Kanban - DavidMyrseth/BuketovPY GitHub Wiki

What is Kanban?

Kanban is a method of visual process management that helps individuals and organizations improve productivity, optimize workflow, and eliminate bottlenecks.

At its core, Kanban is based on the idea of visualizing work so that everyone involved can clearly see what is being done, what stage each task is in, and what needs attention.

This approach is especially popular in Agile software development, but it's also widely used in many other fields β€” from manufacturing to education, and even in personal productivity. A Brief History of Kanban

Kanban originated in the 1940s at Toyota, where engineer Taiichi Ohno developed a new production management system inspired by supermarket inventory practices. He observed that stores restocked items based on demand, not in advance β€” replenishing only when something was running low.

This inspired the Just-in-Time manufacturing concept. Workers received visual signals (cards β€” β€œkanban”) when it was time to restock an item on the production line. This system allowed Toyota to reduce waste and produce only what was needed.

In the 2000s, Kanban was adapted for software development and then for broader project and task management. 🧠 Core Principles of Kanban

Kanban is built on six key practices:

Visualize the work
Break your work process into stages and represent it as a board. Each stage is a column, and each task is a card.

Limit WIP (Work In Progress)
Avoid having too many tasks in progress at the same time. This reduces overload and keeps the focus on completing tasks.

Manage flow
Monitor how tasks move through the system. Visualizing the flow helps you detect delays and inefficiencies quickly.

Make process policies explicit
Everyone should clearly understand how the workflow operates, what β€œdone” means, and how to move tasks forward.

Implement feedback loops
Hold regular meetings to review progress and improve processes.

Improve collaboratively and evolve experimentally
Introduce small changes, test them, gather data, and continuously improve.

How a Kanban Board Works

A standard Kanban board consists of columns that represent stages of a workflow. Here's a basic example:

To Do In Progress Testing Done
Tasks to do Tasks in work Being tested Completed 
To Do – Tasks waiting to be started.

In Progress – Tasks currently being worked on.

Testing – Tasks under review or verification.

Done – Completed tasks.

Each card represents a task. As it progresses, it moves from left to right across the board. πŸ” Where Is Kanban Used?

  1. Software Development

    Tracking features, bugs, tasks.

    Managing releases and iterations.

    Ensuring transparency in team collaboration.

  2. IT Operations and DevOps

    Monitoring incidents and support tickets.

    Managing infrastructure and deployments.

    Handling CI/CD workflows.

  3. Project Management

    Planning and overseeing project stages.

    Delegating and monitoring tasks.

    Keeping projects on schedule.

  4. Marketing and Creative Work

    Managing content, campaigns, creative assets.

    Coordinating teams of writers, designers, etc.

  5. Education and Learning

    Organizing assignments, projects, research work.

    Helping students and teachers track progress.

  6. Personal Productivity

    Planning daily, weekly, or monthly tasks.

    Tracking goals, habits, errands, hobbies.

Benefits of Kanban

Simple and visual

Flexible β€” can be used in any team or project

Boosts productivity through WIP limits

Improves communication and clarity

Helps quickly identify problems or bottlenecks

Tools for Kanban

Trello β€” beginner-friendly, visual, great for personal or small team use.

Jira β€” powerful tool for software teams and Agile workflows.

Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Monday.com β€” ideal for business, marketing, and creative teams.

GitHub Projects β€” great for developers and open-source projects.