in progress at the same time
- Lack of regular reviews
Typical traps
- Assuming Kanban works without adjustments
- Believing that only the board is important
- Underestimating the need for training
Required skills
Architectural drivers
Constraints
- • Must be accepted throughout the organization
- • Requires regular reviews
- • Requires a clear definition of tasks