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kanban

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Original

English
🇨🇳

Translation

Chinese

Kanban - Visualize Work, Limit WIP, Optimize Flow

Kanban - 可视化工作、限制在制品（WIP）、优化流程

Kanban is a visual workflow management method originating from Toyota's manufacturing system. It focuses on visualizing work, limiting work-in-progress (WIP), and optimizing the flow of work through a system.
Kanban（看板）是一种源自丰田生产系统的可视化工作流管理方法，核心是将工作可视化、限制在制品（WIP）数量，并优化系统内的工作流转。

When to Use This Skill

何时使用该方法

  • Managing team workflow and task prioritization
  • Identifying and resolving bottlenecks
  • Improving delivery predictability
  • Balancing team capacity with demand
  • Implementing continuous improvement
  • Transitioning from chaotic to structured work
  • 管理团队工作流与任务优先级
  • 识别并解决瓶颈问题
  • 提升交付可预测性
  • 平衡团队产能与需求
  • 实施持续改进
  • 从混乱工作模式过渡到结构化工作模式

Core Concepts

核心概念

The Kanban Board

Kanban看板

+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|  TO DO   |  DOING   |  REVIEW  |   DONE   |
|          |  (WIP:3) |  (WIP:2) |          |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Task 1] | [Task 4] | [Task 6] | [Task 8] |
| [Task 2] | [Task 5] |          | [Task 9] |
| [Task 3] |          |          |          |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|  TO DO   |  DOING   |  REVIEW  |   DONE   |
|          |  (WIP:3) |  (WIP:2) |          |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| [Task 1] | [Task 4] | [Task 6] | [Task 8] |
| [Task 2] | [Task 5] |          | [Task 9] |
| [Task 3] |          |          |          |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+

Six Core Practices

六大核心实践

PracticeDescription
Visualize workflowMake all work visible on the board
Limit WIPCap items in each stage
Manage flowTrack and optimize throughput
Make policies explicitDocument rules for moving work
Implement feedback loopsRegular reviews and retrospectives
Improve collaborativelyEvolve process based on data
实践内容描述说明
可视化工作流让所有工作在看板上可见
限制WIP限制每个阶段的任务数量
管理工作流转跟踪并优化交付量
明确工作规则记录任务流转的规则
建立反馈循环定期开展评审与回顾
协作式改进基于数据优化流程

Key Metrics

关键指标

MetricDefinitionWhy It Matters
Lead TimeRequest → DeliveryCustomer perspective
Cycle TimeWork Started → DoneTeam efficiency
ThroughputItems completed per periodCapacity planning
WIPItems currently in progressFlow health
指标名称定义说明重要性
前置时间（Lead Time）需求提出到交付完成客户视角的交付效率指标
周期时间（Cycle Time）工作启动到完成团队工作效率指标
交付量（Throughput）单位时间内完成的任务数产能规划的核心依据
在制品（WIP）当前正在进行的任务数工作流健康度的关键指标

Little's Law

Little定律

Lead Time = WIP / Throughput

To reduce lead time:
- Reduce WIP (easier)
- Increase throughput (harder)
Lead Time = WIP / Throughput

To reduce lead time:
- Reduce WIP (easier)
- Increase throughput (harder)
要缩短前置时间：
  • 减少WIP（更易实现）
  • 提升交付量（难度较高）

Analysis Framework

分析框架

Step 1: Map Current Workflow

步骤1：梳理当前工作流

Identify all stages work passes through:
Idea → Backlog → Analysis → Development → Testing → Deploy → Done
明确工作流转的所有阶段：
Idea → Backlog → Analysis → Development → Testing → Deploy → Done

Step 2: Set WIP Limits

步骤2：设置WIP限制

Start with: WIP limit = Team size - 1
StageTeam MembersInitial WIP Limit
Dev43
Review22
Test22
初始设置建议：WIP限制 = 团队人数 - 1
阶段团队成员数初始WIP限制
开发43
评审22
测试22

Step 3: Identify Bottlenecks

步骤3：识别瓶颈

Look for columns where work accumulates:
+------+------+------+------+
| Dev  |Review| TEST | Done |
+------+------+------+------+
| [1]  | [4]  | [8]  | [9]  |
| [2]  | [5]  | [10] |      |
| [3]  | [6]  |      |      |
|      | [7]  |      |  ← Bottleneck in Review
+------+------+------+------+
寻找任务堆积的阶段：
+------+------+------+------+
| Dev  |Review| TEST | Done |
+------+------+------+------+
| [1]  | [4]  | [8]  | [9]  |
| [2]  | [5]  | [10] |      |
| [3]  | [6]  |      |      |
|      | [7]  |      |  ← 评审阶段为瓶颈
+------+------+------+------+

