Kanban is not (just) a board

Nothing primes us more to think of a task board, than the mention of Kanban.

We can instantly picture the flow of tasks through different stages, such as ‘to do’, ‘in progress’ and ‘done’, be it in Jira, Kanban Tool, Trello or any other tool. But while the visual board is the most recognizable aspect of Kanban, it is so much more than just a board.

At its core, Kanban is about visualizing the work that needs to be done, limiting the amount of work in progress, and optimizing the flow of work.

The board is simply a tool that helps to visualize the work and facilitates communication and collaboration between team members. However, the methodology goes far beyond just a board.

Alongside Scrum, Kanban has been gathering currency for decades, especially in the software developing environments.

The Kanban software development community can be traced back to the Agile 2007 conference in Washington DC. During this event, the name that emerged as an identity for this group was “kanban”.

In Japanese, the word “kan” means “signal”, and “ban” means “card” or “board”. Kanban (看板 in Japanese) was formulated by David J. Anderson as an approach to incremental, evolutionary organizational process and systems change.

The Four Principles of Kanban

1.Start with the existing process

Kanban starts with existing roles and processes; it prescribes no new sets of roles or process steps. This method stimulates continuous, incremental, and evolutionary system changes. The Kanban method is a change-management method, and it collaboratively maps a process.

2. Agree to pursue incremental, evolutionary change

Continuous, incremental, and evolutionary change is the only way to make system improvements

3. Respect current processes, roles, responsibilities, and titles

Resistance and fear in the organization may lead to a higher failure rate

4. Leadership at all levels

Encourage acts of leadership at all levels of your organization, from individual contributors to senior managers. One aspect that is particular to Kanban, as opposed to Scrum, is that this is an iterationless process, but it still enables incremental changes.

Key Concepts of Kanban

One of the key concepts of Kanban is the focus on continuous improvement. This means that the process is not set in stone and should be adjusted as needed to optimize performance. Regular reviews and retrospectives are carried out to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to the process. This ensures that the team is always working at their best and delivering the highest possible quality of work.

Another key aspect of Kanban is the concept of pull-based workflow. This means that work is only started when capacity is available, rather than being pushed onto team members when they may already be overloaded. This results in a smoother flow of work and reduces the likelihood of burnout and discouragement among team members.

Kanban also emphasizes the importance of transparent communication. The board serves as a central hub for information about the project, and team members are encouraged to openly communicate updates and feedback. This fosters a culture of collaboration that helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working toward a common goal.

In summary, while the visual board is a key aspect of Kanban, it is only one small piece of the puzzle. Kanban is a methodology that focuses on continuous improvement, pull-based workflow, and transparent communication. By implementing these concepts, teams can greatly increase their efficiency and productivity, and deliver higher quality work.