kanban

Kanban is a method for managing knowledge work with an emphasis on visualizing work, limiting work in progress, and smoothing flow. Originating from Toyota's manufacturing system in the 1940s as a signaling system for Just-In-Time production, the term kanban (Japanese for signboard or card) reflects the use of cards to trigger replenishment. In the modern software and knowledge-work context, the Kanban Method was popularized in the early 2000s by David J. Anderson, and has since become a widely used framework for visualizing and improving work delivery.

The core practices of Kanban include visualizing work on a board, limiting WIP at each stage, managing flow, making process policies explicit, and building feedback loops for continuous improvement. Work items are represented as cards that move across columns representing stages of the workflow. The approach emphasizes evolutionary change rather than large, upfront reorganizations.

A pull-based system governs work: new items are pulled into the next stage only when capacity is available, preventing overloading and enabling smoother throughput. Boards can be physical or digital and are used to track status, bottlenecks, and cycle times.

Common metrics include lead time, cycle time, and throughput, as well as visual analyses such as cumulative flow diagrams and control charts to understand and improve flow. Kanban does not prescribe fixed iterations; it supports continuous delivery and flexible planning.

Applications span manufacturing, software development, IT operations, and various service teams. The method is non-prescriptive and can be combined with other agile approaches, evolving through small, incremental changes in policies and process. This makes Kanban a popular option for teams seeking to improve predictability, collaboration, and responsiveness.