The Kanban method is a powerful system for managing and controlling the flow of work in a production environment. By making work visible, limiting work in progress, being flexible and adaptable, providing a system for measuring performance, and promoting collaboration and communication, the Kanban method can help teams to deliver high-quality work in a timely and efficient manner.
Creating animated films is complex and requires large teams to work on different parts of a project simultaneously. The different stages of the production process, from pre-production to post-production, have to be managed flawlessly. Pixar Animation Studios uses so called Kanban boards to help with that. Such a board allows the team to visualize the work that needs to be done, prioritize tasks, and track the progress of the film production. In this blog post I’d like to introduce the Kanban method, using which Pixar has been able to increase efficiency, collaboration, and communication between team members, resulting in the creation of critically acclaimed films.
Basics of the Kanban Method
The Kanban method is a system of visualizing and controlling the flow of work in a production environment. It was developed by Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, as a way to improve and maintain a high level of efficiency in the company’s manufacturing processes but has since been adopted by a variety of industries, including software development and manufacturing. The method uses physical or digital boards and cards to represent work items and their progress through the workflow, allowing teams to easily understand and manage the flow of work.
One of the key principles of the Kanban method is to make work visible. By using physical or digital boards and cards, the team can see what work is being done, who is working on it, and what stage it is in. This helps to eliminate confusion and misunderstandings about what work needs to be done and by whom. The boards and cards also provide a clear visual representation of the workflow, which can be easily understood by team members regardless of their level of technical expertise.
Another important principle of the Kanban method is to limit work in progress. This means that the team should only start working on new items when the current work items are complete. This helps to prevent the team from becoming overwhelmed and ensures that work is done efficiently and effectively. The team can also use the boards and cards to prioritize work and make decisions about what items should be worked on next.
The Kanban method is also designed to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the production environment. Teams can easily add or remove columns on their boards to reflect changes in the workflow. They can also change the number of work items they are working on at any given time to ensure that they have the capacity to complete the work.
In addition, the Kanban method provides a clear system for measuring the performance of the production process. Teams can use the boards and cards to track the average time it takes to complete a work item and identify bottlenecks in the workflow. This information can then be used to make improvements to the process and increase efficiency.
Finally, the Kanban method is designed to promote collaboration and communication between team members. By using a shared visual representation of the work, team members can work together to ensure that the work is completed efficiently and effectively. They can also use the boards and cards to provide regular updates on the progress of the work and identify any potential problems that need to be addressed.
The Kanban method is used by a wide range of organizations and teams in various industries, including software development, manufacturing, healthcare, and marketing. It is particularly well-suited to agile software development, where it is often used in conjunction with other agile methodologies such as Scrum.
However, the Kanban method can be applied to any type of work, regardless of the industry or context. It is a flexible tool that can be customized to fit the specific needs and goals of a team or organization. It is particularly useful for teams that are working on complex projects with many moving parts, where it can help to provide visibility and clarity into the progress being made.
How the Kanban Method is Used
To use the Kanban method, you will need to set up a Kanban board and define the stages of your workflow. Here are the basic steps for using the Kanban method:
Visualize the workflow: Create a visual representation of your workflow using a Kanban board or other tool. This could be a physical board with columns for each stage of the process, or it could be an electronic tool such as Trello or JIRA.
Define the stages of the workflow: Identify the different stages that work will go through as it moves from start to finish, and create a column for each stage on the Kanban board. Examples might include “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.”
Create cards for each task: For each task or item of work, create a card that represents it and place it in the appropriate column on the Kanban board.
Establish WIP limits: Set limits on the number of tasks that can be actively worked on at any given time, known as WIP limits. This will help to prevent team members from becoming overwhelmed and to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
Track progress: As work is completed, move the cards from one column to the next on the Kanban board. This will give team members a clear view of the progress being made and help them to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the process.
Review and optimize: Regularly review the Kanban board and look for opportunities to optimize the process. This could involve making small, incremental changes to improve efficiency, or it could involve more significant changes to address larger issues.
