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Kanban and Flow

Kanban in one view​

Kanban is a flow-based method for managing ongoing work. It improves predictability by visualizing work, limiting WIP, and actively managing bottlenecks.

Read more at Atlassian: What is Kanban?

Core Kanban principles​

  • Start with current process; evolve incrementally.
  • Visualize all meaningful states in your workflow.
  • Limit work in progress to expose constraints.
  • Manage flow using measurable service-level signals.
  • Improve collaboratively using data and feedback loops.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanban principles

Board and card design basics​

  • Use columns that represent real workflow states.
  • Define explicit entry/exit criteria for each column.
  • Keep card fields minimal but decision-useful (owner, class of service, blocked reason, due risk).
  • Add blocked indicators and aging visibility.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanban boards

WIP limits: how to use them well​

  • Set WIP limits where work queues form.
  • When a column is full, stop starting and start finishing.
  • Tune limits through experimentation; do not set once and forget.
  • Use exceptions rarely and make them visible.

Read more at Atlassian: WIP limits

Flow metrics that matter​

  • Cycle time: start to finish for one item.
  • Lead time: request to delivery from customer view.
  • Throughput: items completed per time period.
  • Work item age: how long current in-progress items have been open.
  • Blocked time: where capacity is lost.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanban metrics

Kanban vs Scrum and when to blend​

  • Choose Kanban when incoming work is continuous and interruption-heavy.
  • Choose Scrum when you benefit from timeboxed planning and review cadence.
  • Use Scrumban when you need sprint goals plus tighter flow controls.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanban vs Scrum

Service-oriented team playbook​

  • Define classes of service (expedite, standard, fixed-date, intangible).
  • Reserve small explicit capacity for urgent work.
  • Track and review policy breaches weekly.
  • Prefer pull-based intake over push-based assignment.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanplan

Common anti-patterns​

  • Treating Kanban board as a static status board.
  • Ignoring blocked work age while chasing new starts.
  • Using WIP limits but allowing frequent invisible exceptions.
  • Measuring only output volume, not reliability and latency.

Read more at Atlassian: Kanban principles

Further reading on Atlassian​