Kanban methodology: what it is, how it works and more

Among so many ways to organize the workflow, the Kanban methodology stands out for its efficiency and ease of application. If you're not familiar with this system, it's time to discover another way to optimize your team's performance and company performance. That's why we brought here a complete guide to the Kanban concept: what are its objectives, how it works and also some tips for those who want to implement it in their own business. Do you want to know more? Keep reading!

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What is Kanban? Understand this working method!

The Kanban method is a way of organizing work management based on a visual system that defines the flow of activities. That means that this tactic uses cards to separate tasks so that it is possible to define the priority of each one and also to eliminate production bottlenecks. It is possible to classify Kanban as an agile methodology precisely because it organizes the progress of the demands and allows them to be finalized in the shortest possible time. And if something cannot be solved at the moment, Kanban allows this to be viewed in advance so that it is possible to redefine priorities and not stall the team's performance to wait for that problem to be solved. Because it depends only on the organization of the demand cards (whether physical or virtual), this methodology is widely used in Lean startups.

How did Kanban come about?

The history of Kanban dates back to the Japanese company Toyota Motor Corporation's need to improve its production operations. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the company was facing challenges to manage inventories and ensure that production was efficient and fluid, avoiding overproduction and bottlenecks. Then came Kanban, a part of the Toyota Production System (TPS) that aimed to optimize the production process and improve efficiency in its factories. The term “Kanban” means “card” or “sign” in Japanese and was fundamental to the success of this innovative approach. The Kanban system was inspired by some of the practices of supermarkets, where goods are replenished based on actual customer demand. At Toyota, this idea was applied to the manufacturing process. Thus, the central idea of Kanban was to create a visual signage system to control the workflow at each stage of the production process. Adopting Kanban allowed Toyota to achieve greater efficiency and flexibility in its production, reducing waste and allowing a faster response to changes in market demands. Through the use of Kanban, the company was able to improve communication between workers, identify bottlenecks in the process, and maintain adequate inventory levels, avoiding overproduction. In the 1970s, the Kanban system began to attract attention outside of Toyota, and other Japanese companies also adopted this approach. Later, with the growth in the adoption of Lean Manufacturing around the world, Kanban has become a widely recognized and adopted practice in various industries and fields other than manufacturing, such as software development, project management and other areas of knowledge work.

How does the Kanban method work?

The operation of Kanban is relatively simple: cards (physical or, in their modern form, electronic) are used to represent work units. These cards can be Post-its, papers pasted on a board or even virtual notes in an application... the important thing is that each of them contains only one task in the process. Each card contains relevant information about the task or item, such as the description of the activity, the quantity required, and the place of origin and destination. These cards are moved between stages of the production process as tasks are completed, acting as a signal to request more work at a specific stage or to alert about the need for adjustments. For the method to work, it will be necessary to divide these demands into different columns. Normally, this segmentation is done in:

• To do: this is the starting column of the Kanban board and represents the tasks, projects, or work items that have not yet been started and are waiting to be selected for execution. It is in this column that new tasks are added to the flow.
• Doing: this column represents the tasks that are in progress, that is, they are currently being worked on by the team.
• Done: the column represents the tasks that have been completed and are ready to be delivered or move on to the next step, if any.

These columns represent the basic workflow, but depending on the context and specific needs of the team, other columns can be added to the Kanban board to represent additional steps or variations in the work process. For example, if there are multiple processes paused because they depend on an external action, create space for task cards in Stand by.To order all requests, sort them within each column according to their priority - consider the delivery deadline, delay for each type of work, or even collaborators available to perform that action. Thus, you will have set up a visual organization of everything there is to do in the company and you will be able to identify the bottlenecks that were delaying the flow.

Key features of Kanban

To achieve its purpose and truly be beneficial to a project, the Kanban method is based on three pillars that are the main characteristics of the system:

• visualization of the work chain: the visual system allows you to segment the work by its status and prioritize what is actually available at the moment;
• adaptive development: Kanban works with an evolutionary adaptation both of the work stages and of the team that needs to get used to the new form of organization. If it is the best for the development of the system, it can be implemented little by little in a project, a sector and, only then, throughout the company;
• limitation of ongoing demands: another indispensable aspect is the limitation of activities that allows work to actually follow a flow that increases productivity. Otherwise, employees would have to pause demands at all times to try to progress with another point in the operation.

These characteristics of Kanban contribute to more efficient management, greater visibility of work progress, and better collaboration between team members, making it a methodology widely adopted in various sectors and contexts.

What are the principles of Kanban?

Some guidelines and values guide the application and philosophy of Kanban. Let's look at the main principles related to this methodology:

Versatility

The adaptable nature of Kanban allows the methodology to be shaped to fit the specific needs of different teams and work processes.

Constant evolution

Kanban values continuous improvement. Once the Kanban framework is established and the workflow visualized, the team is encouraged to regularly review the process, identify opportunities for improvement, and make necessary adjustments to optimize work efficiency and quality.

Respect for existing processes

Unlike some methodologies that impose radical changes in processes, Kanban respects the team's existing processes and seeks to improve them incrementally. It provides a gentler approach, allowing teams to work with their current processes while seeking gradual improvements over time.

Acts of leadership

Kanban encourages leadership at every level of the team. It's not just a manager's responsibility, but about encouraging all members to take responsibility for viewing and managing work, identifying possible problems and suggesting solutions.

Where can Kanban be applied?

In general, Kanban is applied to manage projects and monitor ongoing activities, monitoring project progress and managing constantly changing demands. But because it is highly flexible and adaptable, the methodology allows customization according to the needs and peculiarities of each context. These are some of the main contexts where Kanban can be applied:

Software development

Kanban is often used in agile software development teams. Development tasks are represented by cards and moved through the Kanban board, clearly showing the workflow and allowing teams to view task status, identify bottlenecks, and adjust priorities efficiently.

