# Kanban Board

**Framework:** Visualize the work, limit work in progress, manage flow  
**Use for:** Running a continuous stream of work (support, ops, maintenance, any unpredictable inflow) where fixed sprints do not fit  
**Time required:** 30 minutes to set up the board and its WIP limits, then it runs continuously

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## How to use this template

1. Map your real workflow into columns, not an idealized one. The columns are the stages a work item actually passes through, from request to done.
2. Set a work-in-progress (WIP) limit on every active column. This is the whole point. A board with no WIP limit is a to-do list, not Kanban. The limit is what forces you to finish before you start.
3. Pull, do not push. A column takes new work only when it is below its WIP limit and the upstream column has something ready. Work is pulled forward by capacity, not pushed forward by hope.
4. Watch where cards pile up. The column that keeps hitting its WIP limit is your bottleneck. That is the signal Kanban exists to surface. Fix the constraint, not the symptom.
5. Measure flow, not activity. Cycle time (how long a card takes from start to done) and throughput (cards finished per week) tell you whether the system is improving. Point-counting velocity is a Scrum habit. Kanban cares about flow.

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## The board

Set a WIP limit on each in-progress column. Backlog and Done are unlimited; everything between them is capped.

| Backlog | Ready (WIP: __) | In Progress (WIP: __) | Review (WIP: __) | Done |
|---------|-----------------|------------------------|------------------|------|
| [item] | [item] | [item] | [item] | [item] |
| [item] | [item] | [item] | | [item] |
| [item] | | | | [item] |

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## WIP limits and pull policies

| Column | WIP limit | When does a card move in? |
|--------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Ready | [n] | Groomed, acceptance criteria clear, ready to start |
| In Progress | [n] | A person has free capacity and pulls from Ready |
| Review | [n] | Work meets the Definition of Done and needs a second set of eyes |
| Done | — | Reviewed, accepted, shipped |

**Classes of service (optional):** mark expedite / standard / fixed-date lanes so urgent work has an explicit fast path instead of informally jumping the queue.

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## Flow health

| Metric | What it tells you | This board |
|--------|-------------------|------------|
| Cycle time | Request to done, the speed the customer feels | [ ] |
| Throughput | Cards finished per week | [ ] |
| WIP | Cards in progress right now | [ ] |
| Blocked / aging | Items stuck waiting | [ ] |

> A rising cycle time at steady throughput means WIP is creeping up. Tighten a limit. Do not add people.

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*Kanban's discipline is subtraction: cap the work in progress and the bottlenecks announce themselves. A board without WIP limits is just a prettier backlog. More on Agile, Scrum versus Kanban, and flow in the Frameworks & Mental Models Guide at biztechprimer.com.*