What is Kanbab board? How to use Kanban board for PMP?Kanban Board Explained
A Kanban board is a visual project management tool that helps optimize the flow of work among a team. It originated from the Japanese automotive industry, particularly Toyota, as a scheduling system for lean and just-in-time production. Kanban, which translates to "billboard" or "sign" in English, is designed to help teams work more efficiently together.
A typical Kanban board is divided into several columns, each representing a different stage of the work process. The most basic board consists of three columns: To Do, In Progress, and Done. Some teams may choose to include additional stages, such as "Backlog", "Review", or "Testing", depending on the specifics of their workflow.
Each task or piece of work is represented as a card (or Kanban) that moves from one column to the next as it progresses through the process. These cards often include important information about the task, like who's responsible for it, a description of the work, and the deadline.
The Kanban board provides a clear visualization of work status and progress, helping teams identify bottlenecks or delays in the process. It also promotes transparency and communication among team members.
Kanban has been adopted in a variety of fields outside manufacturing, like software development, and there are also many digital versions of Kanban boards available today for remote or distributed teams
While Kanban is a flexible system and can be adjusted to suit the specific needs of different teams and projects, there are some foundational principles and rules that guide its use. Here are five of them:
Visualize the Workflow: This is the fundamental rule of Kanban, and it's done through the creation of a Kanban board. Each column on the board represents a stage in the workflow, and cards or tickets are moved from left to right as work progresses.
Limit Work-in-Progress (WIP): One of the main reasons for using Kanban is to avoid overloading team members with too many tasks at once. Each column on the board should have a WIP limit, which is the maximum number of tasks that can be in that stage at any one time. If a column is at its WIP limit, no new tasks can be added until one is moved to the next stage.
Manage Flow: This refers to the movement of tasks through the workflow. The goal is to have a steady, continuous flow with as few bottlenecks or delays as possible. This can be managed by adjusting WIP limits, reorganizing stages in the workflow, or reallocating resources as necessary.
Make Process Policies Explicit: Every team member should understand how the Kanban system works and what is expected of them. This includes understanding the workflow stages, WIP limits, and any other rules or guidelines related to task prioritization, how and when to move tasks, etc.
Improve Collaboratively, Evolve Experimentally (Using Models and the Scientific Method): Kanban is not a set-and-forget tool. Teams should regularly review the board and their workflow, look for ways to improve, and then test those improvements. This is often done in the form of retrospectives or review meetings, and changes are made based on feedback and consensus from the team.
These rules encourage productivity, efficiency, and continuous improvement while minimizing waste and overwork. They provide a framework for teams to customize and scale their Kanban system according to their specific needs and workflows.
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what is lead time and cycle time in kanban baord
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In the context of a Kanban board, Lead Time and Cycle Time are two important metrics that help teams understand their workflow and identify areas for improvement.
Lead Time: This is the total time from the moment a new task is added to the backlog (or the "To Do" column) until the task is completed and moves to the "Done" column. It includes the waiting time before the work actually begins on the task. In other words, it's the customer's perspective of how long it takes for their request to be fulfilled.
Cycle Time: This is the time it takes for a task to move from "In Progress" (or the equivalent column) to "Done". It only counts the time where actual work is being done on the task, excluding any waiting time. It is more about the team's performance in delivering the work.
In an ideal scenario, both Lead Time and Cycle Time would be as short as possible, indicating a highly efficient workflow. However, it's normal for Lead Time to be longer than Cycle Time due to waiting periods or backlog of work.
Understanding these metrics can help teams see where delays are occurring. For instance, if the Lead Time is much longer than the Cycle Time, it could indicate that tasks are spending too long in the backlog or waiting to be moved to the "In Progress" stage. On the other hand, a long Cycle Time could indicate bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the work process itself.
What is Kanbab board? How to use Kanban board for PMP?Kanban Board Explained
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