Overall, the Kanban method is designed to be flexible and adaptable, so you can customize it to fit your specific needs and workflow. The key is to focus on continuous improvement and to make changes as needed to optimize the process.
The Rules of the Kanban Method
There are several core principles that are central to the Kanban method, including the following:
- Visualize the workflow: The Kanban method relies on the use of a visual board or other tool to represent the flow of work. This helps team members understand the current state of the work, identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and track progress.
- Limit work in progress (WIP): By limiting the number of tasks that are actively being worked on at any given time, teams can reduce waste and improve efficiency. This is known as the WIP limit.
- Focus on flow: The Kanban method emphasizes the importance of maintaining a smooth, continuous flow of work. This helps to reduce delays and improve delivery times.
- Measure and optimize lead time: Lead time is the time it takes for a task to be completed, from start to finish. Measuring and optimizing lead time can help teams identify bottlenecks and improve the efficiency of their processes.
- Improve collaboratively: The Kanban method encourages teams to work together and make small, incremental improvements to their processes on an ongoing basis.
- Respect current roles and responsibilities: The Kanban method does not prescribe specific roles or responsibilities for team members. Instead, it encourages teams to respect the existing roles and responsibilities of each individual and to work together to improve the process.
- Make process policies explicit: The Kanban method emphasizes the importance of making the rules and policies that govern the process explicit and transparent to all team members. This helps to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals and objectives.
An Example for the Use of the Kanban Method
Here is an example of how the Kanban method might be used by a software development team:
- Define and visualize the stages of the workflow: The team creates a Kanban board, defines the different stages of the development process, and creates a column for each stage on the Kanban board, such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Code Review,” and “Done.”
- Create cards for each task: For each feature (e.g. bug fix) that needs to be implemented, the team creates a card and places it in the “To Do” column.
- Establish WIP limits: The team sets limits on the number of tasks that can be actively worked on at any given time, in order to prevent team members from becoming overwhelmed and to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
- Track progress: As team members work on tasks, they move the cards from one column to the next on the Kanban board. This gives everyone a clear view of the progress being made and helps to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the process.
- Review and optimize: The team reviews the Kanban board regularly and looks for opportunities to optimize the process. This might involve making small, incremental changes to improve efficiency, or it could involve more significant changes to address larger issues.
Overall, this example illustrates how the Kanban method can be used to manage and control the flow of work in a software development team, with the goal of delivering higher quality software in a more efficient and effective manner.
Alternatives to the Kanban Method
There are several alternatives to the Kanban method that can be used to manage and control the flow of work in a team environment, including the following:
- Agile: Agile is a broad term that refers to a set of principles and practices for managing and delivering complex projects in a flexible, iterative manner. Agile methodologies, such as Kanban, Scrum, and Lean, are designed to be adaptable and responsive to change.
- Scrum: Scrum is an agile project management methodology that is focused on delivering high-quality products through rapid, iterative development cycles. It is characterized by the use of short development cycles called “sprints,” during which a specific set of features or tasks are completed.
- Lean: The Lean methodology is a management philosophy that is focused on maximizing value and minimizing waste in a process. It is based on the principles of continuous improvement, flow, and respect for people, and it is often used in manufacturing and healthcare settings.
- Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to process improvement that is focused on identifying and eliminating defects in a process. It uses a structured methodology called DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) to identify and solve problems.
Overall, these are just a few examples of the alternatives to the Kanban method that are available. The right approach will depend on the specific needs and goals of your team or organization.
Conclusion
The Kanban method is a technique for managing and controlling the flow of work in a team, typically used in agile software development. It involves visualizing the workflow using a Kanban board or other tool, dividing work into small, manageable units called “cards,” and moving these cards through a series of stages or columns as work is completed. The goal is to create a clear and transparent system that allows team members to understand the current state of the work, identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and make improvements to the process. The Kanban method is based on a number of principles, including continuous improvement, collaboration, and transparency, and it is designed to help teams manage their work more effectively, reduce waste and inefficiencies, and deliver higher quality products or services.
You may leave a comment and let me know if I missed any important points, as well as share your thoughts and opinions on the subject.