Kanban Board
A Kanban Board is a visual management tool that displays work items as cards moving through columns representing stages of the workflow, making the current state of work transparent to everyone.
Explanation
A Kanban board typically has columns such as To Do, In Progress, and Done, though teams customize columns to match their actual workflow (e.g., Analysis, Development, Code Review, Testing, Done). Each work item is represented by a card that moves from left to right as it progresses through the workflow.
The board provides real-time visibility into what is being worked on, who is working on it, and where bottlenecks exist. When combined with WIP limits, the board prevents teams from starting too many items at once, which improves flow and reduces context switching.
Kanban boards can be physical (sticky notes on a whiteboard) or digital (tools like Jira, Trello, or Azure DevOps). Physical boards offer tactile interaction and high visibility for co-located teams, while digital boards support distributed teams and provide metrics tracking.
Key Points
- •Columns represent workflow stages; cards represent work items
- •Provides real-time transparency into work status and bottlenecks
- •WIP limits on columns prevent overloading any workflow stage
- •Can be physical or digital depending on team needs
Exam Tip
The Kanban board is primarily a transparency tool. Its value comes from visualizing the workflow and making bottlenecks immediately visible to the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Kanban
Kanban is a lean method for managing and improving work across systems that emphasizes visualizing the workflow, limiting work in progress, managing flow, and making process policies explicit.
Work in Progress (WIP) Limits
Work in Progress (WIP) Limits are constraints placed on the number of work items allowed in each stage of a workflow at any given time, designed to improve flow and reduce multitasking.
Information Radiators
Information Radiators are highly visible displays of project information placed in prominent locations where the team and stakeholders can easily see them, promoting transparency and communication without requiring active effort.
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