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A visual workflow method emphasizing pull-based work and limiting work in progress.
DESCRIPTION
Kanban is a lean method to visualize work, limit WIP, and optimize flow. Teams pull tasks through stages based on capacity, improving cycle time and throughput. Kanban fits continuous delivery environments and operational work. It complements Scrum and can evolve from simple boards to advanced flow metrics and policies.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
Atlassian
Kanban is a visual method for managing work as it moves through a process.
Emphasizes visualization of work-in-process across stages.
Agile Alliance
Kanban is a method for managing and improving work across human systems.
Highlights systems thinking and continuous improvement.
RELATED TERMS
Lean WIP Limits Flow Efficiency Cycle Time Throughput Agile Pull System Continuous Delivery Value Stream
COMPETING TERMS
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
Software Engineering Collaboration
TARGET AUDIENCE
Software Developer DevOps Engineer IT Project Manager Scrum Master Product Owner Analytics Engineer Data Engineer
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - Kanban (development)
- Atlassian - Comprehensive Kanban guide
- Kanban University - Kanban method principles
TOP QUESTIONS
How does Kanban improve delivery for data teams?
Kanban visualizes pipeline tasks, limits WIP, and reduces context switching, aligning capacity with demand for datasets, models, and deployments.
Category: Relevancy
What are core Kanban practices?
Visualize work, limit WIP, manage flow, make policies explicit, implement feedback loops, and improve collaboratively and experimentally.
Category: Definition
How do WIP limits help in Kanban?
They prevent overload and encourage completion before starting new work, improving flow stability and cycle time.
Category: Requirements
What metrics are used in Kanban?
Cycle time, throughput, WIP, lead time, and flow efficiency are typical metrics for optimizing delivery.
Category: Management
Kanban vs Scrum: which should I choose?
Choose Kanban for continuous work and variable priorities; Scrum fits time-boxed sprints with stable scope and ceremonies.
Category: Alternatives
What are common Kanban mistakes?
Ignoring WIP limits, skipping explicit policies, and treating boards as static to-do lists undermine flow improvements.
Category: Mistakes
How do you start with Kanban?
Map your workflow, set initial WIP limits, define policies, and review flow regularly with data-driven adjustments.
Category: Learning
What is currently a hot topic around Kanban?
Flow metrics dashboards, probabilistic forecasting, and Kanban for DevOps incident response are actively discussed.
Category: Topic
How does Kanban relate to Lean?
Kanban operationalizes lean principles like limiting waste, optimizing value flow, and continuous improvement.
Category: Definition