Kanban: Change the Processes in Evolutionary Way

When Toyota was just entering the market, its managers thought about how to optimize the process so that the product stagnates in warehouses less and the development process goes faster. This is how the philosophy of lean production appeared (I talked about it in my previous article). And from there came the method of the classic Kanban. With its help, Japanese companies tried to increase the transparency of processes, the involvement of employees and their motivation, thus organizing the process of continuous improvement. This approach is popular to this day. Want to know how it can help your company? Dive into my article!

1. What is Kanban?

Kanban is a software development practice that has gained popularity in recent years. The word Kanban is of Japanese origin and it means “card you can see”. As the name suggests, Kanban is a tool that helps software developers visualize their workflow and identify potential bottlenecks. It is also a relatively simple, flexible and scalable process that can be easily adapted to the changing needs of a project.

Kanban is a project management method that helps to reduce waste, track progress and deliver better products. It does this by breaking down large projects into manageable tasks that can be completed within a set timeframe.

The main thing in Kanban is the visualization of the process, the Kanban board. It displays steps, statuses, corridors and tasks.

Some consider Kanban to be a simplified version of Scrum without Sprints. But this is not true. Kanban, unlike Scrum, doesn’t provide any fixed way to organize a process. It starts based on an existing process and set of roles, visualizes the value stream, and then starts evolutionary changes to increase the flow and eliminate redundant work.

Kanban is a convenient method with tools that has many advantages, such as flexible planning, high team engagement, shorter iteration times, quick problem identification, and visibility. However, when planning to implement Kanban, remember that it is designed for teams of up to 10 people and is not intended for long-term planning.

2. What is a Kanban board?

The Kanban Board is a useful tool for tracking your current state of work and improving team performance. This visual tool helps you optimize your business processes and improve team performance.

The board is a visual representation of the entire product creation cycle, divided into columns that show the chronological order of steps in the process. Tasks are indicated by cards, which move from left to right as they are completed.

David Anderson, founder of Lean Kanban University and the David J Anderson School of Management, identifies five components of Kanban boards: visible signals, columns, work in progress limits, commitment point, and delivery point.

Visible signals. The first thing you notice on the Kanban board are the cards. They hold information on all the work tasks. Each card is representative of one user story. With the cards, it's easy to see what the team is working on.

Columns. They symbolize specific actions that make up the "workflow". Cards progress through the workflow until they reach the completion stage. Simple columns like "To Do", "In Progress", and "Completed" can be used, but more complex ones are also possible.

Work in Progress (WIP) limits. The WIP limit is the maximum number of tasks that can be in progress at the same time. WIP limits help you understand if a team has taken on too many tasks.

Commitment point. Kanban teams typically have a backlog of project ideas on their board which clients and team members can contribute to. When the team is ready to commit to a project, they will choose an idea from the backlog and begin work on it.

Delivery point. The Kanban team's workflow culminates in the product delivery point. The objective of the team is to expeditiously move the cards from the point of commitment to the point of product delivery.

There are both physical and electronic Kanban Boards. Electronic boards are more accessible to remote employees since they can participate in the workflow at any time.

3. What are the Principles of Kanban?

The six fundamental principles of Kanban can be divided into two groups: change management principles and service delivery principles. Each group contains three principles that are essential to the success of Kanban.

Kanban's three principles of change management take into account the fact that organizations are networks of individuals who are psychologically and socially connected and resistant to change.

1. Get a clear understanding of the current process and practices; follow current roles, responsibilities and job descriptions.?

2. Agree that improvements will be made through evolutionary changes.?

3. Encourage leadership at all levels.

Kanban's three service delivery principles support the fact that every organization is an ecosystem of interdependent services. These principles are:

1. Determine what the customer wants and tailor your approach to them.?

2. Focus on the work, not the people; let them organize themselves around it.

3. Develop rules to improve business performance and increase user satisfaction.

4. What are the main Kanban practices?

There are six core practices that define the basic activities of those involved in the management of Kanban systems:

1. Visualize

2. Limit the amount of work in progress

3. Control the flow

4. Make the rules of work explicit

5. Implement feedback loops

6. Improve together, evolve through experimentation

Conclusion:?

Software development is a highly iterative process that requires constant feedback and changes to the product. This is often a difficult process for software developers and can cause delays in the development process. Kanban is a software development method that enables development teams to work more efficiently by eliminating waste and buffering pressure. By using Kanban, developers can better prioritize tasks, communicate with other teams, and manage a project’s progress. Kanban is a simple method that can be applied to a variety of software development processes. It is a method that is easy to understand and is often used by companies with growing teams.