Kanban

Kanban is a visual workflow management method that originated in the Toyota Production System and has since been adapted for knowledge work and IT. It focuses on visualizing work, limiting work in progress (WIP limits), and creating a pull system where work is started only when capacity is available. Key principles include explicit process policies, measuring lead and cycle times, and continuously improving the process based on feedback and data.

A software development team uses a Kanban board with columns such as 'Backlog', 'Ready', 'In Progress', 'Code Review' and 'Done'. They set WIP limits on the 'In Progress' column so the team doesn't start more tasks than it can finish, and they maintain an expedite lane for critical hotfixes. During short daily stand-ups they surface blockers and, using cycle-time metrics, identify bottlenecks to continuously tweak policies and improve flow.