Complete Guide to Kanban Methodology

1. Introduction to Kanban

Definition: Kanban is a visual workflow management method that helps organizations visualize their work, limit work in progress, and maximize efficiency (or flow). It originated from the Toyota Production System and has been widely adopted in software development and other industries.

2. Core Principles of Kanban

The Six Core Principles:

Visualize the workflow
Limit Work in Progress (WIP)
Manage flow
Make process policies explicit
Implement feedback loops
Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally

3. Kanban Board Components

Basic Board Structure

To Do	In Progress	Review	Done
Task Card 1 Task Card 2	Task Card 3 (WIP Limit: 3)	Task Card 4 (WIP Limit: 2)	Task Card 5 Task Card 6

Card Elements

Title/Description
Assignee
Priority
Due Date
Type of Work
Blockers/Dependencies

4. Kanban Metrics

Essential Metrics:

Lead Time: Total time from task creation to completion
Cycle Time: Time from starting work to completion
Throughput: Number of items completed per time period
Work in Progress (WIP): Number of items currently being worked on
Blocked Time: Time items spend blocked or waiting
Flow Efficiency: Ratio of active time to total lead time

Calculating Metrics

Lead Time Example:
Task Created: Monday 9:00 AM
Task Completed: Thursday 3:00 PM
Lead Time = 3.5 days

Cycle Time Example:
Work Started: Tuesday 2:00 PM
Work Completed: Thursday 3:00 PM
Cycle Time = 2 days

5. Kanban Practices

Daily Practices

Standup Meetings: Brief daily team sync
Board Updates: Regular card movements
WIP Limit Monitoring: Ensure limits aren't exceeded
Blocked Item Management: Address impediments

Regular Reviews

Service Delivery Review: Assess and improve service delivery
Risk Review: Identify and address risks
Operations Review: Evaluate system-level issues
Strategy Review: Align work with organizational goals

6. Implementing Kanban

Implementation Steps:

Map the current workflow
Define work item types
Set up the Kanban board
Establish WIP limits
Make process policies explicit
Implement feedback loops
Start measuring and improve

7. Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Responsibilities
Service Delivery Manager	Improve service delivery Monitor flow metrics Facilitate meetings
Service Request Manager	Manage incoming work Prioritize requests Interface with customers
Team Members	Pull work according to capacity Update board status Participate in improvement

8. Kanban vs Other Methods

Feature	Kanban	Scrum
Iterations	Continuous flow	Fixed-length sprints
Release methodology	Continuous delivery	Sprint-based
Roles	Flexible, existing roles	Prescribed roles
Changes	Can happen anytime	Not during sprint

9. Study Tips for Students

Key Areas to Master:

Core principles and practices
Metrics and their calculations
Board design and components
Implementation steps
Continuous improvement concepts

Practice Exercises:

Design a Kanban board for a specific scenario
Calculate lead time and cycle time from given data
Analyze flow problems and suggest improvements
Create policies for different work types
Practice WIP limit calculations

10. Common Pitfalls and Solutions

Too many WIP items: Strictly enforce WIP limits
Unclear policies: Document and display process policies
Poor flow: Identify and remove bottlenecks
Inconsistent updates: Make board updates part of daily routine
Resistance to change: Implement changes gradually