About Kanban
Kanban is not a product development methodology that guides the product development cycle. Nor is it a project management approach that guides the project management effort. Instead, Kanban is a methodology that allows you to improve processes gradually, reducing the delivery cycle’s duration and improving workflows. The biggest advantage of this method is that it is applicable to any process or methodology. If you already use Agile methods, such as Scrum, or more traditional methods, you can apply them to improve your processes gradually.
In Japanese, Kanban literally means “visual signal”. It was originally developed in the industry and later expanded to multiple sectors such as software development.
As a workflow management method, it allows you to view and manage the process (workflow) and work performed by that process on a wide variety of production systems. The goal is to identify and eliminate bottlenecks, avoid interruptions, and minimize excessive stock so that work can flow faster and more economically. Ideally, Kanban continuously monitors the entire value chain process from supplier to end consumer.
The Kanban board is the most visible side of the method. A simple kanban board can start with three columns – ‘Requested’, ‘In Progress’, and ‘Completed’. The board serves as a real-time repository of information, highlighting system bottlenecks that may compromise work practices.
Lean / Agile Software / Products Development
The software development and technology product sectors have adopted Kanban as a way to implement the Lean and Agile principles. The method provides teams with a broad set of principles for visualizing their work, continuously delivering products and services, obtaining customer feedback more often, and therefore reaching the market faster, with better products and services.
The definition of Kanban in the IT sector has evolved in recent years. The method provides agility in the management and improvement of services in a gradual and evolutionary manner. It allows better management of Service Level Agreements, delivering products to the market on time and minimizing the risk and costs of delay.
Kanban and business agility
Kanban supports all Agile Manifesto principles and helps to provide the products and services the market needs. With scrum or other agile methodologies, it helps to gradually improve product and service delivery. It is also important to eliminate bottlenecks, improve flows and improve delivery. It also helps companies to deliver products continuously, obtain rapid feedback and make the necessary adjustments.
Kanban beyond software and IT
It can be easily applied to non-IT processes (e.g., HR, marketing, sales, purchasing,) across a wide range of organizations (e.g., recruitment, advertising agencies, and insurance companies) to streamline operations by eliminating waste and improving dramatically productivity and quality.