Kanban is not just a Board?

Have you heard the sentence that “we are using Kanban board as it has been configured in our tool. It is just 30sec of configuration”. It has been always a cognitive bias that the simple tool configuration makes a magic and since then, all goes perfectly.

Well, to some extent that’s already a pretty good news as there was a need of transparency and this need has been fulfilled by the Kanban board. However, Kanban is not just about the board. A board is a starting point but it doesn’t express the potential of the Kanban system. The Kanban journey starts with the board but Kanban is a working method which has the following practices:

General practices

o   1. Visualize

o   2. Limit WIP

o   3. Manage Flow

o   4. Make Process Explicit

o   5. Implement Feedback Loops

o   6. Improve Collaboratively, Evolve Experimentally (using models & the scientific method)

Does it looks suspicious? Well, we are talking about the board and it turns out that the board covers just the first general practice. What about the remaining practices and principles?

·         Limit WIP: Restrict work-in-progress by implementing a pull system, ensuring new tasks are only started when capacity allows.

·         Manage Flow: Monitor and report on the speed and smoothness of work movement to create value quickly and predictably.

·         Make Policies Explicit: Clearly define and document processes to facilitate rational and objective discussions for improvement.

·         Implement Feedback Loops: Use feedback mechanisms to compare expected and actual outcomes, making necessary adjustments to improve.

·         Improve Collaboratively: Encourage team discussions to address flow issues and collaboratively decide on process changes.

·         Evolve Experimentally: Use scientific methods and models to test changes and evolve processes based on empirical evidence.

All those practices work perfectly together as a cohesive whole. Thus, your team may see benefits of the Kanban system having those practices apply all together.

Kanban Maturity Model

Let’s see the broader perspective shared in Kanban Maturity Model. The Kanban Maturity Model (KMM) is a guide that helps organizations systematically improve their processes and achieve higher levels of business agility through Kanban practices. It outlines a clear path for evolving from basic to advanced maturity by gradually implementing and scaling Kanban principles across teams and functions.

At the lowest maturity level Kanban board is a combined individual Kanban board to increase visibility of work across multiple team members and to minimize multitasking and overburdening. Each person manages their own tasks within their designated swim lane. It is just a simple visualization tool. When your team become more mature the WIP limits are present on the board, you start gathering some basic data concentrated around the system. Then you create a Kanban cadence just to manage the work and improve working method.

Practical implementation - Kanban Board

Moreover, it may turn out that team members don’t use the board. Even if you create the best board which cover the visualization aspects perfectly it is not used. Team members may be resistant to it. The root cause of it may be different but may rely on the buy-in creation within a team and lack of common sense. I will explain it in a another article.

Kanban system implementation is a long journey, it starts with a board. However, in order to gain some benefits from the method it must cover all Kanban system elements. How to start the journey being well prepared? I will share it with you in the next article

Summary

To conclude, it's important to recognize that while the Kanban board is a valuable tool for visualizing work, it is just the beginning of a much broader journey. The real power of Kanban lies in embracing all its practices, from limiting work-in-progress to evolving processes through experimentation. As your team matures in its use of Kanban, you’ll find that the board is just one piece of a larger system that drives continuous improvement and business agility.

Stay tuned for the next article, where I’ll dive deeper into how to effectively prepare for and embark on this Kanban journey, ensuring your team is set up for long-term success.