What are the essential tools for a successful Kanban career?

1 Kanban board

A Kanban board is the core tool of the Kanban system. It is a visual representation of the workflow, the work items, and the status of each item. A Kanban board can be physical or digital, depending on your preference and context. The board is divided into columns that represent the stages of the workflow, such as To Do, In Progress, and Done. Each work item is represented by a card that moves across the board as it progresses. A Kanban board helps you see the big picture, identify bottlenecks, and prioritize work.

2 Work in progress limits

Work in progress (WIP) limits are another key tool of the Kanban system. They are the maximum number of work items that can be in each stage of the workflow at any given time. WIP limits help you control the flow of work, avoid multitasking, and reduce waste. By limiting WIP, you can focus on finishing what you start, deliver value faster, and improve quality. WIP limits also help you expose and resolve issues that hinder your workflow, such as dependencies, blockers, and defects.

3 Metrics and analytics

Metrics and analytics are tools that help you measure and improve your Kanban performance. They provide you with data and insights on how your workflow is functioning, how your team is collaborating, and how your customers are satisfied. Some of the common metrics and analytics tools for Kanban are cycle time, throughput, lead time, flow efficiency, cumulative flow diagram, and customer feedback. These tools help you monitor and optimize your process, identify and eliminate waste, and align your work with customer value.

4 Policies and agreements

Policies and agreements are tools that help you define and communicate the rules and expectations of your Kanban system. They are the guidelines that govern how your team works together, how your work items are created and managed, and how your workflow is designed and updated. Policies and agreements can be explicit or implicit, formal or informal, depending on your team culture and context. Some examples of policies and agreements for Kanban are definition of ready, definition of done, pull policy, quality criteria, and feedback loops. These tools help you create a shared understanding, foster collaboration, and ensure consistency.

5 Kanban roles

Kanban roles are tools that help you assign and clarify the responsibilities and accountabilities of your team members. They are the roles that enable your team to function effectively and efficiently within the Kanban system. Kanban roles can vary depending on your team size, structure, and context, but some of the common ones are service requestor, service delivery manager, service provider, and service validator. These roles help you coordinate and communicate with your stakeholders, manage and optimize your workflow, deliver and validate your work, and improve continuously.

6 Kanban practices

Kanban practices are tools that help you implement and sustain the Kanban system. They are the practices that support the principles and values of Kanban, such as transparency, collaboration, feedback, and evolution. Kanban practices can be adapted and customized to your team needs and context, but some of the common ones are visualizing work, limiting work in progress, managing flow, making policies explicit, implementing feedback loops, and improving collaboratively and

evolutionarily. These practices help you create a culture of continuous improvement, customer focus, and team empowerment.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?