Lean Kanban Workshop

Lean Foundations

Lean Thinking

Maximizing value and minimizing waste by improving the flow of work through a system.

Value and Waste

Value is what the customer is willing to pay for; waste is everything else, which Lean seeks to eliminate.

Flow

The smooth, uninterrupted movement of value through a process from request to delivery.

Pull

Pulling work into the next step when capacity is available, rather than pushing regardless of load.

Little's Law

Average cycle time equals work in process divided by throughput; reducing WIP shortens cycle time.

Kanban Practices

Kanban

A method that visualizes work, limits WIP, and manages flow to improve delivery evolutionarily.

Visualize Work

Making work and its stages visible on a board so the team sees status and flow.

Limit WIP

Capping work in process to reduce multitasking, expose bottlenecks, and improve flow.

Manage Flow

Monitoring and improving how smoothly and quickly work moves through the system.

Make Policies Explicit

Defining clear, shared rules for how work moves and is prioritized.

Feedback Loops

Cadenced meetings and reviews that provide feedback to improve the system.

Improve Evolutionarily

Improving the process through small, continuous, collaborative changes.

Board

Kanban Board

A visual board with columns for workflow stages and cards for work items.

WIP Limits

Maximum items allowed in a stage, central to healthy flow.

Bottleneck

A stage where work accumulates; WIP limits make it visible so it can be addressed.

Blocker

An impediment stopping a card's progress; visualizing it speeds resolution.

Metrics

Cycle Time

The time a work item takes to move through the workflow.

Lead Time

The total time from request to delivery, as experienced by the customer.

Throughput

The number of items completed per period, indicating delivery rate.

Cumulative Flow Diagram

A chart of work in each state over time that reveals WIP buildup and bottlenecks.

Applying It

Kanban Game / Simulation

A hands-on exercise that demonstrates flow, WIP effects, and improvement concretely.

Reducing Batch Size

Working in smaller batches to reduce cycle time, risk, and variability.

Continuous Improvement

Using metrics and reviews to keep improving flow over time.

Starting with Kanban

Applying Kanban to the current process and improving it incrementally, without disruptive change.