Kanban

What is Kanban?

The Kanban methodology was created by Toyota in the 1940s when the company began optimizing its engineering processes based on the model that supermarkets use to stock their shelves. Known as the “just in time” manufacturing process, the idea is that there is just enough product in stock to meet customer demands, optimizing the flow between the supermarket and the customer.

Toyota applied this process to the factory floor by using colorful cards (or “kanban”) to communicate inventory levels in real-time. Workers would pass the cards between teams when more material was needed, streamlining the process and making it more efficient overall.

This methodology is still popular today because its core principles are applicable to almost any industry. Whether you are developing software or a physical product, Kanban requires real-time communication and full transparency of work, which means that all team members can see the state of every piece of work at any time.

Why use this process?

• Planning flexibility
  A team using Kanban is focused only on the tasks that are actively being worked on. That means that the backlog of work can be reorganized and reprioritized at any time without impacting the process of any members of your team.

• Shortened cycle times
  Kanban allows teams to optimize cycle times — the time it takes for work to travel through the workflow — which means that you can forecast delivery of future projects more accurately.

• Limits work-in-progress
  Employees that end up multitasking can cause bottlenecks in your team’s process, killing efficiency. Kanban limits work-in-progress and highlights any areas of weakness — it helps team members focus on accomplishing a single task before moving on to the next, optimizing efficiency.

• Continuous delivery to customers
  Using Kanban allows high-quality products to be released continuously — even hourly depending on the product. This optimization is key to staying competitive in the constantly innovating modern marketplace.

How do I get started with this template?

The Kanban methodology revolves around a Kanban board that is used to visualize the workflow, standardize the process, and quickly identify and remove any blocks to optimization.

Each vertical row is labeled with a step in your team’s process — backlog, to do, plan, etc. Kanban cards, or virtual sticky notes, are then placed in the column that indicates the status of the work. Once you have customized the sticky notes to reflect your team’s process, then you will be able to garner multiple details from just a glance at your Kanban Storm.

This full transparency ensures that everyone on your team knows all the details of every task that is being worked on at any time.