Agile Project Management Perfected: The Kanban Approach
Agile is a set of values and principles for project management that was first outlined in the Agile Manifesto, a document created by a group of software developers in 2001. The Agile Manifesto emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the development process and promotes a customer-centric approach to delivering value.
Agile project management is based on iterative development, where minor, incremental improvements are delivered continuously. This allows teams to respond quickly to changing customer needs and market conditions. Agile practices include things like cross-functional collaboration, frequent communication and feedback, and visual tools to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Agile methods are often used in software development but can also be applied to other projects.
Toyota developed Kanban to organize and manage work to improve and optimize its manufacturing processes. It involves using sticky notes and markers to visually track work progress and identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement. The Kanban method has since been adopted by many other organizations, including Xbox, to improve efficiency and productivity. It is based on the principles of just-in-time production, which emphasizes the importance of only producing what is needed when it is required, and in the exact amount needed. This helps to reduce waste and increase efficiency by minimizing the amount of work in progress and ensuring that resources are used effectively.
Agile And Kanban
Agile and Kanban are both methods for managing and organizing work, and they share some similarities in their approaches. Agile and Kanban prioritize flexibility and adaptability, aiming to deliver value to the customer quickly and efficiently. Both methods also involve ongoing collaboration and communication between team members, and they both use visual tools, such as Kanban boards, to track progress and identify bottlenecks.
One of the main differences between Agile and Kanban is that Agile is a framework for project management, while Kanban is a technique for visualizing and managing work. Agile emphasizes the iterative development of products or services through the continuous delivery of minor, incremental improvements, while Kanban focuses on optimizing the flow of work through a system. Agile is often used in software development, but it can be applied to other types of projects as well, while Kanban is often used in manufacturing and other fields where the flow of physical goods is involved.
Kanban can be used in software development projects and other types of projects. Many software development teams have adopted Kanban to visualize and optimize workflow through their development process. However, Kanban is not a framework for project management like Agile and does not include all of the principles and practices defined in the Agile Manifesto.
While Kanban can be a valuable tool for managing work in a software development project, it is often used with other project management approaches, such as Agile, to provide a more comprehensive framework for managing the project. For example, a team might use Agile principles and practices to guide their overall approach to the project and then use Kanban to visualize and optimize workflow within their development process. So, Kanban can be used in software development projects, but it may not provide the guidance and structure some teams need.
Agile Project Management with Kanban
Eric Brechner’s book, “Agile Project Management with Kanban,” is a guide for organizing and managing work using the Kanban method. The book includes a quick start guide and chapters on estimating jobs, meeting deadlines, deploying results, transitioning from other project management methods like Scrum or Waterfall, and integrating Kanban into large projects. The book also includes illustrations and online spreadsheets to help readers get started with Kanban quickly and effectively. In addition to reading the book, attending a talk by Eric Brechner on Kanban may allow you to create your own Kanban board and learn how to apply the method to your daily work.