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10FactorstoConsiderforyourKanbanBoardDesign
ADigitéWhitePaper
MaheshSinghCo-founder,Sr.VicePresident
KanbanCoach/Trainer
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TableofContent
StartingwithyourKanbanBoardDesign....................................3
The10FactorstoConsiderforyourKanbanBoardDesign..........41. WhatkindofworkisbestmanagedonaKanbanBoard?................42. BoardOrganization/Informationmodel.................................................73. TheScopeofyourBoard–HorizontalandVertical............................94. TheWorkMixyouwillmanageontheBoard.....................................12
AbilitytoObserve,ManageandImproveFlow.........................135. GranularityofWorkflow..............................................................................146. GranularityofWorkItems..........................................................................177. ReducedMultitasking:LimitingWIP......................................................188. ClassesofService.............................................................................................209. Yourpoliciesandworkflowrules............................................................2110.TheOrganization/EnterpriseContext..................................................22
Conclusion...............................................................................23
AdditionalResources...............................................................24
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StartingwithyourKanbanBoardDesignStartingwithKanbanmayappearsimpleenough–afterall,whatcanbesimplerthan‘startwithwhatyouhave’?!However,modelingyourfirstKanbanboardcanbesurprisinglydifficult!Itrequiressomethinkingandplanning,dependingonanumberoffactors.Wheredoyoustart?WhatdoyoumodelinyourinitialKanbanboard?Howdoyouorganizetheboard?Howgranularshouldtheworkbeonit?Whatifyougetitwrong?Thesearealltypicalquestionswe’veseenteamsgrapplewith.Theyarealltherightquestionstoask,especiallythatlastone!InmostKanbantraining,welearnthatthereisno“perfect”board.Youwillalmostcertainlynotgetitrightthefirsttime.ThegoodnewsisitisnottoodifficulttoevolveandchangeyourKanbanboarddesigntomeetyourrequirementsandtomirroryourprocessaccurately.Asateam,youwillgothroughmultipleiterationsofyourboard’slayout,policies,WIPLimitsandotheraspectstillyoufeelsatisfiedwithit.Andofcourse,asyoustrivetoimprove–andchangeyouprocess–youwillneedtodoitagain–andinfactuseyourKanbanmetricstoconfirmifthe
changeshelpedyouimproveyourperformanceornot.Still,tohelpyouinyourinitialstruggletogetstarted,wediscuss10factorsyouneedtokeepinmindwhiledesigningyourinitialboard(s).Abstractedbasedonourdiscussionswithscoresofourowncustomerteams,these10factorswillhopefullyhelpyouorganizeandstreamlineyourinitialKanbanboarddesignwork.(Itexpandsfromandreplacesourprevious‘5Factors..’paperbasedonlessonslearnedsinceitwaswrittenbasedonthesecustomerdiscussions!)Thisdocumentassumessometraining/familiaritywithKanban,particularlytheKanbanMethodforknowledgework.IfyouwouldliketobrushuponKanban,dotakealookatourcomprehensiveKanbanGuideforaquickrecap.Note:SomeofthesefactorsmightseemmorerelevanttoelectronicKanbanboards–butaregenerallyrelevantforphysicalboardsaswell.
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The10FactorstoConsiderforyourKanbanBoardDesign
1. WhatkindofworkisbestmanagedonaKanbanboard?
2. TheBoardOrganization/InformationModel3. TheScopeofyourBoard–Verticaland
Horizontal4. TheWork-MixyouwillManageontheBoard5. GranularityofWorkflow6. GranularityoftheWorkitself7. LimitingWork-in-Progress(WIP)–how?8. DefiningClassesofService9. DefiningExplicitBoardPolicies10. TheOrganization/EnterpriseContext
Whileeachorganizationandteamcanrunintootherfactorstotakeintoaccount,these10factorsshouldgetyouofftoagoodstartdesigningyourinitialKanbanboards.
1. WhatkindofworkisbestmanagedonaKanbanBoard?
Kanbanboards/systemsinknowledgeworkaregreatforvisualizingandmanagingprocessesthathaveareasonablysophisticated(detailed)workflowandahighenoughvolumeofactivity.Thisisbecauseonlyinsuchsystemscanyoureliablyobserveflowofwork,bottlenecksinspecificworkflowstagesandattempttoimprovesuchprocesses.
WhileasimpleToDo–Doing–Donetypeofaworkflowmightseemagoodplacetostart,itdoesn’treallyprovideaninsightintothe“Doing”stageoftheprocess–andshouldideallybedecomposableintoworkflowstepswhereeachstepaddssomevalueinordertoprovidemeaningfulanalysis.Kanban’sfundamentalnatureistohelpyouanalyzeand
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improveyourprocess.So,the“Doing”stage–whichencapsulatesalloftheprocess–needstobeelaborated,decomposedintotheactualstepsbywhichworkisaccomplished,inordertogiveyourealvisibilityintotheprocess–andthereby,achancetotryandimproveitwherepossible.Processesof“KnowledgeWork”Kanbansystemsaregreatformanagingandunderstandingthenatureofknowledgeworkperformedtoproduce“knowledgedeliverables”.