Step 4: Optimize Flow

步骤4：优化工作流

Actions to address bottlenecks:
  • Add capacity to bottleneck stage
  • Reduce WIP in preceding stages
  • Improve efficiency at bottleneck
  • Change policies (batch size, etc.)
解决瓶颈的行动方案：
  • 为瓶颈阶段增加人力/资源
  • 减少上游阶段的WIP数量
  • 提升瓶颈阶段的工作效率
  • 调整规则（如批量处理规模等）

Output Template

输出模板

markdown
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markdown
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Kanban Board Setup

Kanban看板配置

Team/Project: [Name] Date: [Date]
团队/项目： [名称] 日期： [日期]

Workflow Stages

工作流阶段

StageWIP LimitEntry CriteriaExit Criteria
[Stage 1][n][Criteria][Criteria]
[Stage 2][n][Criteria][Criteria]
阶段WIP限制进入条件退出条件
[阶段1][n][条件描述][条件描述]
[阶段2][n][条件描述][条件描述]

Current Metrics

当前指标

MetricCurrentTarget
Lead Time[X days][Y days]
Cycle Time[X days][Y days]
Throughput[X/week][Y/week]
指标名称当前值目标值
前置时间[X天][Y天]
周期时间[X天][Y天]
交付量[X项/周][Y项/周]

Bottleneck Analysis

瓶颈分析

Current bottleneck: [Stage] Root cause: [Analysis] Action plan: [Steps to resolve]
当前瓶颈： [阶段] 根本原因： [分析结果] 行动方案： [解决步骤]

Improvement Experiments

改进实验

ExperimentHypothesisMeasureDuration
[Change 1][Expected outcome][Metric][Time]
undefined
实验内容假设预期衡量指标持续时长
[变更内容][预期成果][跟踪指标][时长]
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Real-World Examples

实际案例

Example 1: Software Development Team

示例1：软件开发团队

Before: 15 items in progress, 3-week average delivery After: 6 WIP limit, 5-day average delivery
Changes:
  • Visualized all work (including hidden tasks)
  • Set WIP limits (forced focus)
  • Daily standups at the board
  • Swarming on blocked items
优化前：15项任务并行进行，平均交付周期3周 优化后：设置6个WIP限制，平均交付周期5天
实施的改进：
  • 将所有工作可视化（包括隐性任务）
  • 设置WIP限制（强制聚焦）
  • 在看板前开展每日站会
  • 团队协作处理阻塞任务

Example 2: Content Marketing Team

示例2：内容营销团队

+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| Ideas  | Draft  | Edit   | Design | Publish|
| (10)   | WIP:3  | WIP:2  | WIP:2  |        |
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
Bottleneck discovered: Design stage Solution: Created template library, reduced design dependency
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| Ideas  | Draft  | Edit   | Design | Publish|
| (10)   | WIP:3  | WIP:2  | WIP:2  |        |
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
发现瓶颈：设计阶段 解决方案：创建模板库，降低设计依赖

Best Practices

最佳实践

Do

建议做法

  • Start with current process, evolve gradually
  • Make WIP limits visible and enforced
  • Track metrics consistently
  • Review board in daily standups
  • Celebrate flow improvements
  • 从现有流程入手，逐步优化
  • 明确展示并严格执行WIP限制
  • 持续跟踪指标数据
  • 每日站会同步看板状态
  • 为流程优化的成果庆祝

Avoid

避免事项

  • Treating Kanban as just a task board
  • Setting WIP limits too high (defeats purpose)
  • Ignoring blocked items
  • Skipping retrospectives
  • Comparing team throughput to others
  • 不要将Kanban仅视为任务看板
  • 不要设置过高的WIP限制（失去意义）
  • 不要忽略阻塞的任务
  • 不要跳过回顾会议
  • 不要与其他团队的交付量盲目对比

WIP Limit Guidelines

WIP限制调整指南

SituationAdjustment
Items stuck too longLower WIP
Team has idle timeRaise WIP slightly
Too much context switchingLower WIP
Bottleneck formingAddress root cause
场景描述调整方向
任务停滞时间过长降低WIP限制
团队存在空闲时间小幅提升WIP限制
频繁切换工作上下文降低WIP限制
出现瓶颈迹象解决根本原因

Integration with Other Methods

与其他方法的结合

MethodCombined Use
Hypothesis TreeInvestigate flow problems
Five WhysFind root cause of bottlenecks
Cognitive LoadJustify WIP limits (context switching cost)
方法名称结合应用场景
假设树用于排查工作流问题
五问法用于定位瓶颈的根本原因
认知负荷用于论证WIP限制的合理性（切换上下文的成本）

Resources

参考资源