What is Kanban?

Let's discuss Kanban as a form of signaling (the origin of the word's usage), Kanban as a board (becoming famous), and Kanban as a method (the most current use).

March/29/2022 - 6 minutes reading

Signaling Using Kanban

The first use of Kanban was in the Toyota Production System, developed by Toyota between 1947 and 1975, with Taiichi Ohno as the primary person responsible for its development. The Toyota Production System later became known as Lean with the publication of the book The Machine That Changed the World, written by a group of MIT researchers who studied Toyota. The book was published in 1990.

Toyota used Kanban as a signaling system to indicate resource needs within its production line, promoting employee communication regarding which resources were required, in what quantity, and other necessary information.

The Japanese referred to these signals as "kanban" because the word Kanban in Japanese means "signaling card," "signal," or "large visual board," depending on the characters used in the writing system.

Kanban signals are everywhere in the Toyota Production System and have become a distinctive feature. They are used on boxes, cans, machines, wherever signaling is needed, and even on visual boards that help with organization.

Kanban Board

Kanban boards became popular when technology professionals adopted Lean techniques and, along with agile methodologies, incorporated Kanban boards into their work processes. It's worth mentioning Mary and Tom Poppendieck, pioneers in applying Lean to technology. They published a book in 2003 titled Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit.

The primary goal of using the Kanban board was to create a visual management system for work, providing greater transparency about the status of tasks. As most boards were physical, the use of Post-it notes became widespread. The standard format of the board consisted of three columns: the first labeled "To Do," the second "Doing," and the third "Done."

The Kanban Method

The Kanban Method emerged, not only using Kanban boards but also reviving more techniques from Lean and incorporating new ones to form the method. David Anderson published the first book on Kanban in 2011 and began using the capital "K" for the word "Kanban."

The Kanban Method suggests that the board should have multiple columns to represent the entire workflow, promoting the pull system used by Toyota. It is based on six core practices:

1. Visualize
2. Limit work in progress
3. Manage flow
4. Make policies explicit
5. Enforce feedback loops
6. Improve and evolve experimentally

Various techniques are used alongside these practices, such as representing work queues, signaling blocks and impediments, and differentiating types of work, among others. By using the Kanban Method, it is possible to significantly improve work management and greatly optimize team productivity.

These practices form the method's foundation, encouraging continuous improvement and efficiency.

David Anderson then created Kanban University to spread the method even further and has also made exciting updates from time to time. The content related to Kanban has become increasingly detailed and adaptable to various scenarios.

Official Training

To learn more about the Kanban method, we offer official training from Kanban University here at Synergyc. The available courses are:

Team Kanban Practitioner

Kanban System Design

Kanban Systems Improvement

These trainings provide globally recognized Kanban certifications that enhance your resume.