What is Kanban?

Kanban is a method for managing and visualizing work, originally developed in the manufacturing industry but now widely used in software development, project management, and other fields. The word "kanban" comes from Japanese, where it means "visual signal" or "card".

In a kanban system, work is represented as cards or sticky notes, which are placed on a board that is divided into columns representing different stages of the work process. The columns typically include stages such as "to-do", "in progress", and "done". The cards are moved between columns as the work progresses, providing a visual representation of the current status of each piece of work.

The goal of a kanban system is to limit work in progress (WIP) and to optimize the flow of work through the system. By limiting the amount of work that is in progress at any one time, a kanban system helps to reduce bottlenecks and improve efficiency. The system also provides transparency and helps to identify areas where improvements can be made.

Kanban is often used in conjunction with other agile development methodologies such as Scrum, and it can be adapted to a wide variety of different work processes and environments. Kanban boards can be physical, using a whiteboard and sticky notes, or digital, using software tools such as Trello or Jira.

Want to practice this in your own work? nuAgility offers a self-paced course, Getting Started With Kanban Journaling, that helps you use Kanban to visualize work, focus your day, and build a sustainable planning habit.