What It Means
A kanban board is a visual way to track work: a board divided into columns, one for each stage the work passes through, with a card for every task. A basic board has To Do, In Progress and Done, and teams add or rename columns to match how they really work. Cards move left to right as work advances, so anyone can see at a glance what's waiting, what's underway and what's finished. The board is the most visible part of the Kanban Method, which also limits how much work sits in progress at once.
Try It: Move Cards Across a Kanban Board
Three household cards on a small board. Move each one right as the work advances.
Book the dentist
Pay the water bill
Plan weekend meals
Book the dentist
Pay the water bill
Plan weekend meals
Book the dentist
Pay the water bill
Plan weekend meals
Three cards in progress at once. Many boards cap this column, so something gets finished before anything new starts.
Everything is done. On a real board, the next cards come in from To Do.
How People Say It
- "Move it to done on the board."
- "Why are there twelve cards in progress?"
- "Put it in the backlog column for now."
The Breakdown
How to set up a kanban board
- List the stages your work really goes through, starting simple: To Do, In Progress, Done.
- Draw a column for each stage on a whiteboard, a wall or an app.
- Write one task per card, with an owner and any due date.
- Put every current task on the board, in the column it's in now.
- When you start a task, pull its card into In Progress; when it's finished, move it to Done.
- Look at the board together regularly and ask where cards are piling up.
- Once the board is in use, set a limit on the In Progress column so new work starts only when something finishes.
A family board (Buhata's own example)
| To Do | In Progress | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Renew car registration | Pay the water bill | Plan weekend meals |
| Book the dentist | Return library books | |
| Fix the porch light |
Short version to try today. Draw three columns on a sheet of paper, put sticky notes for this week's tasks in To Do, and keep no more than two in progress at a time.
Where It Comes From
Atlassian dates kanban to the 1940s at Toyota, where engineer Taiichi Ohno took his inspiration from how supermarkets restock only what shoppers take. Toyota's own history describes its supermarket method growing into the Kanban System, named for the kanban, the instruction sheet showing a product's name, number and quantity. David J. Anderson later shaped the Kanban Method for knowledge work, and Kanban University publishes its official guide.
Good to Know
A board on its own shows the work, and the Kanban Method adds rules on top: limit work in progress, manage how work flows, make your policies explicit, hold regular feedback meetings, and improve step by step, per David J. Anderson's school and Kanban University. Atlassian notes that each card can carry its status, owner, priority and details such as a due date, which keeps questions off the group chat.
FAQ
What columns should a kanban board have?
Start with To Do, In Progress and Done, which Atlassian gives as a basic board. Add columns only for stages your work really passes through, such as Waiting or Review.
What's the difference between a kanban board and a to-do list?
A to-do listTo-do listA written list of the tasks you plan to do, checked or crossed off as each one is finished. See more shows what needs doing. A kanban board also shows where each item stands, so it's easy to spot work that has stalled or too many things started at once.
Where does the word kanban come from?
Toyota. Its production system used a kanban, an instruction sheet naming the product, its number and the quantity, to signal what to make next. The idea was later adapted to office and software work.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks
Give every card on your board a matching entry in Tasks in a shared Space in Buhata, with an owner and a date, and tick it off when the card reaches Done.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Work in progress limit
A cap on how many tasks can sit in one stage of work, such as In Progress, at the same time, so new work starts only when something finishes.
- Kanban vs Scrum
A comparison of two agile approaches: Scrum works in fixed-length Sprints with set accountabilities, and Kanban manages a continuous flow of work with limits on work in progress.
- Scrumban
A way of working that starts from Scrum and adds Kanban practices such as a visible board, work in progress limits and pulling work in when there's room.
- Agile
A way of working, set out in the 2001 Agile Manifesto, that delivers in small pieces, gets feedback early and adjusts the plan as it learns.
- To-do list
A written list of the tasks you plan to do, checked or crossed off as each one is finished.
Sources
Kanban University, "The Official Guide to The Kanban Method"; David J. Anderson School of Management, "The Principles and General Practices of the Kanban Method"; Atlassian, "Kanban 101: how any team can be more agile"; Toyota Motor Corporation, "75 Years of Toyota: Supermarket Method"; David J. Anderson School of Management, "Revisiting the Principles and General Practices of the Kanban Method"
- kanban.university/kanban-guide
- djaa.com/the-principles-and-general-practices-of-the-kanban-method
- www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/kanban-101
- djaa.com/revisiting-the-principles-and-general-practices-of-the-kanban-method
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