The Task Board#
Kanban is about being flow-focused, not sprint-focused. The goal is to deliver results at a steady rate and that’s done by accurately tracking reality, reducing queues, limiting work-in-progress (WIP), fulfilling dependencies, and removing impediments.
Kanban, from the Japanese word for signboard and inspired by Toyota’s lean manufacturing system of the same name, tracks work visually from start to finish. Kanban implementations can be as simple as sticky notes on a whiteboard. For example, the following illustrates how Kyle Lewis managed a security incident response team using Google Jamboard, with task cards moving clockwise.
Track work scheduled for this week (or this sprint).
Stage upcoming work. This is not the team’s current priority.
Team leads can use this space to make announcements.
Group active tasks by person.
Ideally, the team is self-directing, with each person pulling tasks from the to-do list as capacity permits.
Completed work needs review before customer delivery.
Something stopped progress on these tasks. It might be outside the team’s control.
This work is finished but needs review.
This work has been delivered to the customer.
No Unplanned Work#
Guidance
All work MUST be tracked by a ticket, a task, or an issue, as without some kind of work plan, the team cannot be self-directing.
Which service management, project management, or issue tracking tool the team uses depends on the customer.
The Daily Stand-up Meeting#
Guidance
Daily stand-up meeting attendance is REQUIRED. Any attendee MAY run the meeting. Everyone in attendance MUST help write the meeting minutes.
The team meets briefly each morning:
to make sure timesheets are current;
to check on any urgent operational issues;
to review each person’s finished work, work in progress, and blocks;
to identify any unplanned work; and
to make announcements, report problems, and handle other business as needed, time permitting.