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
How to use this template
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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] |
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.
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.
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.