What Kanban Is (And Isn't)

The Kanban Method is a management method for…

• Directly improving service delivery;
• Catalyzing improvements;
• Evolving a business to be fit for purpose.

The Kanban Method is also…

• An evolving and flexible system of pragmatic, actionable, evidence-based guidance;
• Adaptable to the unique needs of each context to which it is applied;
• Inclusive of evidence-based guidance from a broad range of professional disciplines, including economics, psychology, sociology, process management and change management.

The Kanban Method is not…

• A project management method;
• A software development lifecycle process;
• Completely defined in a “manifesto” or “guide”;
• An immutable process framework with binding rules, extant only in its entirety—in other words, you don’t need to be doing all of Kanban for it to be Kanban, nor is it advisable to try.

You would likely benefit from exploring the applicability of Kanban to your business because…

Your organization is an ecosystem of interdependent services—a complex, adaptive system. You introduce a Kanban system into it such that the complex system is stimulated to improve. – Alexei Zheglov

This wikipedia entry provides a fairly accurate description of the Kanban Method.

The Kanban Method has 3 Agendas:

1. Survivability (of the business, for business executives);
2. Service-orientation (for all levels of management);
3. Sustainability (for professional services knowledge workers);

The Kanban Method could help you if one or more of the 3 agendas above applies to you.

The Kanban Method has 9 values:

1. Customer focus
2. Transparency
3. Understanding
4. Agreement
5. Leadership
6. Respect
7. Collaboration
8. Balance
9. Flow

The Kanban Method has 6 practices; 3 change management principles and 3 service delivery principles.

The Kanban Method has 6 practices:

1. Visualize
2. Limit WIP
3. Manage flow
4. Make policies explicit
5. Feedback loops
6. Improve & evolve

Change Management Principles:

1. Start with what you do now.
2. Agree to pursue improvement through evolutionary change.
3. Encourage acts of leadership at all levels.

Service Delivery Principles:

1. Understand & focus on customer needs and expectations.
2. Manage the work, let people self-organize around it.
3. Policies govern service delivery.

You are “doing” Kanban if your intentions are that…

• Management behaviour in your organization changes to enable Kanban;
• The customer interface changes, in line with Kanban;
• The customer contract changes, informed by Kanban;
• Your service delivery business model changes to exploit Kanban.

Kanban University is the authority on the Kanban Method and the accredited training organization of LeanKanban Inc.

David J. Anderson is the founder of the Kanban Method. Essential Kanban Condensed, co-authored by Anderson and Andy Carmichael, is available as a free download.

Travis Birch is an Accredited Kanban Trainer with Kanban University.

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