Kanban Workflow: Get Started in 5 Easy Steps

You can probably picture what a Kanban workflow looks like if you have ever heard the phrase. The work that has to be done or is being done or needs to be finished is denoted by labels on Kanban boards. Although the Japanese automobile sector was the inspiration for the Kanban technique, originally utilized for inventory and supply chain management, it is now also applicable to agile project management. One method used by those who follow agile methodology is, no doubt Kanban. 

Kanban was developed in Japan as a technique to manage stocks and production lines to work on the just-in-time approach, where a resource is only made available when needed. In Kanban workflows, tasks are represented by cards that go through tables of activities in a precise order. This makes it simple to understand where each job is in the process, who is handling it, and other information related to its execution. 

Kanban Workflow: An Overview  

A Kanban process outlines clear regulations and guidelines that the Kanban team adheres to. Its major goal is to depict how work is done as it is being done at various stages of the development and delivery cycle. It is critical to realize that Kanban team cannot be forced to follow a certain workflow established by their corporate stakeholders. However, the Kanban board workflow is in which teams should be mindful of the demands placed on them by the business units in the upstream and downstream work centers to contribute to their businesses bottom lines. 

As a result, regular cooperation between Kanban delivery teams and their linked counterparts at neighboring work centers is necessary to establish and enhance a Kanban workflow. Using a Kanban board, the Kanban Framework manages, organizes, and manages the Kanban workflow. The work in progress (WIP) caps for the development and delivery processes, providing quick feedback loops. These feedback loops make it possible for a Kanban team to keep track of, respond to, and follow up on problems with its Kanban process. 

Using a Kanban Board and Cards  

The main tool for a Kanban approach is a Kanban board. Your department may log tasks and see progress using a real board, like a whiteboard or a virtual board. Kanban cards, which may be as easy as sticky notes that can be moved or virtual cards that can be dragged and dropped into different columns on your Kanban board, are used to measure progress. 

On the Kanban board, a column stands for each stage. For instance, the first column can have a "backlog" of work that needs to be completed, while the second column might be labeled "today" or "this week," from which you can select chores to concentrate on right away. 

The tasks listed on Kanban cards should be broken down into manageable chunks so that they don't take weeks to finish but not so much that the board fills up with cards. Ideas can be moved into a column for chosen ideas or discarded ideas in the common Kanban board categories. Then, when a work is finished sufficiently to go to the next stage, it can be classified as "ready" or transferred to the "in progress" category. 

Steps to Create Kanban Workflow  

How do you choose your process lists to build up your Kanban framework? Here are the detailed instructions. 

1. Select Continuous Flows that Entail Organized Cooperation Activities  

The first factor is the requirement for a collaborative workflow, which means that several individuals or teams are engaged, and urgent communication is required. A Kanban workflow cannot be used when there is no obvious flow of tasks and organized activity. A Kanban style workflow process, for instance, is not suitable for tasks that demand quick decisions based on rapid situation changes, such as surgery, or that demand creative effort and a great deal of subjectivity, like the director of a movie for the big screen. 

2. Clearly Outline Each Procedure Phase  

Do the following before establishing the task lists: Process mapping can help you define when a card will go from one list to another, so be sure to comprehend each of your processes, particularly when duties truly change hands. Therefore, it might be quite helpful to specify who the agents of the process are. A good sign that you should make a fresh list is discovering that another individual or team will take up an activity. 

3. Think About Potential Bottlenecks  

It's crucial to be aware of them while constructing the lists later if there is a process step with a high likelihood of a delay or a shortage of resources. 

4. Lists Should be Made for the Activities  

The simplest method to start building lists for your Kanban process is to name the input list "To Do," and the output list "Done," which is where tasks should go once they have been finished. 

But you may alter these lists by giving them a name that is more recognizable and associated with your activity. The entry list can thus be referred to as "guidelines" or, in the context of a mechanic's shop, "vehicles" by people who work in digital marketing, such as those who create blog texts. The first action you must take should be from the list that follows. No one often gets to accomplish anything without pausing and giving it some thought beforehand. So, a "Plan," or planning list, is frequently employed at this time. 

In the case of the workshop, it can be "diagnostic" and "defining of the method" for content production. Therefore, you may give the Kanban workflow lists various names based on the stream you're building. They should ideally be simple to use and comprehend. You can try out Kanban courses online to better understand what we are saying. Check out these two Kanban process illustrations. 

Workflow Lists for a Mechanic Using Kanban  

• Vehicles or Diagnosis 
• Budget 
• customer approval of the budget 
• Road test in repair 
• ready for the client 
• Done 

Lists for the Kanban Workflow for Producing Blog Content  

• Rules Definition of strategy 
• Composing the text 
• review of the spelling and grammar 
• client permission required 
• waiting for the blog post date 
• Published 

ADVICE: Check your "blocked" or "stuck" list  

Recall how we discussed being aware of possible bottlenecks in step 3. One of these bottlenecks in a workshop may be a shortage of materials, while in a content agency, it might delay the client's acceptance. 

Make a "blocked" list to keep cards from "sitting" on one another forever as part of your Kanban workflow. 

The person in charge of a task places the card there and writes down the cause for the delay once they realize they won't be able to finish it due to an unforeseen circumstance. 

5. The Cards Should have Certain Colors to Help with Control  

As we have previously discussed, the ability to quickly and easily use visual control is one of the foundations of the Kanban workflow examples. As a result, process management is made easier by the ability to set specific attributes for individual entries in addition to tasks. 

