CTSS Academy

What is Kanban?


Listen Later

šŸ‘‰ In this episode, we dive deep into theĀ Kanban Model in Software Engineering — one of the most powerful and widely usedĀ Agile frameworksĀ that helps teams visualize work, limit tasks in progress, and continuously improve delivery speed.


šŸ”‘Ā Key takeaways:

• What is Kanban? — A visual Agile framework that originated at Toyota in the 1940s; Kanban means ā€œbillboardā€ in Japanese. It usesĀ boards, columns, and cardsĀ to show task progress. šŸ“‹

• When to use Kanban:Ā Perfect when you need flexibility, continuous delivery, priority changes on the fly, and full workflow visibility. šŸ”„

• Kanban Cards:Ā Represent tasks with details like owner, due date, type, and priority. Cards move across workflow columns (To-do → Dev → Test → Done). šŸŽ“

• Kanban Board:Ā AĀ physical or digital board (e.g., JIRA)Ā that tracks tasks across stages while enforcingĀ WIP (Work in Progress) limits. šŸ“Š

• Kanban Workflow:Ā Defines step-by-step task movement (To-do → Analysis → Development → Testing → Release → Done). Follows the principle:Ā ā€œStop starting, start finishing.ā€Ā āœ…

• Four Core Principles of Kanban:


  • Start with what you have now

  • Pursue incremental change

  • Respect current process & roles

  • Leadership at all levels

    • Six Core Practices:Ā Visualize workflow, Limit WIP, Focus on flow, Define explicit policies, Create feedback loops, Continuous improvement ā™»ļø

    • Pull-based system:Ā Developers/testers pull tasks when ready — no pushing. Helps balance workload & improve efficiency. ⚔

    • Lead Time vs. Cycle Time:

  • Lead Time = Task creation → Release

  • Cycle Time = Work start → Ready for release

    (Kanban aims to minimize the gap between them). ā±ļø

    • Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD):Ā Tracks work items across stages, highlights bottlenecks, and measures throughput. šŸ“ˆ

    • Limiting WIP:Ā Prevents overload, improves predictability, and ensures tasks get finished instead of piling up. 🚦

    • Scrum vs. Kanban:

  • Scrum = time-boxed sprints, fixed roles, planning-heavy

  • Kanban = continuous flow, flexible roles, adaptive & visual



⚔ Summary:

Kanban is anĀ Agile, pull-based methodologyĀ that usesĀ boards and cardsĀ to manage tasks across stages. WithĀ WIP limits, lead/cycle time tracking, and continuous improvement, it helps teamsĀ deliver faster, adapt quickly, and maintain efficiency.Ā šŸš€


✨ Don’t forget to subscribe for moreĀ Agile, Scrum, and software testing tutorials!


šŸ“– And if you want to deepen your knowledge, check out my eBookĀ Kill All Bugs: Learn Software Testing in 1 Day:

šŸ‘‰ https://testingin1day.com

šŸ‘‰ https://testingin1day.ikas.shop

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

CTSS AcademyBy CTSS Academy