Thesecouldberequirementsoruserstoriesinsoftware;HelpdeskticketsinIT/Ops;videos,eventsandwebsitepagesinmarketing;purchaseordersinprocurement;jobpostingsandcandidateappraisalsinHR,andthelike.
EachofthesedeliverableshasaspecificlifecycleorworkflowthatcanbemappedonaKanbanboard.Eachofthemisdoneinlargeenoughnumbersinthecourseofaprojectorasoftwaresprintorreleaseorinsometemporalcycle(week/month/quarter)inordertoproducemeaningfulanalysisaboutthedemandandcapacityoftheteam(theKanbansystem),itsthroughputandcycletimeperformance,anditsprocessbottlenecks,ifany.Processesthatare“longlasting”Thenatureofcompany’sbusinessmightbedeliveringtime-boundprojects.Oritmaybeaproductcompanybuilding/deliveringservicesoverthelongterm.Oritcouldbeboth?Yourcompanymaybeaproductcompanybutyoumaybepartofaprofessionalservices/implementationteamdoingshort-termimplementationprojectsforyourcustomers.Kanbanhelpsyouvisualizeandimproveavarietyofprocesses.UsingaKanbanboard,youcanobserveworkflowingacrosstheworkflow,andovertime,improvetheprocessaswellasmakeeffectivepredictionsaboutyourdeliverycapability.
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So,ideally,theseworkflowsshouldstayontheboard“overtime”–andhelpyoutrackyourperformanceandchangesthereofoverextendedperiods.Youshouldbeabletodothisateachworkflowlevelandattheboardleveloverall.Consequently,theworkflowsshouldnotbesetupforactivitiesthataretemporaryinnature.Forexample,itisbettertosetupa(limitedtime)projectasanindependentKanbanboardratherthanasaswimlaneinateam’sKanbanboard?Whentheprojectgetsdone,itiseasyto“close”theKanbanboard,ratherthantodeleteorrenameaswim-lane.Overtime,youwillhavearichdata-setofKanbanworkflowsacrossmultipletypesofprojectsandtheabilitytouseitmeaningfullyforforecastingfutureprojectperformance.Similarly,inaKanbanboardmeanttomanageaproduct’sdevelopmentactivity,itisbetternottosetupswim-lanesforspecificsprintsorreleasesofthedevelopmentwork.Oncethereleaseisdone,you’dhavetodeleteorrenametheswimlaneforthenextsprintorrelease,therebyriskinglosingdataforthepastreleases/sprints.
Evenonaphysicalboard,suchadesignwouldmeanrebuilding/redrawingtheboardoverandover.
Instead,yourboardshouldmodeltheactualsoftwaredevelopmentprocessthatisstableovertime,soyoucantweaktheprocessesmodeledonitovertimeandobserveyourteam’sperformance(andimprovementordeteriorationthereof!).Cardsofvarioussprintsorreleasesshouldallflowthroughthatsameprocessandifneeded,identifiedwithasprintorreleasetagorsticky.Repetitive/Calendar-drivenWork?Onearea,inourexperience,whereaKanbanboardmaynotbegreatformanagingworkisthingsofarepetitivenature,suchasthedailystandingcall/meeting,oradailystudyofpublishedcontentandsocialmediaposting(Tweets,FacebookorLinkedIn
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posts)ofasocialmediamarketer,orthetrackingofdailymeetings,etc.WhileyoumightstillchoosetomanageallyourworkonacommonKanbanboard,trackingrepetitiveworkmightappearsomewhatawkwardor‘kludgy’.Still,inboardsforfunctionssuchasMarketing,wherethereisalotofcalendardrivenandrepetitivework,itmakessensetomanageitonthesameKanbanboard.
2. BoardOrganization/InformationmodelNowthatyouhavenarroweditdowntowhatkindofworkprocessesyouwanttoputonyourKanbanboard,thenextthingistotacklehowyouwillorganizeyourboard.Somecommonconsiderations:• DoweorganizevariousKanbanboardsbyteam?
Bycustomerorproject?• Shouldwemodelallworkforateaminasingle
board?Orinseparateboards?Whatwouldbereasonstoconsidermultipleboards?
• Doweusemultipleswimlanes?Whatdoweuseswimlanesfor?Bydifferenttypesofwork?Ordifferentclassesofservice?
