Project Management: Foundations to Practice · Agile, Scrum, and Hybrid Delivery
Kanban and Lean Principles
Kanban and Scrum solve similar problems through opposite mechanisms, one through fixed iterations, the other through continuous flow. This chapter covers Kanban's Toyota origin and the Lean principle underlying it.
Kanban, originating from Toyota's manufacturing system, takes a different approach from Scrum's fixed iterations, instead visualizing work as it flows continuously through stages on a board, and limiting how much work is in progress at any given stage to prevent overload and surface bottlenecks [1]. The manufacturing origin is worth understanding directly: Kanban was originally a physical signaling system used to trigger replenishment of parts in a production line only when actually needed, a 'pull' rather than 'push' system for managing flow.
- Kanban originated as a physical pull-based signaling system in Toyota's manufacturing production line, not from software development.
- Kanban does not prescribe fixed roles or time-boxed sprints; work flows continuously and moves through stages as capacity allows.
- Limiting work in progress is Kanban's core Lean principle, since starting more parallel work slows overall throughput, not increases it.
- Kanban fits unpredictable, continuously arriving work (support, operations) better than Scrum's fixed-sprint structure.