Kanban

A visual system for managing work (which constitutes the “value stream”) through a process. Kanban is the Japanese term for “visual board” which indicates available capacity to work or a visual cue to begin work.  A key aspect is the limitation of work-in-progress (‘WIP’).  Applying WIP limits forces a focus on completing a smaller, more manageable batch size of work rather than starting numerous work items.  Kanban is a system to stop STARTING! and start FINISHING!  By increasing the flow of work through our processes, we reduce cycle time/time to market, increase productivity and enhance quality.