What is Kanban?

Kanban: definition and origin

Kanban (Japanese for “signal card”) comes from Toyota’s manufacturing, where cards controlled the replenishment of material. For knowledge work, the method was adapted in the 2000s and is now widespread in software development, IT support, marketing and administration. Its core: make work visible and manage the flow.

A Kanban board shows each task as a card that moves from left to right through columns, for example “Backlog,” “In progress,” “Review” and “Done.” At a glance, everyone sees who is working on what, what comes next and where tasks are piling up.

The principles in daily work

The key element is the WIP limit (work in progress): only a few cards are allowed per column at the same time. Once the limit is reached, work is finished first before anything new begins. This avoids multitasking, shortens lead time and makes bottlenecks visible instead of hiding them behind a long list of started tasks.

The flow is measured, for example by lead time (how long a card takes from start to finish) and throughput (how many cards are finished per week). Unlike Scrum, Kanban has no fixed sprints and no prescribed roles and can therefore be introduced into existing workflows.

• Map the current process as columns
• Capture all ongoing tasks as cards
• Set WIP limits and stick to them consistently
• Define “done” clearly for each column
• Review lead time regularly and remove bottlenecks

Real-world example: a maintenance team for websites and stores

A small maintenance team looks after websites and online stores for several clients. Every day brings error reports, text changes and update requests that cannot be planned in sprints. The team keeps a board with the columns “New,” “In progress,” “Waiting for client,” “Test” and “Done.”

The WIP limit of three tasks per person quickly shows that many cards pile up in “Waiting for client.” The team now clears questions in a batch in the morning, lead time drops, and urgent incidents run through a separate express lane without blocking the rest of the flow.

Benefits, limits and getting started

Kanban is easy to understand, flexible and creates transparency without a major changeover. Limits: without time boxes, there is no rhythm pushing teams toward regular results and retrospectives, and a board alone does not replace prioritization. Typical mistakes are WIP limits that nobody observes, columns without clear criteria and cards that sit for weeks.

Nano Concepts advises on choosing the right way of working—Kanban for ongoing maintenance and support, Scrum elements for time-limited development projects—and sets up boards and ticket systems for your team. Especially in mid-sized companies, where there is often no dedicated project office, getting started with a simple board takes only a few days.