Kanban Framework

This article refers to the Kanban agile framework first introduced by David Anderson[1] and his experiences when working on the Corbis project at Microsoft.

Kanban gets its name from the use of visualising the flow of work and the use of tickets or signposts to indicate the state of the work items in the process flow. As a framework it focusses on optimising a smooth efficient flow of the work as it arrives, is worked on by the team and leaves the team with visualisation techniques, establishing delivery and input cadences, limiting the amount of work in progress, establishing service level agreements, measurement and continuous improvement.

Mapping The Value Stream

• Visualising The Flow, which includes mapping the value stream, limiting the work in progress and introducing classifications of service.

Coordination

The coordination of the Kanban system is usually done with the use of:

• Daily Standup Meetings where the team meet on a daily basis to coordinate their efforts
• Queue Replenishment Meetings to consider the next high level and strategic priorities with respect to the Work In Progress (WIP) limits
• Release Planning meetings to consider the intent and composition of the releases

Continuous Improvement

• Theory of Constraints
• Elimination of Waste

Practices

• Showcase
• Kaizen & Continuous Improvement

See Also

• Lean Software Development
• Scrum Framework

References

1. Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change For Your Technology Business, Anderson D. J., 2010