Kanban
Definition
Kanban is a visual workflow management method that helps teams track work progress, optimize efficiency, and improve productivity in projects.
Use Cases
- Microsoft: Managing software development work items and support requests across teams — Teams use Azure DevOps Boards to run Kanban with customizable columns, work-in-progress (WIP) limits, swimlanes, and policies to track items from intake through completion. (Improved visibility into work status, clearer prioritization, and faster identification of bottlenecks through WIP limits and cycle-time tracking.)
- GitHub: Tracking product and engineering tasks across repositories and teams — Teams use GitHub Projects (project boards) to organize issues and pull requests into Kanban-style workflows, automating movement based on status changes and linking work to code. (Better alignment between planning and execution, easier coordination across contributors, and reduced manual status reporting by tying work items directly to development activity.)
- Atlassian: Coordinating support and engineering work for product delivery — Teams use Jira Software Kanban boards with explicit workflow states, WIP limits, and service/support queues to manage incoming requests and ongoing development tasks. (More predictable flow of work, improved throughput, and clearer operational reporting using metrics like lead time and cumulative flow diagrams.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between Kanban and Scrum?
- Kanban focuses on continuous flow: work items move through stages (like To Do, In Progress, Done) and teams limit how much work is in progress at once. Scrum organizes work into fixed-length sprints with planned sprint goals and specific roles and ceremonies. Many teams use a hybrid: Scrum planning with a Kanban board for day-to-day flow.
- When should I use Kanban?
- Use Kanban when work arrives continuously (support tickets, operational tasks, small product changes), priorities can shift often, or you want to reduce bottlenecks and improve flow without committing to sprint planning. It’s also useful when you need high visibility for stakeholders and a simple way to manage and limit work in progress.
- How much does Kanban cost?
- Kanban as a method is free. Costs come from the tools and time to implement it. Many teams start with a physical board or free tiers of tools (like Trello or GitHub Projects). Paid plans (often per user per month) add features such as advanced reporting, automation, permissions, and integrations (e.g., Jira or Azure DevOps).
Category: software
Difficulty: basic
See Also