Kanban

What it is

Kanban is a strategy for optimizing flow of value through a pull system: visualize work, limit work in progress (WIP), manage flow, make policies explicit, implement feedback loops, and improve collaboratively. It is not inherently time-boxed like Scrum; cadence can be continuous or regular (replenishment meetings) depending on context.

Use Kanban when demand is variable, priorities shift often, or service / ops work dominates predictable product increments.

Process diagram (handbook)

Kanban board — pull flow (conceptual)

Columns, WIP limits, and policies are team-specific; cycle time comes from the board, not from git alone.

Authoritative sources (external)

Resource	Executive summary (why it’s linked here)
Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams	How Kanban flow practices integrate with Scrum—essential when you blend both under one cadence.
Kanban — Agile Alliance glossary	Short definition and manufacturing roots—quick grounding before deeper guides.
Kanban University — The Kanban Guide	Current Kanban Guide text—method practices and evolution of the Guide.
ProKanban.org	Professional Kanban community—training and certification; optional depth.

Core practices (summary)

Practice	Meaning
Visualize	Board (physical or tool) with columns representing workflow states.
Limit WIP	Cap items per column or per person to reduce context-switching and surface bottlenecks.
Manage flow	Measure and improve throughput, lead time, cycle time — not just “busy.”
Make policies explicit	Definition of ready/done, who pulls work, SLAs.
Feedback loops	Replenishment, service delivery review, operations review.
Improve collaboratively	Evolve process using data and team input.

Metrics that matter: cycle time (start → done), throughput, aging of items. Git commits show activity, not queue time or blocked time — blockers usually live on the board or in the tracker.

Mapping to this blueprint’s SDLC

Kanban idea	Blueprint touchpoint
Continuous flow	Phases A–F still apply to each item; you are not forced into Sprints.
Policies / DoD	Align with handbook Definition of done and project CI gates.
Cadence	Review cadence (`review.html`) can follow weekly or on-demand replenishment instead of Sprint boundaries.

Ceremonies: Kanban rituals mapped to neutral intent types — ceremonies/kanban.md · foundation.

Roles: how Kanban tweaks delivery archetypes (Demand, Build, Flow, Assure, Steer)—roles-archetypes.md §1–5 (Methodology tweaks column Kanban).

Agentic SDLC: Kanban + agents + tracking

Topic	Guidance
Flow	Agents can increase completion rate; if review or test columns become the bottleneck, WIP limits should include “in review” explicitly.
Invisible work	Agent runs may not appear on the board — decide whether PR / CI jobs are tracked as subtasks or policies.
Cycle time	Prefer tracker data (created → done). “First commit → merge” is a rough proxy only.
Tracking foundation	Same `TRACKING-FOUNDATION` spine; rolling windows replace Sprint windows for reports.

Scrum vs Kanban (when to blend)

Many teams use Scrum events with Kanban flow metrics, or Scrumban hybrids. This blueprint does not mandate either; agile.md describes the umbrella. Pick one primary cadence for planning and retros, then add Kanban policies where flow matters most.

Prescriptive deep dive (teams)

Package kanban/README.md — foundation fit, roles (SRM/team/coach), ceremonies (replenishment, stand-up, delivery review, SDR), process maps. Handbook: methodologies-kanban-foundation.html through methodologies-kanban-process.html.

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