OrganizingbyPeople-TeamsThemostcommonboardorganizationwehaveseenworkisteam-basedboards.Ateamcanhaveoneormultipleboards–andthoseboardsjusttracktheworkthatthisteamdoes.Theremaybeother“higherlevel”boardswhereworkorprojectsmayinitiate,buttheactualworkdoneistrackedandmanagedonteam-levelboards.Theworkthateachboardtracksdependsonhowyourpeopleareorganizedintoteams.Themostcommongroupingexamplesofthisarefunctionorworktype(productmanagementvs.developmentteam),products,applicationsorservicessupported(CRMorERPteams,recruitmentteam,procurementteam),ortheymightbeprojectbased.Youalsoincreasinglyhave‘sharedservices’teamsthatprovidespecializedskillsandservicestomultipleotherteams–suchasUI,creative,DBAs,documentation,etc.thatmightsupportmultipleproductteams.Thinkingofteamsas“Services”InthelatestthinkinginKanban,youmightviewanorganizationasaseriesofinter-relatedservices
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(teamsorfunctions)thatprovidevalue-addedservicestotheproductdevelopmentorservicedeliveryworkflowfortheorganizationoverall.Inthiscontext,youcanthinkof“kanbanifyingeachservice”–andvisualizingitonaKanbanboard.
Giventhat,yourKanbanboardmaybesetupforaspecificService(suchasProductManagementorDevelopmentorDevOps).Withintheboard,youmighthavemultipleswim-lanesforeachproductaservicemightsupport,orfordifferenttypesofwork
orfordifferent“classesofservice”–moreonthatfurtherdown.Eachswimlanemighthaveitsownuniqueworkflow.Teamsmightbefurtherorganizedatotherlevels
suchas-
• Products/Servicesteams• Customer-specificteams• Projectteams
Dependingonyourcontext,youcanstartwithacertainboardorganization–andevolve/changeasneeded.
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3. TheScopeofyourBoard–HorizontalandVerticalNowthatyouknowwhatkindofaKanbanboardtosetup,wheredoyoustart?Whatistheproblemyouaretryingtosolve?BeforeyoustartwithyourKanbanboarddesign,itisagoodideatostartwiththatquestion.WhyareyouimplementingKanban?Isitthechallengeofnotbeingabletocompleteallstoriesinasprint?Isittheinabilitytomeetyourtimelineestimatesforyourwork?Isitpoorqualityofyourproductorservice?Exactlywhatpartofyouroverallworkareyoufacingtheproblem(s)in?ButIdon’thaveaproblem!Itisverylikelyyoumightbelieveyoudon’thaveaproblem.Someone–yourboss–askedyoutotakealookatKanban!Buteverythingisworkingwell.Qualityisgood.Deliveryhappensontime.Commitmentsarekept.Customersarehappy.Whyfixsomethingthatain’tbroke,youask?Goodpoint!Thethingtoaskmightbe,isitpossibleyoucanstillimproveandexpandyourbusiness?Reducetimetomarket?Winorconvertopportunities
thatyouwerenotevenabletolookatearlier?AllthesearegoodreasonstoconsiderusingKanban–andtodesignthatboardaccordingly.Thecommonquestionsyouaretryingtorespondtoare–• Wheredowestart?Andend?Howmuchofour
workflowshouldweputontheboard?Whatabouttheworkthathappenspriortoourworkingonit?
• Whatisourcurrentworkflow?Additionally,yourworkmightdependonsome“upstream”functionthatmightfurtheraffecthowyoudesignyourKanbanboard.Youneedtodecidewhereyouwantto“start”yourKanbanboardandwhereyouwanttoendit.Youcanstartbyconsidering–whatisthecontextinwhichyouwork?Contextcanbeafunctionofmultiplefactors–
• ThespecificFunction/Product/Service(s)youworkfor
• UpstreamandDownstreamDependenciesonotherfunctions
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YourSpecificFunction/Deliverable/ServiceAsateam,whatisyourmainresponsibility?Whatareyourkeydeliverablesforyour(internalorexternal)customers?
Thesimpleanswertothequestionofscopeisofcoursetolookatworkthatcomesintoyourteam’s“in-tray”orinbox.Theworkflowiscompletewhenyourteamfinishesworkingonitanditgetshandedoffeithertoacustomerortoanotherteamthatmightneedtoworkonitfurther.Thiskeepstheboarddesignsimpleandhelpsyoufocusonyourworkfloworyourprocessandhelpsyouanalyzeyourperformance.
DependenciesonUpstream/DownstreamActivityItmaynotbeimportanttomodeltheworkflowforyourentirecontext,butitisimportanttounderstandit.Evenifyouwanttofocusonyourownteam’swork,youwillstillbenefitfromanunderstandingofwhathappenstotheworkpriortoitsarrivalatyourKanbanboard.Similarly,youwillwanttounderstandhowthatworkishandledbyyourcustomer(dotheyhavetodoaformalapprovalorasignoff)orbythenextteaminline(howtheyworkonitanddeliverittothenextstage).Gaininganunderstandingofbothupstreamanddownstreamworkflowsiscentraltotheconceptof“systems-thinking”–andtoensuringthatatanoveralllevel,yourorganizationislookingtooptimizetheentireworkflow,theentiresystem,notjustlocalworkflowsatindividualteamlevel.Thisiscrucialsincefocusingonlyatafew(oryourown)workflowsandoptimizingthemcouldleadtoimbalancesinbothupstreamanddownstreampartsoftheorganization–theconceptofsystemoptimizationvs.localoptimization.
