Kanban - Visualize Work, Limit WIP, Optimize Flow
Kanban is a visual workflow management method originating from Toyota's manufacturing system. It focuses on visualizing work, limiting work-in-progress (WIP), and optimizing the flow of work through a system.
When to Use This Skill
- •Managing team workflow and task prioritization
- •Identifying and resolving bottlenecks
- •Improving delivery predictability
- •Balancing team capacity with demand
- •Implementing continuous improvement
- •Transitioning from chaotic to structured work
Core Concepts
The Kanban Board
code
+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | TO DO | DOING | REVIEW | DONE | | | (WIP:3) | (WIP:2) | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ | [Task 1] | [Task 4] | [Task 6] | [Task 8] | | [Task 2] | [Task 5] | | [Task 9] | | [Task 3] | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+
Six Core Practices
| Practice | Description |
|---|---|
| Visualize workflow | Make all work visible on the board |
| Limit WIP | Cap items in each stage |
| Manage flow | Track and optimize throughput |
| Make policies explicit | Document rules for moving work |
| Implement feedback loops | Regular reviews and retrospectives |
| Improve collaboratively | Evolve process based on data |
Key Metrics
| Metric | Definition | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Time | Request → Delivery | Customer perspective |
| Cycle Time | Work Started → Done | Team efficiency |
| Throughput | Items completed per period | Capacity planning |
| WIP | Items currently in progress | Flow health |
Little's Law
code
Lead Time = WIP / Throughput To reduce lead time: - Reduce WIP (easier) - Increase throughput (harder)
Analysis Framework
Step 1: Map Current Workflow
Identify all stages work passes through:
code
Idea → Backlog → Analysis → Development → Testing → Deploy → Done
Step 2: Set WIP Limits
Start with: WIP limit = Team size - 1
| Stage | Team Members | Initial WIP Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Dev | 4 | 3 |
| Review | 2 | 2 |
| Test | 2 | 2 |
Step 3: Identify Bottlenecks
Look for columns where work accumulates:
code
+------+------+------+------+ | Dev |Review| TEST | Done | +------+------+------+------+ | [1] | [4] | [8] | [9] | | [2] | [5] | [10] | | | [3] | [6] | | | | | [7] | | ← Bottleneck in Review +------+------+------+------+
Step 4: Optimize Flow
Actions to address bottlenecks:
- •Add capacity to bottleneck stage
- •Reduce WIP in preceding stages
- •Improve efficiency at bottleneck
- •Change policies (batch size, etc.)
Output Template
markdown
## Kanban Board Setup **Team/Project:** [Name] **Date:** [Date] ### Workflow Stages | Stage | WIP Limit | Entry Criteria | Exit Criteria | | --------- | --------- | -------------- | ------------- | | [Stage 1] | [n] | [Criteria] | [Criteria] | | [Stage 2] | [n] | [Criteria] | [Criteria] | ### Current Metrics | Metric | Current | Target | | ---------- | -------- | -------- | | Lead Time | [X days] | [Y days] | | Cycle Time | [X days] | [Y days] | | Throughput | [X/week] | [Y/week] | ### Bottleneck Analysis **Current bottleneck:** [Stage] **Root cause:** [Analysis] **Action plan:** [Steps to resolve] ### Improvement Experiments | Experiment | Hypothesis | Measure | Duration | | ---------- | ------------------ | -------- | -------- | | [Change 1] | [Expected outcome] | [Metric] | [Time] |
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Software Development Team
Before: 15 items in progress, 3-week average delivery After: 6 WIP limit, 5-day average delivery
Changes:
- •Visualized all work (including hidden tasks)
- •Set WIP limits (forced focus)
- •Daily standups at the board
- •Swarming on blocked items
Example 2: Content Marketing Team
code
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+ | Ideas | Draft | Edit | Design | Publish| | (10) | WIP:3 | WIP:2 | WIP:2 | | +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
Bottleneck discovered: Design stage Solution: Created template library, reduced design dependency
Best Practices
Do
- •Start with current process, evolve gradually
- •Make WIP limits visible and enforced
- •Track metrics consistently
- •Review board in daily standups
- •Celebrate flow improvements
Avoid
- •Treating Kanban as just a task board
- •Setting WIP limits too high (defeats purpose)
- •Ignoring blocked items
- •Skipping retrospectives
- •Comparing team throughput to others
WIP Limit Guidelines
| Situation | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Items stuck too long | Lower WIP |
| Team has idle time | Raise WIP slightly |
| Too much context switching | Lower WIP |
| Bottleneck forming | Address root cause |
Integration with Other Methods
| Method | Combined Use |
|---|---|
| Hypothesis Tree | Investigate flow problems |
| Five Whys | Find root cause of bottlenecks |
| Cognitive Load | Justify WIP limits (context switching cost) |