Kanban is a popular workflow management method for defining, managing, and improving services that deliver knowledge work. It aims to help teams work more efficiently together while embracing continuous, incremental improvement and evolutionary changes. The term originates from the Japanese word for "visual signal" or "card," reflecting its core mechanism—a physical or digital board used to visualize work at various stages of a process using cards and columns.
Kanban enables teams to achieve efficiency in their workflows by visualizing their work, limiting work in progress (WIP), and maximizing flow. This methodology can be applied to any process that involves a flow of tasks, particularly in software development, manufacturing, and service delivery. Unlike methods that mandate procedural change, Kanban starts with the current workflow state and makes incremental changes that can be absorbed and accepted by the team, reducing resistance and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Kanban is utilized in environments where work arrives unpredictably and requires a flexible approach to capacity management. It is well-suited to environments that must respond to changing priorities and where the scope of work is continuously adjusted. This includes areas like R&D, software development, and high-level strategic planning. Teams across various industries adopt Kanban not only to improve visibility and control over their processes but also to enhance flexibility in handling new or changing tasks without the stress of traditional task management approaches.
Kanban stands out as a method that fosters a culture of continuous, incremental improvement without overwhelming the team. Through its visual nature and emphasis on flow and quality, Kanban provides teams the tools they need to manage their work processes more efficiently and with greater agility. By focusing on limiting work in progress and enhancing flow, teams are better positioned to respond to challenges and can improve their productivity and throughput significantly. As such, Kanban is a valuable approach in the agile toolkit, applicable widely from individual tasks to large-scale project management in any field that benefits from clear visualization and managed workflow.