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Whileitisnotpossibletodiscussthisaspectindetailinthispaper,wedefinitelyrecommendtakingalookatimmediatelyupstreamanddownstreamfunctions,theiractivityandtheimpactyourownoptimizationeffortsmighthaveonthem.Thisalsohelpsyoudecideifyouhaveasinglelevelworkflow–orifsomestagesmightneedtobeexploded(decomposed)into“lower-level”detailedworkflows.Doingsoenablesyoutokeepasimpler,yetdetailedenough,workflowatthetoplevelandprovidegreatervisibilitytomoredetailedstepsthatonlysomepartsofyourtop-levelworkflowmighthave.Youcaneasilymodelthisusingmultipleswimlaneswithinthesameboard,withlowerlevelworkflows
havingtheirownswim-lanes.Forexample,onaMarketingboard,workingonawebsitepageandworkingonaneventsuchasawebinarmightbothcomeundera“In-Progress”columnatthehigherlevel,buttheeventorganizationisacomplex/detailedtask–andcouldbenefitfromhavingaseparate“Events”swim-lanethathasallthenecessarystepsforittobemanagedandtrackedeffectively.
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4. TheWorkMixyouwillmanageontheBoardMostmanagers,whenplanningtheirteam’swork,ormakingcommitmentsontheirbehalftotheirmanagement,donotrealizethatmostofthetime,theirteamsaredoingmultipletypeofwork.Inthecaseofsoftwareteams,forexample,thatworkmaycompriseofnewfeatures,enhancementtoexistingfeaturesaswellasdefectfixes.Itmightalsoneedtoincludesomecoderefactoringworkfortheoverallhealthoftheproduct/application.QuestionstoaskwhiledesigningyourBoard–• Whatworkdowedo?Aretheredifferenttypesof
workitemsanddeliverables?• Doeseachofthemhavethesameworkflowor
differentworkflows?• Whatvolumeofeachtypeofworkdowegeteach
dayorweekormonth?Howmuchareweabletodeliver?
Inthecaseofamarketingteam,theworkmightincludeshorttasks-suchassocialmediapostsonadailybasisaswellaslongerlead-timeactivitiessuchasorganizingaconferenceorawebinar.Ofcourse,
youcouldalsoberespondingtobrokenwebsitelinksandfixingotherissuesonthewebsite.Whetheryouareasoftware/ITteam,oryouareamarketing,HR,legalorSupportteam,youhavesomekeyresponsibilitiesandspecificdeliverablesbasedonthatactivity.Theseincludeyourmaindeliverablesbutalsosomethatwouldbeconsideredintangible(“importantbutnoturgent”)category.Insoftware,coderefactoringcometomind.Thebestwaytolookatyourworkisbythetypeofworkitis–andclassifyitassuch.Inthecaseofasoftwareteam,thesemightbeUserStories,EnhancementsandDefects,forexample.InthecaseofaMaintenanceteamoranITHelpdeskteam,thesemightbeSupportTickets,ServiceRequests,Issues,Defects,etc.Inthecaseofamarketingteam,thesemightbemailers,socialmediaupdates,SEOtasks,blogposts,andsoon.Thereasontodothis“demand”analysis(workthatyourteamisbeingaskedtodorepresentsdemandonyourteam’scapacity)istounderstandtheworkmix–andthevariabilityinyourworkmix.
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Basedontheworkitems,youmightdecidetohaveaKanbanboardwhereeachworkitemmighthaveitsownseparateworkflow(andsoaswimlane).Oryoumightchoosetokeepthemallinasinglelanebecausebyandlargetheirworkflowissimilar.
Later,ifitturnsoutthattheworkflowforsomeitemsisverydifferentfromthatofothers,youcould
separatethemintodifferentswim-lanesthathavetheworkflowneededforeachgroup.Forexample,UserStoriesandEnhancementsworkflowmaybedifferentfromtheworkflowforIssuesandDefects.Theeasiestthingtodoinitiallywouldbetostartwithacommonworkflow/swimlaneforalltypeofwork.
