Kanban
Definition
Kanban is a lean-agile method for managing and improving work by visualizing the workflow on a board, limiting work in progress (WIP), and optimizing for continuous flow — without fixed-length sprints or prescribed roles.
Kanban originated in Toyota's manufacturing system in the 1950s, where physical cards ("kanban" means signboard or billboard in Japanese) triggered the production and replenishment of parts just-in-time. David J. Anderson adapted the concept for knowledge work around 2007, producing the Kanban Method as it's practiced in software teams today.
The six Kanban practices:
- Visualize the workflow
- Limit WIP (work in progress)
- Manage flow
- Make policies explicit
- Implement feedback loops
- Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally
Kanban vs. Scrum:
- Scrum works in fixed-length sprints; Kanban is continuous — work flows through the board as capacity allows.
- Scrum has three defined roles; Kanban doesn't prescribe roles.
- Scrum has required ceremonies; Kanban recommends meeting types but doesn't require them.
- Both use a visual board; Kanban's WIP limits are more central to the method.
Neither is better universally. Scrum fits teams building products with predictable delivery cycles. Kanban fits support teams, operations teams, or engineering teams doing continuous maintenance with unpredictable incoming work.
Scrumban: Many teams blend both — running Scrum sprints but applying Kanban's WIP limits and flow metrics to their sprint board. This hybrid is called Scrumban.
The physical Kanban board — columns drawn on a whiteboard, cards moved by hand — remains popular because it's tangible and accessible. BoardSnap AI reads the board at any point in time, giving remote team members an instant snapshot of current flow.
Examples
- Support engineering team uses Kanban to manage incoming bug reports — no sprints, continuous flow, WIP limit of 3 per developer
- Startup uses Scrum for feature development and a separate Kanban board for ops and infrastructure tasks
- Physical Kanban board with four columns: Backlog, In Progress, Review, Done — WIP limit of 2 in In Progress
- Marketing team adopts Kanban for content production — each piece of content flows through ideation, drafting, review, and publishing
- Team switches from Scrum to Kanban after sprint cadence creates artificial urgency on support tickets
Related terms
Snap a kanban. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.