The tasks recorded on Kanban cards should be small enough that they don’t take weeks to complete. However, the board should not be overloaded with tasks. Common categories for Kanban cards include sections for ideas, which can then be moved into a column for selected ideas or a column for discarded ideas. From there, tasks can be categorized as “in progress” or moved to the “done” category once they are advanced enough to move on to the next step.
Kanban – method and phases
The focus of the Kanban method is its phases. When creating a Kanban board, these should be chosen so that the steps required to complete each task do not become too complicated. While each organization is free to choose its own categories, most Kanban boards include the following levels:
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Waiting: This column typically contains the task backlog, i.e. the tasks that are waiting for free time to become available – once this happens, the task can be moved to a column for specific tasks for the day or to the “In Progress” column.
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In progress: This column contains all tasks that are currently being worked on. As soon as a new task is processed, it is moved to this column until it is completed.
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Completed: Once a task is completed, it moves to a final column.
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Blocked: If a task cannot be completed or work on it needs to be paused for any reason, it will be moved to this category until it can be resumed.
Each category or column of the Kanban board should have its own guidelines or “done rules”: requirements that must be met before an item is moved to another column. These rules ensure that the board remains structured and everyone involved knows what to do and when.
Kanban – principles
Toyota established six essential principles or rules for Kanban, which the company still follows today. They are intended to help create the right mindset for successful product management:
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Never pass on defective products: Detecting deficiencies or defects as early as possible is essential for waste management. By withdrawing a product before it goes further through the development process, you ensure that any defects found can be remedied quickly and at minimal cost.
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Only what is needed: To avoid waste, it is important to only produce the quantity needed. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the requirements before development begins.
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Demand-based production: To avoid waste, only provide the products, services, or resources necessary for the next step. If you produce more, this will unnecessarily reduce your inventory – if you produce too little, costly process delays can occur.
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Keeping balance: A main goal of Kanban is to produce the quantity of goods corresponding to customer demand at a constant and predictable rhythm. Through consistent production, customer demand can be consistently met without causing overproduction or waste.
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Fine-tuning production: Process improvement is never complete, so you should continually evaluate how processes can be fine-tuned to reduce waste, increase production speed, and ensure consistency. You should always look for opportunities to streamline processes.
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Stabilize and rationalize: Once you have established the most efficient process possible, it is essential to document the standards and ensure that the process remains stable and predictable in practice.
Kanban vs. Scrum
As strategies for improving workflows, Kanban and Scrum have similarities – both are based on “pull” systems that focus on completing backlog tasks as quickly as possible. However, once the tasks are “pulled” from the backlog, Kanban and Scrum differ significantly.
Scrum focuses on “sprints”. These begin with a planning session to decide which tasks will be prioritized for the next two weeks. The development and product teams must only focus on the tasks identified in the planning meeting for this two-week sprint. At the end, the sprint is reviewed to determine what worked and what needs to be changed. Then the process begins again – with requirements or tasks set in the last planning session.