AbilitytoObserve,ManageandImproveFlow
ThisisprobablyoneofthemostpowerfulaspectsofvisualizationonaKanbanboard.KanbanisaboutimplementingPull,managingandimprovingFlow.Inordertobeabletoobserveflow,youneedyourboardtobe‘active’whereeverysooften–perhapseveryday,everyfewhoursordays–workmovesfromonestagetothenextandyourteamgetsthevisceralsatisfactionofaccomplishingsomethingeverysooften!Allpeopleassociatedwiththeboardshouldbeabletorelatetocardmovementwithworkprogressandbeabletoobserveitonaregularbasis.Thatmeans,
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ideally,youshouldnothavecardsonyourboardthatsitinoneplaceforweeksonendwhilealotofworkisactuallygettingdoneonthatcard.Ofcourse,thisappliesprimarilytoteamlevelboards.Ifyouarelookingatportfoliolevelboards,itisquitelikelyyouwillhavecardsthatrepresentprojectsorlargeinitiatives,whichmightsitunderan“Execution”or“In-progress”stageforlongperiodsoftime.(Infact,wehavesolvedthatproblemwithaspecial“PortfolioLane”capabilitythathelpsyoutrack%progresscompletionwithautomaticcardmovementforsuchhighlevelcardsinyourportfolioKanbanboards!)Thenext3factorsarecrucialforbeingabletoobserve,manageandmeasureFlow!
5. GranularityofWorkflowAsmentionedearlier,itisnotenoughtohavea“ToDo–Doing–Done”workflowwithpotentiallonglead-time“Doing”stagewhereworkmight‘sit’fordaysorweeks.Nordoesitlenditselftoanyworkflowanalysisofwhichstageofthevalue-additionmightbeproblematic–pronetodelaysorbeingblockedforexample.Bybreakingthe“Doing”
stageintoasufficientnumberofactualvalue-addingsteps,youcanbetterunderstandthenatureofthework–andbetterobserveflowofworkacrossthosesteps.Thereareafewinterestingandimportantaspectsaboutdefininganeffectiveworkflow–thesearedescribedbelow.Handoffbetweenpeoplevs.betweenprocessstepsHowdetailedshouldtheworkflowbreakdownbe?Iftheworkisbeingdonebythesameperson,shouldyouhavea“large”singlestep–sayDevelopment(inthecontextofsoftwaredevelopmentwork)orshouldyoubreakitdowntosay“Design–Coding+JUnits–FunctionalAutomation”?Whatifthesamepersonisdoingall3steps–wouldyouranswervarybasedonthat?
Astheysay,followthework,notthepeople.InaKanbanboard(oranyworkflowanalysisforthatmatter),whatyouaretryingtounderstandiswhatstagesofworkaremoreimpactfulfromsaylead-timeperformanceperspective,whatstagesarethebottlenecks,whatstagesaremorecomplex,etc.Soevenifthesamepersonisworkingonmultiple
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contiguousstagesofanoverallstep,itwouldbeusefultoidentifyanddefinethemonyourKanbanboard.
Ahandofffromonepersontoanothertypicallyrepresentsaswitchbetweenprocesssteps,soyoudefinitelywanttomapthosehandoffs(unlessitisahandoffbetweentwopeoplein2consecutiveshiftsina24x7supportenvironment,wherethenextpersoncontinuestodotheexactsamethingthepreviouspersonwas!)Theotheraspectofahandoffisthedelaythatusuallyoccursbetweenworkbeingcompletedonaworkiteminonestageandthestartofworkonthatiteminthenextstage.Handoffstypicallyresultinasignificantamountofwaittimeinanoverall
workflow,andimpacttheoverallefficiencyofthesystemsignificantly.(ThisisreferredtoasFlowEfficiency–moreonthatattheendofthepaper).Soyoudefinitelyshouldmodelthehandoffs,mappingboththeworkstagesaswellastheintermediatewaitstage.IntermediateBufferQueuesAwordabouttheintermediatewaitstages.Waitstagesareimportantastheyworkasbuffersbetween2workstages,eachofwhichmighthavedifferentcapacitiesandthroughputorspeedofdelivery.Thewaitstateshelpineveningoutminor–ortemporary-differencesincapacityofsuccessiveworkstages.Ifoneworkingstagedeliversworkdirectlyintoitssuccessorworkingstage,itcanquicklyresultina“jammingofcapacity”ofthenextworkingstage.Havingtheintermediatebufferstatehelpsthepeopleinthenextstagecontinuetofocusontheircurrentwork,andonlypullworkfromthepreviousstagewhentheyarereadyforit–thatis,havecapacitytodoit.
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Seeingtheworkitemsinthewaitstateservesasaremindertothem,asalsototheoverallsystem,ofanybuildupofworkinprogress(WIP)andalertsthemtopotentialslowdowninoverallthroughputorvelocityoftheworkbeingdone.Mostimportantly,intermediatebufferstateshelpteamsandmanagersmeasuremoreaccuratelywherethedelayinthesystemisoccurring.IfDevhascompletedtheirwork–anditisnowwaitinginthe“readyfortest”state,thedelayisonthetestingstage,perhapsindicatingtheremaynotbeenoughtestersinthesystemandhighlightingtheissuemoreclearly.ConsecutiveBufferStagesShouldyouhavebotha“DevDone”anda“ReadyforTest”bufferstates?Couldn’twejusthaveone,perhapsthe“ReadyforTest”,asshownbelow–
InordertosavehorizontalspacewhiledesigningtheKanbanboard,itisdesirabletohavejust1intermediatewaitstage.Ingeneral,itisagoodideatonamethatDevDoneinsteadofReadyforTest.DevDoneindicatesthatDevisdonewiththatwork.However,theTestingteammaynotbereadyforstartingworkonit.Onlywhentheyare,theypullworkintotheTestingIn-progresscolumn.
