Gain Control of Work in Progress With Kanban

Welcome back to our ongoing productivity series! In past articles, we’ve covered focused work techniques like the Pomodoro method, frameworks for prioritizing like the Eisenhower Matrix, and comprehensive task management systems like Getting Things Done.

Now, let’s explore an increasingly popular workflow method called Kanban that provides a highly visual approach for limiting work in progress and maximizing output. Read on to understand the critical principles of Kanban and how to integrate them into your personal or team productivity system.

Understanding Kanban Basics

Kanban is a workflow framework that originated from Toyota’s production system in the 1940s. It provides a way to visualize work, limit work in progress, and maximize efficiency.

Kanban translates from Japanese to “visual signal” or “signboard”. In practical terms, Kanban utilizes boards or lists with columns that help you see your work at a glance. Here are the key principles that define Kanban:

• Visual Signals – The workflow is displayed visually on a board or lists broken into columns.
• Work in Progress Limits – Columns have WIP limits to constrain how much is in progress.
• Continuous Flow – Move work continuously through the workflow visual from left to right.
• Incremental Improvement – Refine and optimize the workflow through iterations and feedback.
• Focus Downstream – Improve downstream steps first to better absorb variability.

These core principles enable you to gain control over the flow of work from input to output while eliminating bottlenecks.

How Kanban Boards Work

A Kanban board is usually represented as a set of columns that guide the flow of work left-to-right visually. Here is an example of a basic Kanban board:

Kanban Board Example

The backlog holds an inventory of unstarted work or ideas. The To Do column are items ready to work on next that fall within the work-in-progress (WIP) limit. When pulled into In Progress, a WIP item starts being actively worked on. Once finished, it moves to the Complete column.

This lean pull system limits the accumulation of excess inventory at any stage by constraining in-progress work. Work must flow smoothly through the system.

Types of Kanban Boards

Kanban boards come in many shapes and sizes. Here are some popular configurations:

• Basic 3-5 Column – Simple workflow like To Do, In Progress, Complete
• Swimlanes – Columns or rows organized by category or team
• Work Item Details – Cards with lots of metadata like points, owners, dates
• Calendar View – Dates as columns to show temporal flow
• Multiple Boards – High level portfolio board + detailed team boards

The right Kanban setup depends on your goals. Start simple then add details if beneficial. The key is quickly grasping status and flow.

Implementing Kanban Effectively

Here are some tips for effectively implementing Kanban:

• Start with your existing workflow – Don’t overengineer a new process. Enhance what you do now.
• Limit WIP – Put a WIP limit on In Progress columns to prevent bottlenecks.
• Pull work forward – Pull the next item from To Do once capacity opens up in In Progress.
• Stop starting, start finishing – Avoid adding new work if old work is piling up downstream.
• Review workflow – Hold regular standups or meetings to review flow and identify issues.
• Continuously improve – Ask “How can we improve?” and make small evolutionary changes.
• Automate – Use project management software like Trello to automate kanban digitally.

The primary metrics to watch are cycle time (how long work takes to finish) and work item age (how long items sit in a stage). Optimizing those will increase flow.

Benefits of Kanban

Using Kanban provides many advantages for productivity and efficiency:

• Improves visibility – Seeing all work and status visually improves transparency.
• Identifies bottlenecks – Queues and delays become instantly apparent.
• Reduces wait times – Pulling rather than pushing work reduces lead time.
• Improves focus – Limiting WIP minimizes task switching and distraction.
• Enhances communication – Discussing the board improves collaboration.
• Increases agility – Real-time visibility allows quick adjustments.
• Provides metrics – Cycle time data informs continuous improvement.
• Boosts motivation – Moving work to complete gives a sense of progress.

Kanban offers a flexible framework that can optimize any workflow. The focus on small iterative changes increases motivation and engagement over time.

Optimizing Your Kanban Workflow

To get maximum benefits from Kanban, here are some tips:

• Review your board daily – Make checking Kanban part of your daily routine.
• Celebrate finishing work – Move items to Complete publicly and praise progress.
• Chart workflow metrics – Generate cycle time data to inform improvement.
• Tighten WIP limits – Reduce WIP over time to increase focus and flow.
• Split large initiatives – Break big projects into smaller work items.
• Automate movement – Use project management tools to automatically move items.
• Add swimlanes – Group by category, type or owner to better see patterns.
• Limit columns – Avoid proliferating too many stages and columns.
• Update policies – Formalize definitions of done, WIP limits, and other guidelines.

Continually refine your Kanban process. Smooth flow and shorter cycle times indicate an optimal workflow.

Overcoming Common Kanban Challenges

When first adopting Kanban, some common challenges can arise:

• Too many WIP items – Reduce WIP limits incrementally over time.
• Columns keep increasing – Eliminate non-essential stages to maximize flow.
• No sense of progress – Add cumulative flow diagrams to see work getting done.
• Team doesn’t update board – Make checking Kanban part of daily routines and meetings.
• Items get stuck – Identify bottlenecks causing delays and address root causes.
• Details get outdated – Make a single person accountable for item accuracy.
• Board gets too cluttered – Archive old items and keep policies about defects.
• Too prescriptive – Loosen policies and rules inhibiting natural workflow.

Keep iterating on your Kanban setup and approach. Collect feedback from the team to improve adoption. The goal is creating a visual system that reflects actual workstreams and enhances productivity.

Next Steps for Improving Workflows

Implementing Kanban can significantly improve productivity by controlling work in progress, enhancing focus, and speeding up cycle times. But Kanban only works if consistently used and refined based on observation of actual workflows.

Try applying the core Kanban principles on a small scale, like for a personal to-do list or household project. Then, gradually scale up from there. The visual signals will quickly highlight inefficiencies and bottlenecks.

Stay tuned for more proven techniques in our ongoing productivity series! Please share any questions on implementing Kanban or lessons learned from adopting this visual workflow system.