Agile rituals
Kanban board
Columns for each stage of the work, with a limit on how much can be in progress, so the team finishes before it starts more.
- TimeOngoing
- People2 to 12 people
- Steps4
What it's for
A kanban board makes work visible, and the work-in-progress limit is what makes it useful. When the doing column is full, the team helps finish something rather than starting something new, which is how work flows instead of piling up.
Use it for any team whose work arrives continuously rather than in sprints.
How to run it
Map your stages10 min
Rename the columns to match how work actually moves.
Add the work10 min
One note per piece of work, in the column it's in now.
Set limits5 min
Agree how many items each in-progress column can hold.
Walk the board10 min
From right to left: what can we finish today?
Tips
- Walk the board from the right. Finishing matters more than starting.
- If something sits in one column for days, ask what's blocking it.
Where it comes from
Kanban comes from the Toyota Production System, where Taiichi Ohno used cards to signal work. David J. Anderson adapted it for knowledge work in Kanban (2010).
Pairs well with
Daily stand-up
A short daily check: what moved since yesterday, what's next, and what's in the way, so blockers surface early.
Sprint planning
Agree why the next sprint matters, what the team can take on, and how it will get it done.
Now, next, later
A roadmap in three columns instead of dates: what the team is doing now, what comes next, and what's further out.