kanban

Kanban

Visualize work. Limit WIP. Improve flow.

Goal

Improve lead time, cycle time, throughput, and focus.

Rules

• Start from current workflow.
• Make all work visible.
• Limit WIP per active stage.
• Pull work only when capacity exists.
• Write movement rules.
• Review blocked items daily.
• Improve with data.

Metrics

• Lead time: request to delivery.
• Cycle time: started to done.
• Throughput: completed items per period.
• WIP: items in progress.

Lead Time = WIP / Throughput

Flow

1. Map current stages.
2. Add board with those stages.
3. Define entry and exit rules.
4. Set WIP limits.
5. Track blocked work.
6. Measure flow.
7. Fix one bottleneck.
8. Revisit policies.

WIP Limits

Start simple:

• Doing: team size minus 1
• Review / Test: available reviewers or testers

Resources

• Kanban - David J. Anderson
• Making Work Visible - Dominica DeGrandis

Output

## Kanban Setup

Team: [name]
Workflow:
- [stage]: WIP [limit], entry [rule], exit [rule]

Metrics:
- Lead time: [value]
- Cycle time: [value]
- Throughput: [value]
- WIP: [value]

Bottleneck:
- Stage: [stage]
- Evidence: [queue / delay / blocked work]
- Cause: [reason]

Improvement:
- Change: [policy or process change]
- Measure: [metric]
- Review date: [date]