Kanbantavlor

Kanbantavlor, or Kanban boards, are visual management tools used to represent work items as cards that move through a sequence of columns reflecting steps in a workflow. Each card typically includes task details, an assignee, a due date, and a status. Boards can be physical, using sticky notes on a whiteboard, or digital, implemented in software such as Trello, Jira, or Azure DevOps.

The concept originated as part of the Kanban method developed by Taiichi Ohno at Toyota in the 1950s as a way to implement Just-In-Time production. In the decades that followed, Kanban boards were adapted for knowledge work and agile software development to visualize work, limit work in progress, and improve flow.

Typical boards use columns such as Backlog, To Do, In Progress, and Done, though teams customize columns to fit their workflow. Swimlanes, color coding, and tagging can help organize tasks by team, priority, or type of work. A core practice is limiting work in progress (WIP) to reduce multitasking and expose bottlenecks, enabling a pull-based approach where new work starts only when capacity is available.

Kanban boards provide transparent status, faster feedback, and improved throughput. They are used across industries—including software development, manufacturing, marketing, and product management—and for personal task management. They support continuous improvement through regular review and adjustment of processes, often alongside metrics such as cycle time, lead time, and throughput.

Kanban is a flexible tool rather than a complete project methodology. It requires discipline to maintain WIP limits and up-to-date cards, and may be less prescriptive than other frameworks. In distributed teams, digital boards are essential; large programs may require additional planning practices.