However,wehaveseensomeraresituationswherethereisacontentionbetweenDevandTest(orsimilarotherfunctions)whetherDevisreallycompleteornot!Inhigh-costorcriticalsituations,managementmightreallyneedtopinpointtherootcauseofdelaysinthesystem–andmightwanttohavebothstates.Hopefully,youdonothavetoworryaboutthisandcanmanagewithjustone“Done”intermediatebuffer!
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6. GranularityofWorkItemsJustasimportantastheworkflowstepsistheworkbreakdown.Evenifyouhavefinerworkflowsteps,buthavelargechunksofwork,theywillexhibitasimilartendencyofnotmovingacrossstepsbecauselargepiecesofworktakelongertocomplete.So,especiallyatthelevelwhereyouwanttospecificallymeasuredetailedmetricssuchasflowefficiency,cycletimeandthroughput,youshouldensurethattheworkbreakdownissufficienttoprovidethe‘flow’.Atthesametime,youneedtoensurenottomakeittoogranularsoyouareburdenedwithmanaginghundredsofcardsontheKanbanboard!Youneedtobalancebetweentoomuchandtoolittlegranularityofwork.Youmightconsideranexplicitpolicyforyourboardthatmakesitcleartoallteammemberswhatgoesontheboardasacard,andwhatdoesnot.Forexample,youmightsayanythingthattake15minutesorlessneednotgoasaseparatecard–perhapsyoutrackallyoursmalltasksinadaywithasinglecardthataccumulatesallsucheffortfortheday.
Inadditiontotheabove,thereareacoupleofotherinterestingandimportantaspectsofhowyoudefineworkflowontheboard.HierarchyofWorkItemsOneaspectofthisfactoristhatmostworkwedois“hierarchical”innature.Smallerpiecesofworkadduptohigher-leveltasksandprojectsandcorporateobjectives.Evenatateamlevel,youcaneasilyhaveahierarchyinwhichyounaturallythinkofandplanwork.Thiscouldbe,inthecontextofAgileteams,anEpic–UserStory–Taskhierarchy.ItcouldbeaProgram–Project–TaskhierarchyforaPMOteam.Eachbusinesscontextwillhaveitsownexample.Dependingonhowyougoaboutit,youmightwanttomodelalllevelsofahierarchyinyourKanbanboard–withdifferentswimlanestotrackeachlevelofthehierarchy,oryoumighttrackeachlevelonaseparateKanbanboard.Youcouldshowparent-childlinksusingstickiesonaphysicalboardorlinksavailableinatoollikeSwiftKanban.
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Asyoucanimagine,thelowerlevelchildcardswillmove“faster”thanhigher-levelparentcards.Atthesametime,theworkflowwillbemoregranularforlowerlevelcards,lesssoattheparentlevels.So,cardsondifferentlevelsorboardswillexhibitdifferentbutexpectedbehavior.Basedonwhatyourteamfeelsistheidealwaytoshowormeasureprogress,youwillneedtodecidehowdifferentcomponentsofyourwork-itemhierarchywillneedtobemodeledinoneormoreKanbanboards.
7. ReducedMultitasking:LimitingWIPLimitingtheworkinprogress(WIP)andreducingmultitaskinginordertohelpyourteammembersfinishwhattheyarecurrentlyworkingonbeforepullingnewworkisoneofthecornerstonesoftheKanbanmethod!SomecommonquestionsmostteamsdefiningWIPLimitsforthefirsttimehaveare–• HowdoWIPLimitswork?• HowdoesreducingWIPactualimproveFlow?• HowdowedefineWIPLimits?
Ashasbeensaidoften,WIPlimitsworkastheconstraintsorthechannelthroughwhichworkflows.Theypreventyoufrompullingnewworkintothechannel-andforceyoutofirstfinishwhatyouarealreadydoing.Theyforceyoutoaddressanyblocked
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itemssittinginthechanneland‘occupyingcapacity’.Themoreyoucompletecurrentworkandpassitalongtothenextstage,themoreyouhelpworktokeepflowingthroughyourKanbanboard.Voila!YouhaveFlow!
