4.3Kanban: flow management
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Kanban board: columns (To do / In progress / Done), cards moving forward.
- WIP limit: cap work in progress to finish before starting.
- Reflex: act where cards pile up (bottleneck) — no imposed sprints or roles.
Running case — Bilal visualizes the support flow
Alongside his sprints, Bilal inherits an unpredictable support request flow: sprints cannot be planned. He draws a To do / In progress / Done board, limits In progress to 3 cards, and immediately sees where everything piles up: the “In review” column overflows.
Sequel to cases 4.1-4.2 — Bilal handles continuous flow differently from the product.
1. Visualizing flow
Kanban is an agile approach centred on visualization and flow smoothness. Its core: the Kanban board — columns (“To do”, “In progress”, “Done”) where tasks, as cards, move left to right.
You instantly see work state and blocking points.
2. The WIP limit
Its most powerful rule: the work-in-progress limit (WIP limit) — you cap simultaneous tasks per column. It forces you to finish before starting, reveals bottlenecks and smooths everything.
Unlike Scrum, Kanban imposes neither sprints nor roles: it gently adapts to a continuous request flow.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Limiting WIP speeds up
Counter-intuitive.
Too many parallel tasks → scattering, context switches, nothing finished.
WIP limit (e.g. max 3 “In progress”) → finish before starting.
→ doing less at once, but finishing, is faster overall.Outcome: reduced real lead times, better quality.
Reflex: act where cards pile up (bottleneck).
Section vocabulary
- Kanban
- An agile flow-management method: visualize work, limit work in progress, optimize smoothness.
Simple example: Bilal tracks his support requests on a 3-column board.
What it is not: a sprint schedule with imposed roles (that is Scrum).
Reflex: if requests are continuous and unpredictable, think Kanban.
- Kanban board
- A column board (states) where tasks (cards) move left to right. It makes flow visible.
Simple example: Each of Bilal's requests is a card moving towards Done.
What it is not: a plain task list with no columns or states.
Reflex: columns reflecting your real steps, not a copied template.
- WIP limit
- Work In Progress limit: the maximum number of tasks allowed at once in a column.
Simple example: Bilal blocks any start when 3 cards are already In progress.
What it is not: a speed target or quota to beat.
Reflex: limit reached = help finish, do not start.
- Flow
- Task circulation through steps. Kanban's goal is making it smooth and fast.
Simple example: Bilal measures how many requests cross the board per week.
What it is not: the sum of worked hours (flow is what comes out).
Reflex: track what is finished, not just what is started.
- Bottleneck
- A step where work piles up and slows everything. The WIP limit helps reveal it.
Simple example: Bilal's “In review” column overflows: that is where to act.
What it is not: a slow person to blame (it is the step you smooth).
Reflex: each week: where do cards pile up?
In practice — In practice — Setting up a Kanban board
- Create a board with columns reflecting your real steps (e.g. To do / In progress / In review / Done).
- Make each task a card and place them in the right column: visualize current work state.
- Set a WIP limit per column (e.g. max 3 “In progress”): forbid starting a new one if the limit is reached.
- Watch where cards pile up (bottleneck) and act: that is where smoothness is won.
Ready-to-say script — enforcing the WIP limit (30 s)
"We limit In progress to 3 cards. As long as we are there, we start nothing new: we help finish what is inside. When a card piles up in review, we handle it first. The goal is not staying busy, it is delivering."
To say in front of the board: the rule only works if nobody bypasses it when pressured.
Copy-paste template — Kanban board + WIP
COLUMNS: To do (__ cards) | In progress (max __) | In review (max __) | Done (__)
CURRENT WIP: In progress __/__ — In review __/__
BOTTLENECK (where it piles up): _______________
SMOOTHING ACTION (who helps where): _______________Very small business / tight budget
A wall and sticky notes are enough: 3 columns, a felt-pen limit, a review each morning.
Remote team
An online shared board updated before the video point: everyone moves their cards live.
SME in Algeria
Bilal adds an “Awaiting client” column for external validations, with a dated follow-up.
Product team (Scrum)
Keep Scrum for the product and Kanban for support: both coexist (sometimes “Scrumban”).
✓ Best practices
- Have the board reflect your real work steps.
- Set and respect a WIP limit per column.
- Prioritize the step where cards pile up (bottleneck).
✗ Common pitfalls
- Multiplying parallel tasks (scattering, nothing finished).
- Ignoring the WIP limit as soon as pressure hits.
- Forgetting to react to the bottlenecks the board reveals.
Key takeaways
- Kanban visualizes workflow on a column board.
- The WIP limit caps simultaneous tasks: finish before starting.
- It reveals bottlenecks and smooths flow.
- Kanban imposes neither sprints nor roles: ideal for continuous flow.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Draw your To do / In progress / Done board, place your real cards and set WIP max 3 in In progress for 2 days (template above).
- I can explain the WIP limit without hesitating.
- I can tell Scrum (sprints) from Kanban (continuous flow).
- My board is set with a respected WIP limit.
Frequently asked questions
Scrum or Kanban, which to choose?
Scrum fits when work can be organized in planned iterations with one goal per sprint (product development). Kanban excels on a continuous, unpredictable request flow (support, maintenance, marketing) where you want smoothness and flexibility. You can also combine them (“Scrumban”). The work context — cyclical or continuous — guides the choice. Neither is “better” absolutely.
Does the WIP limit not slow the team down?
Counter-intuitively, it speeds it up. Multiplying parallel tasks scatters focus, multiplies context switches and drags everything out (“much started, nothing finished”). Limiting work in progress forces finishing, cuts real lead times and improves quality. Doing fewer things at once, but finishing them, is faster overall. It is one of the most solid — and most ignored — flow-management lessons.
What is Kanban's key rule?