10 Factors to Consider for your Kanban Board Design

©Digité,Inc. 10FactorsforKanbanBoardDesign Page1

10FactorstoConsiderforyourKanbanBoardDesign

ADigitéWhitePaper

MaheshSinghCo-founder,Sr.VicePresident

KanbanCoach/Trainer


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


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.


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


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.


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


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


(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.


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


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.


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.


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.


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,


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


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.


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!


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.


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


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


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


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


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.


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!


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/)

10 Factors to Consider for your Kanban Board Design

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