DefiningtheWIPLimitsforyourboardiscanfeeltrickyinthebeginning.WhatvaluedoyouassigntotheWIPLimitoneachcolumn?AsimplebuteffectiveformulaistohavetheWIPLimitforacolumnorqueuetobeequalto1-2(or
1.5)timesthenumberofpeopleworkinginthatqueue.(AttheLeanKanbanIndiaConferencein2016,DonReinertsengaveaverysimpleformulafordefiningtheWIPLimits.HesaidnottodefineWIPlimitsatthestart.Simplyobserveyourboardandtheworkflow.OnceyouhadestablishedwhattheaverageWIPwasineachcolumn,youcouldstartbydefiningtheWIPlimitequaltotwicetheaverageWIP.Afterthat,you’dadjustbasedonsystembehavior.)DefiningtheWIPLimitsisveryempowering!Theyhelpyouunderstandyourteam’slimitsonhowmuchworktheycantakeon.Moreimportantly,theyserveasaconstantremindertoyourcustomersormanagersthatyourteamhaslimitedcapacity!HavingtheWIPlimitsvisualizedhasadramaticdampeningeffectonpeopletryingtopushadditionalworkattheteam(forgenuinereasons)!Theyhelpyoutrulypushyourstakeholdersandteammemberstofocusonthemostimportantthingstobeachieved–andselectonlythoseforworkingonnext.WIPLimitsmakesurethatyoudon’tgetoverwhelmedwith“Urgent”stuffallthetime;andifneeded,theyhelpyouhaveconversationsaround
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whatneedstogetofftheboardinordertoaccommodateanythingnewthatismoreurgent.(OneotheraspectofdefiningWIPLimitsisdecidingifyouwillallowWIPLimitstobeexceeded–butalerttheteamofthathappening–ORifyouwillnotallowWIPLimitstobeexceeded.Sometimes,businessprioritiesandalsoblockedcardssittinginaqueuecanresultinWIPlimitsbeingviolated–andallowedinyourcontext.However,thisneedstobediscussedandagreedupon.)AshasalsobeensaidintheKanbancommunity,defineyourWIPlimits–and“STOPStarting.STARTFinishing!”
8. ClassesofServiceAnotheraspectofworkthatmostpeopledealwithisworkpriorityorcriticality.Ifoneofyourchallengesistodealwithalotofworkthatgetsmarked“urgent”or“critical”,andyourteamisoverwhelmedtryingtodelivertheseurgentworkitems,youmightconsiderdesigningaboardbypriorityorcriticality.
TheKanbanMethodprovidesagreatalternativeframeworktodealwiththis.ItisreferredtoastheClassofService.TheKanbanclassesofservice(Standard,Expedited,FixedDeliveryDateandIntangible)provideagoodframeofreferencetohowyoumightwanttothinkofyourworkandhowyouwanttoallocateyourteam’scapacitytothevariousclassesofserviceofworktheyaretypicallycalledupontodo.Classofservicesegregatesworkbytheircostofdelay(thatis,thecostincurredbytheteamortheorganizationbasedonthedelayinstartingthatactivity).BasedonthecostofdelayassociatedwitheachClassofService,yourteammightdefineexplicitpoliciestodealwithworkitemsineachClassofService.Forexample,youmightdecidethatinagivenworkingday,youwillreservecapacitytodealwithatleast1andatmost2expedited(hithertoreferredtoas“urgent”or“critical”)items.Insuchacase,youmighthaveaKanbanboardwithatleastsomecorrelationbetweenClassofservicesandtheswim-lanes.Youmightnothaveoneforeachofthe4,butyoumighthaveatleast2-1forurgentwork(Expeditedclass)–ifyourteamisprone
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tobeaskedtoworkon“urgent”stuffeverysooften-andoneforallnormalwork(Standardclass).
Ifyouarediligentabouthygienework–alltheimportantbutnon-urgentwork–suchascodecleanup,orotherhousekeepingwork–whichisnoturgenttillonedayyourSaaSservercrashes,youmighthaveanextraswimlaneforIntangibleclassofservicetovisualizeandaccumulateallworkthatneedstobedone.Andyoumightdefineastandingpolicythateverytimeadeveloperhasanybandwidth,theyshouldworkonsomeofthatintangiblework.Itispossiblethatyoumightcomeupwithadditionalclassesofserviceinyourcontext,assomeofour
customershave,butwebelievethese4classesofserviceareprettybroadlydefinedtocoverallscenarios.UsingClassesofServiceandhavingpoliciesandWIPlimitsaroundthemalsohelpyouensurethatyougiveappropriateprioritytothevarioustypesofdemandyourteamfaces.
9. YourpoliciesandworkflowrulesEveryorganizationandteamhassomeformalandinformalrulesthattheyabideby.KanbanofcourseencouragesyoutomakeyourpoliciesexplicitandvisibletoallstakeholdersandmembersofaKanbanteamandboard.AsyouthinkaboutyourKanbanboarddesign,youneedtogivethoughttosomeofthemainrulesandpoliciesthatyouhaveinplacethatyouwouldwanttobeappliedonyourKanbanboard.InLean/Agilegroups,thereisalotofattentiontothe“DefinitionofDone”.Whenissomethingsaidtobecomplete?Formorecomplexboards/workflows–orinmorestructuredsettings,teamscanhavesomeverygooddocumentedcriteriaforverifyingthatsomethinghas
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actuallybeencompleted.
