What is Kanban – Kanban in simple terms?

What is Kanban?

Kanban is one of the popular frameworks to implement agile software development methodology. The real time communication and full transparency needed for working with Kanban.

“Visual Representation of work items is called Kanban”

Kanban board:

The Kanban board uses cards and columns to help the team member to complete the task within the time. Kanban represented as a visual signal in Japanese language. The visual representation of all the work in the Kanban board let the entire member to feel like in a same page of work. And indeed transparency will be there for sure.

Kanban introduction:

Thinking about the history of the Kanban technology, it has founded 50years before itself. In the late 1940s Toyota has adopted this technology on their factory floor.  The goal was to provide better align their huge inventory levels with the original consumption of materials.

Principles of Kanban:

1. Workflow – visualize what you do?
2. WIP (Work in progress) – Limit the time.
3. Improve the work flow.

Components of Kanban board:

1. Visual signals – used to understand what the team is doing. Each member writes the user story.
2. Columns – Each of the columns represent a unique activity. Together the columns for a work flow. They are simple like To Do, In Progress and Complete.
3. Work in Progress Limits – There is a limit to place number of cards in each column. It exposes the bottleneck in the workflow and helps in moving forward the workflow.
4. Commitment point – The point where the customers and developers put idea together and pick the idea to produce the solution.
5. Delivery point – The end of the workflow. Usually represented as the point when the product is in the customer hand.

Types of Kanban board

1. Physical boards:

The simplest form of Kanban is a physical board where the board is divided into rows and columns. Team members used to place sticky notes with work progress in each column. Once the task finished the sticky notes keep moving up in the column to represent the work flow.

Advantages of physical Kanban board:

• It is always on.
• Better way to communicate with other teams.
• Simple to setup and simple to show others.
• Improves communication between the team members.
• Understanding the whole work flow.

2. Digital boards:

The digital transformation of Kanban boards called digital boards. This is useful for people from the same team but sharing different office space to work asynchronously. Trello is one the best way to build a digital Kanban board.

Advantages of digital Kanban board:

• Whole team can easily access and manage tasks.
• Quick setup and easy sharing.
• Asynchronous tracking of comments.
• Simple, robust and customizable.
• Status Up-To-Date Anytime.

How to get started with Kanban boards?

1. It is a team process so gather your team.
2. Break your work into activities in a workflow.
3. Decide the time to finish each activity called card.
4. Rely on your team to improve the process.
5. Respect of people and continuous improvement is promised with Kanban.

Workflow of Kanban:

The workflow of Kanban explained through feedback loop system.

1. Strategy review – Choosing the services to start with and the context for the services.
2. Operations Review – The monthly meeting to understand the services about people to improve delivery quality.
3. Risk Review – Monthly review to understand and respond to delivery risks.
4. Service Delivery Review – test and improve the effectiveness of the service in the future with respect to the previous one.
5. Replenishment Review – choosing the item to work on and related planning on item.
6. Kanban meeting – daily standup meeting.
7. Delivery meeting – Checking the product delivery for customers.

Advantages of Kanban:

• Flexibility in planning
• Short time cycles with continuous delivery.
• Limits bottlenecks
• Improves the efficiency of the output.
• Continuous improvement in team efficiency.