Customer service

The methodology is also useful in service teams, and is used to track and resolve support requests or problems reported by customers. This ensures that each request is met and helps improve communication between the support team and customers.

Human Resources

HR departments can apply Kanban to manage processes such as recruitment, candidate selection, training, and employee development, ensuring a more structured and efficient approach.

Maintenance and services

Here, Kanban can be used to track service orders, schedule maintenance, monitor troubleshooting time, and improve overall service efficiency.

Health production flow

Hospitals and clinics can use Kanban to manage patient flow in departments such as emergencies, surgeries, screenings, and other services, ensuring a more agile and efficient service.

Logistic flow

The methodology can also be used to track the movement of products and materials and improve supply chain management, from the supplier to the end customer.

How can the Kanban method be applied in the business sector?

If you are the manager of a company and are interested in applying the Kanban system to your workforce, know that there is a four-step cycle so that you can make this transition in an uncomplicated way. Check it out:

Prepare employees

Let employees be aware of how the method works, give instructions so that they can correctly use whatever system is implemented (physical wall or software), and also provide advice on who they should look for if they have questions about how to segment or prioritize.

Map all business processes

As the task cards need to be separated with each operation procedure, it is necessary to map all the steps and subtasks necessary to conclude the demands of each business sector. Only then will your collaborators be able to view the entire project and segment it.

Define what the priority criteria are

Establish how the tasks of each part of the company should be defined. Make clear the criteria that employees must consider to self-regulate their demands. These can be delivery time, production quantity, number of employees available for the job, etc.

Evaluate performance

To keep the organization practical and efficient, it is necessary to evaluate the team's performance when using the Kanban method. Therefore, check the workflow indicators and make the necessary adjustments to ensure the good productivity of the entire company.

What are the types of Kanban?

Discover three types of Kanban systems that exist and can be applied to your business.

Movement Kanban

This is the Kanban focused on the industrial sector, designed to control what is demanded by consumers and how many are produced. It can, for example, divide the tasks between the quantity of products ordered, how many are in production and the number that has already been finalized.Thus, it is easier to see if the workflow is being able to support the search for an item or, if to handle it, your business would need more people/machinery.

Production Kanban

Although the name is reminiscent of the previous system, this methodology is focused on micro tasks in a company with several sectors, not just production. The mural can be used by dividing the tasks of each team with different colors and delimiting the activities of all employees of your business.

E-Kanban

This type of Kanban can be deployed together with the previous two, since it concerns the adaptation of this method to the digital environment. That is to say, instead of using physical cards to arrange tasks on a wall, software is used that all employees have access to and can carry out the organization anytime and anywhere. e-Kanban is especially advantageous for businesses with the model of Remote work, which is a trend that has been reducing the costs of many projects.

What are the advantages of implementing Kanban in a business?

It's no secret that agile methodologies bring benefits to the enterprises in which they are deployed. However, the Kanban system stands out on this point, since for years its application has proven effective for businesses in different sectors such as education, industry, technology, communication, among others. Discover now the main advantages of choosing this way of organizing your institution:

• improves team productivity;
• reduces the demands that are left behind due to lack of attention;
• facilitates internal communication, as everyone knows exactly what should be prioritized;
• avoids overloading the team;
• reduces production bottlenecks;
• optimizes the complete visualization of the project operation;
• increases the autonomy of each sector, since there is no need to check the priority of demands with superiors;
• increases work agility;
• it is easily adaptable to the needs of each company;
• it works both for managing small projects and large businesses.

With so many improvements caused by this methodology, it's hard not to want to use it in your business, isn't it? Therefore, check out the tips we have for you to be able to integrate this system into the daily life of your business!

Tips for joining Kanban to your company

In addition to the necessary steps for the transition from a traditional management method to the Kanban system, there are some tips that we can cite to further optimize this adaptation. Check it out!

Have a general wall and other segmented ones

It is important that you, the manager, have a framework with the demands of your entire business. This makes it possible quickly view which are the main problems or even the sectors that need reinforcement to be able to meet the demands. This wall will also help you limit the tasks for each collaborator, in case any of them are overworked. However, it is interesting that each team or sector of the business has its own murals to manage their tasks. This reduces the chances of someone being confused with the activities of another sector and even the priority of demands because they are observing all the company's demands at once.

Use remote activity control tools

More and more, we can see companies that no longer work 100% in person. Whether through the hybrid or 100% remote work method, it is normal that some employees do not leave home to carry out their activities. For this reason, digital task control tools are essential to be able to measure your productivity, implement Kanban and also assess whether the transition is positive for the business. Don't be afraid to modernize your business processes, these devices can offer a series of functions that would not exist in traditional management. You can learn about some of these options in the post 20 tools for controlling remote activities!

Look for a way to manage working time

To be sure that the Kanban system is being applied correctly and optimizing the workflow of your business, it is important to account for the hours spent on each type of activity. That way, you you will have more data to understand what you need to improve in your system.There are several digital tools to carry out this work and they are also mentioned in the content indicated above. However, it's not worth just counting the hours and not taking any action based on that. Therefore, look for ways to unlock the most time-consuming activities of your employees. Electronic signatures, for example, have played a fundamental role in simplifying and streamlining business processes in various areas. Using Clicksign, online document signing has already been proven reduce the time spent formalizing transactions by 90%. After all, you can sign documents in less than 1 minute! Streamline your company's processes even more by combining the Kanban methodology with Clicksign's electronic signature! Try it free for 14 days, no credit card required.