Ifthisisyoursituation,youcanuseanumberoftoolstodefineyourentryorexitcriteriaforeachoftheboardcolumns(queues).Youmightalsosetupanexplicittasklistthathelpspeopleworkingonthosecardstounderstandhowworkneedstobedoneonthatcard.Youcanuseanynumberofthesetoolstoensurethatyourworkprocessisdefinedinadequatedetail,thatthecriteriaforhowworkcanstartonaparticularcardinaspecificcolumnorhowworkcanbedeclaredtobedonesothenextcolumn’sworkcanstart.AllsuchrulesorpoliciescanbevisualizedrightontheKanbanboard–eitherateachcolumnheaderoratswim-lanelevel–orinaseparateareaonaphysicalboard.
10. TheOrganization/EnterpriseContextManyoftheprecedingfactorsdependonwhetheryouareimplementingKanbanforyourteamoraspartofalargereffortinyourorganization.Attheteamlevel,thetypicalsituationis–youareeitherasmallcompanyorafunctioninthecompanyoryouareateamwithinalargerenterprisecheckingoutKanbanonyourown.Somehow,someoneinyourteamheardofKanbanandconvincedalltheteammembersthisisagreatthingtotryout!Consequently,youaretryingoutKanbanandfiguringoutwheretostart.Attheenterpriselevel,thetypicalsituationis–youareheadofadepartment(typicallyIT,Ops,DevOps,PMOorevenMarketing,Legal,HR,etc.)andeitheryoudiscoveredKanbanoroneofyourteamsdidandtoldyouaboutit.Youdecideditisagreatmethodtoadoptinordertoimproveorganizationalperformance.Onrareoccasions,youaretheentireenterprise–andyouhavedecidedtoimplementaLean/Agileinitiative–andtouseKanbanatleastasoneofyourtoolsfordoingso.
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AssumingyouhavealreadygearedupintermsofTraining,coachingandsupportplans–youmighthavesetupacoreKanbansupportteamtodesigntheKanbanimplementationfortheorganization–itwouldbeusefultohavesomeinitialplanninginthefollowingareas:
• Standardizationofsomebasicsetofpolicies• InformationModelDesign
o Howtoorganizetheboard(s)?Byteam?Byproduct/application/service?
o Howtorollupprogressinformationuptohigher-levelprogramorportfolioboards?
• Standardizedvaluesfordatasuchas“ClassesofService”,validwork-itemhierarchies,etc.
• MinimumReportingandMetricsdoweuse?• Supportinggeographicallydistributedteams
withelectronictoolsDependingonthesizeoftheorganizationandthevarietyoffunctionsandservicesadoptingKanban,therecouldbemanysuchbasicdecisionsthatitmightbebesttotakeinacentralizedmanner.
SomeofthesemightalsoneedtodecidedmorebecauseoftheuseofacentralizeduseofanelectronictoolsuchasSwiftKanban.Ofcourse,ingeneral,thebasictenetsofKanbanstillapplyandyoushouldsticktothem–Startwithwhatyoudocurrently,VisualizeyourworkflowandImplementPull!Therestshouldfollowfromthere!
ConclusionWehopeyouhaveenjoyedthisguidetoyourfirst–orinitial–Kanbanboard(s)!Ifyouhaveanysuggestionsorfeedback,wewouldlovetohearfromyou.ThereisnoperfectKanbanboards–andmost,ifnotall–arecontinuous“workinprogress”!Theyevolveasyourteamevolvesandimproves.WewishyouallthesuccesswithyourLean/Agileinitiative!
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AdditionalResourcesIfyouwouldliketofurtherenhanceyourKanbanimplementationexperience,herearesomeresourceswe’dliketorecommend:DigitéResources
1. OurcomprehensiveKanbanGuide(https://www.digite.com/kanban/)
2. WhatisaKanbanBoard?(https://www.digite.com/kanban/kanban-board/)
3. GettingStartedwithKanban–AnexhaustivelistofbooksandblogsonLean/Kanban(https://www.digite.com/kanban/getting-started-with-kanban/)
4. GuestpostsandourownontheDigitéBlog(https://www.digite.com/blog/)
5. FlowEfficiencyblogpost(http://bit.ly/2GJ5ede)
6. WebinaronUpstream/CustomerKanban(http://bit.ly/2GGmpfm)
7. WebinaronClassofService(advanced)(http://bit.ly/2GM5et7)
OtherResources
1. SystemsThinkingApproachtoImplementingKanban–STATIK(http://bit.ly/2GJxVa9)
2. KanbanTrainingwiththegetKanbangame(https://getkanban.com/)
3. KanbanTrainingfromtheLeanKanbanUniversity(http://leankanban.com/)
4. KanbanCoaching/TrainingServicesfromDigitéandourpartners(https://www.digite.com/services/training-and-consulting/)