Kanban cannot be classifi as an agile methodology, but it also allows you to use your subordinates’ and your own workforce in a new and more efficient way.
History
Kanban first appear in Japan. There, the word is translat as “billboard” or “advertising sign” (“kan” – visible, visual, “ban” – card). The term itself is read “kanban” in Japanese, but in the West, for some reason, it began to be written and pronounc with the consonant “n”.
This method was invent in 1959 and began to be us in 1962 by Toyota for the production of cars. The creators were interest in rucing production costs, rucing the time for assembling cars and quicly identifying downtime and defects. They largely succe in this
Later, using the Toyota concept and lean manufacturing methods, Kanban appears as an approach to software development. The methodology uses the same, but slightly modifi, principles for creating software, while introducing them into existing development methods.
Kanban principles
Kanban has just three simple core principles that everything else is built on. There are no roles and no set of hard and fast rules.
Time frame
Time constraints are either very broad or non-existent. Typically, goals are defin to be achiev, then the team works sequentially, breaking them down into tasks. The time it takes to complete the task and the team’s effectiveness in completing it are measur.
Lean Manufacturing and Task Ruction
Instead of a large number of small tasks, several specific database by industry global ones are set, which are divid into stages . This is done both to ruce production time and to avoid overproduction. The task gradually passes from one team to another or from one team member to another. For example, a designer develops a website layout and passes it to a developer, who, after completing the work, sends the website for testing. There may be a different number of such stages crm with artificial intelligence: keys to unlocking its potential depending on the type of production. At each of them, specialists solve one current task, and after passing it to the next stage, they move on to another.
The product is thus assembl as if on a conveyor belt. However, the elements of this conveyor belt work when necessary, saving themselves from unnecessary and unnecessary work: the task is not perform in advance, but when it appears. This is very easy to illustrate with the example of Toyota: you can produce 15 left and five right doors for a car, as a result, ten doors will remain unnecessary and will gather dust in the warehouse. This will not happen if you make doors at the request of the car assembler.
Visualization
The entire workflow is visualiz so that the team always understands which tasks can wait and which ones ne to be work on right now. The most marketing list suitable tool for this is the Kanban board .
Another visualization tool is Kanban cards . They were first us in Toyota factories.
Let’s imagine a completely ordinary situation: you decid to visit a museum. This way, people will be able to get aesthetic pleasure and, without pushing each other, examine each exhibit: when some leave, others come. And the museum is always in good condition without additional expenses for repairs and cleaning of the premises, which would arise due to large crowds of visitors.
Tickets in this example act as Kanban cards. A certain number of them are releas into circulation. Each card first goes through its assign cycle, and only then is it deliver to the first point again. Cards can have different purposes, connecting certain stages. As a rule, they are convenient to use for large production lines. In the case of small companies, it is more convenient to use only a Kanban board.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Kanban vs. Scrum
Kanban is often compar to Scrum and is consider an Agile methodology. The methodology can be call flexible when it comes to software development, but Kanban itself only partially complies with the principles of flexible methodologies. If compar with Scrum: Kanban has no sprints, roles, user stories are optional. At the same time, the methodology is often consider more “flexible” since the work process is practically not manag, is poorly regulat, and the result is 90% dependent on the team and the communication within it, and not on the manager.
Bas on this, the work team can be both a significant disadvantage and a great advantage of Kanban. If employees are interest and willing to work, then strict frameworks will only harm, and under Kanban conditions the team will show high productivity. If the team itself is not very effective without management from above, then under Kanban the work process generally risks falling apart. The same can be said about management and roles. It will be easier to implement the methodology in a self-motivat team, thus rucing the costs of the manager, without spending money on the Scrum Master, and more difficult where the manager ensures the success of the work.