Kanban Principles

Kanban principles are fundamental to the effective implementation of the Kanban method, applicable to various Workflows and organizational processes. These principles aim to optimize existing processes, foster collaboration, and drive continuous improvement. The key principles include:

1. Empirical Process Control: Decisions are based on observation and data. Organizations refine current Workflows using Kanban to minimize resistance to change and support continuous improvement.
2. Iterative or Incremental Development: Changes are implemented incrementally, allowing for course corrections based on stakeholder feedback and evolving Workflows understanding.
3. Collaborative Leadership: Leadership is encouraged at all organizational levels, fostering a culture of shared responsibility, open communication, and continuous learning.
4. Value-based Prioritization: Work is prioritized based on the value it delivers to customers, with a focus on understanding customer needs, business value, risks, and dependencies.
5. Self-Organization: Teams are empowered to manage their responsibilities autonomously, promoting accountability, motivation, and effective decision-making.
6. Visualization: Workflows are made visible through tools like the Kanban Board and Backlog, enhancing transparency, identifying areas for improvement, and enabling data-driven decisions. Together, these principles support agile, adaptable Workflows that drive efficiency, collaboration, and customer centric outcomes.

Kanban Roles and Artifacts

The key roles in the Kanban framework are those of the Kanban Team and Stakeholders. The Kanban Team is responsible for understanding the needs of the organization and implementing the Kanban method effectively. The three primary roles within the Kanban Team are Product Owner, Kanban Manager, and Kanban Team Members. Stakeholders—such as senior management, customers, suppliers, or any other individuals or teams who interact with or benefit from Kanban Workflows—collaborate with the Kanban Team to improve Workflow efficiency, help prioritize tasks, and ensure alignment with broader business goals.

Artifacts are visual or management aids that help teams visualize workflows and determine the best ways to optimize them to deliver high business value in the shortest time possible. Typical artifacts used in Kanban include Tasks and Task Groups, Kanban Workflows, Kanban Backlog, and Kanban Boards.

Kanban Tasks are individual actions to be completed, while Task Groups are collections of related tasks necessary to achieve a specific output or goal.

Kanban boards visually represent workflows, displaying tasks in columns to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and ensure smooth work execution.

A Kanban backlog is a prioritized list of tasks or work items waiting to be processed, typically organized by urgency.

Kanban Boards visually represent workflows, displaying tasks in columns to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and ensure smooth work execution.

Kanban Metrics and Reports

Kanban metrics and reports track team performance and workflow efficiency, providing insights into Cycle Time, throughput, and bottlenecks. These data-driven tools help teams make informed decisions to improve processes, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall delivery speed and quality.

Metrics are used to help an organization understand the current state of Workflows and processes, which, in turn, assist the team in making informed decisions about changes that can bring improvements. Using metrics can also help an organization commit to and efficiently meet the service or product obligations of its customers, including factors related to time, cost, quality, risk, and scope. Some of the key metrics on which reports are based in Kanban include:

• Work in Progress (WIP) Aging Work in Progress (or Work Item Age)
• Cycle Time
• Throughput
• Lead Time
• Takt Time
• Queue Length
• Flow Efficiency

When applying the Kanban method within an organization, reports can be used to generate insights into Workflows and communicate work progress, issues, and risks to stakeholders. Many digital Kanban tools enable practitioners to leverage elaborate, AI-driven reports to make data-driven decisions. Some of the key reports used in Kanban are:

• Workflows Reports
• Team Reports
• Individual Performance Reports
• Cycle Time Reports
• Lead Time Distribution Reports
• Flow Efficiency Reports
• Throughput Reports
• Work in Progress (WIP) and WIP Aging Reports
• Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFD)
• Blocker and Cluster Analysis Reports
• Capacity Utilization Reports
• Forecasting Reports
• Burndown Charts
• Service-Level Agreement (SLA) Adherence Reports

Kanban Processes

Kanban processes address the specific activities and flow of a Kanban initiative. In total, there are six fundamental Kanban processes that apply to all initiatives. These processes are grouped into four phases as shown in the table below. These Kanban processes are generally not sequential—they are iterative in nature and may overlap with one another.