For instance, placing agendas or cards in the corresponding lists makes it feasible to utilize 3 different card colors to denote if a text or service is normal, urgent, or stuck. 

As a result, some information about your firm may be represented by the cards' colors. Depending on your area of expertise, this may involve determining whose client you are working for, where the final delivery will be made, the language in which the material should be written, and many other factors. 

Six Kanban Rules  

Toyota created six key Kanban guidelines, which the business now adheres to consistently. Following these guidelines will help your business maintain the mentality required for effective product management: 

Never resell faulty goods: Waste management relies heavily on identifying flaws as soon as feasible. Pulling a product before it advances further in the development process will guarantee that any flaws may be fixed as soon as feasible and for the least amount of money. 

1.  Take Just What is Required: To reduce waste, it is crucial only to generate what is required. To do this, a thorough grasp of the requirements must be achieved before beginning development.
2.  Produce the Precise Amount Needed: To prevent waste, only produce the number of goods, services, or resources required for the subsequent step. Making too little results in delays in the process, which can result in financial losses for the organization. Making any more causes your inventory to be depleted unnecessarily.
3.  Produce What is Required: A key objective of Kanban is to continuously produce the volume of items required to satisfy consumer demand at a steady and predictable rate. 
4.  Leveling Production: By leveling production, you may assist in guaranteeing that you can consistently satisfy consumer needs without overproducing or generating waste.
5.  Adjust Production: Since process improvement is a never-ending activity, you must continually consider how processes might be optimized to reduce waste, boost speed, and guarantee consistency. You should continuously search for methods to improve procedures to be more streamlined and effective.
6.  Improve the Process' Stability and Logic: It is crucial to codify those criteria once you've created the best effective process so it can continue to be stable and predictable as it loops.

Advantages of Using Kanban  

• Optimizes production lead times and storage costs 
• It is simple to use and understand, cheap to set up and run 
• A systematic approach 
• Procedure transparency 
• Foresees obstructions 
• Appropriate for all team organizations and a range of scenarios 
• Limitations on multitasking 
• Procedure for ongoing progress 

Kanban Principles & Stages  

Kanban Principles  

Six guidelines should be carefully considered and followed: 

• Visualize: To monitor inaccessible work and who is working on what, team members use a Kanban board, an electronic board with sticky notes. This promotes openness in the workplace. According to how the work is going, members transfer the sticky notes from column to column. 
• Limit Working Projects (WIP): The number of tasks one may do in each column must be limited in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This serves as a reminder that each task's phases are represented by a separate column. 
• Manage Workflow: To create on-time delivery, one must anticipate the demands of the client and look for any hiccups in the work process. It serves to ensure process consistency. 
• Clarify your Policies: It is occasionally a single, succinct word placed above a Kanban column and is only used when the visualized process requires accuracy or improvement. 
• To Encourage Feedback, Provide Opportunities: Meetings are attended by team members to identify problems and determine how to fix them. 

As its name implies, it is about teams working together to identify answers to the obstacles that their projects are facing as they expand experimentally and cooperatively. 

Kanban Stages  

Tasks are represented on Kanban boards by colored labels or cards (usually post-it notes). On the Kanban board, tasks are classified and placed in the column that corresponds to their status, for instance: 

• Stories 
• To do/complete 
• In progress 
• Testing 
• Done 

The most appropriate number of columns for your company should be on your Kanban board. Utilizing the columns To Do, In Progress, and Done is advised. You must assign tasks—and corresponding labels—per team member when a project is first started. All of the labels should be put in the first "To Do" column as the initial step. 

The label advances from column to column until it reaches the "Done" column on the Kanban board, which represents the progress of the project graphically as tasks are completed. 

Depending on the type of request (e.g., "task," "bug," "feature," etc.) or the individual in charge of the job, a color code may be utilized. 

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Scrum vs. Kanban 

Although they both encourage teamwork, these agile methods are different in the following ways: 

The Scrum methodology has highly specific role allocation (with the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the development team). The Kanban approach is flexible and changes based on the demands of the business; 

Flexibility: The frameworks for Kanban and Scrum differ. Kanban may be changed to meet new requirements whenever they arise, however, Scrum only allows for changes to be made between sprints; 

The following delivery methods are used: continuous delivery of one item in a pull flow for Kanban and a time-limited framework for Scrum, with the completion of prioritized work packages for each iteration. 

While Scrum is better suited for teams requiring more order and structure, Kanban is better suited if your workplace often modifies its priorities. How about the Scrumban? The Scrum and Kanban methodologies are combined in this approach, which also encourages continuous flow in project management. Prioritized tasks are being used instead of sprints. Numerous teams and mixed project portfolios may utilize it. Being adaptive and flexible is crucial. 

The team's organizational structure and culture ultimately influence the manner of operation that will yield the best results. Kanban workflows, have you tested them yet? If yes, what are your methods for using it, and how does it aid in effective project management? You should try it out to get an answer. 

Conclusion  

Some teams combine the philosophies of Kanban and scrum to create "scrumban." They use fixed-length sprints and roles from scrum, emphasizing cycle time and work-in-progress restrictions from Kanban. However, we firmly advise teams just getting started with agile to pick one approach and stick with it for a while. Later, you may always get fancy. 

You can join KnowledgeHut Kanban courses online to get mastery in Kanban. However, we recommend doing that as quickly as possible as the tool proves essential to work in project management.