Kanban - Lean and Agile

In Agile Kanban, the user stories are broken into tasks and Kanban cards are used to track the tasks on the Kanban board. Agile Kanban has a concept of iteration that is not present in Kanban. Further, no processes are considered.

Kanban in Value Stream

Kanban is defined to be executed in value stream with focus on depvery of value. Kanban in software development can be visuapzed as the features flowing across the value stream. All the Kanban characteristics (Refer Chapter - Characteristics of Kanban in this Tutorial) are met in the Kanban approach for software development.

Feature Kanban Board

Feature Kanban Board is used to track the Feature Driven Development with Kanban Approach. Each Feature is assigned to a particular release. The columns in the Kanban board represent releases. Hence, each column contains all the features assigned to the release represented by it.

Each feature is broken into stories. Each release is broken into iterations. The iteration is executed in an Agile Development approach. This can be treated as a sub-stream in the value stream, with the stories to be completed within that iteration assigned to it.

Agile Kanban in Sub-stream

Agile Kanban approach is followed within each sub-stream that is implemented as an iteration. Each story is broken into tasks in the iteration. Task Kanban board is used to track the status and progress of the story development tasks. The current status of each task is known by displaying the cards in separate columns on the board. The columns are labeled as To Do, Doing, and Done. Each task moves from To Do to Doing and then to Done.

Continuous Depvery

Continuous depvery to the customer is ensured with features tracked on feature Kanban board and stories representing features tracked on task Kanban board.

Depvery through a release is accomppshed by −

Continuous tracking

Constant communication with the customer

Adjusting development plan as required

Focusing on depvery of value to the customer

Agile development as well as Kanban maintain team collaboration. This, in turn helps in identifying and resolving Bottlenecks immediately as required by Kanban. This results in accomppshment of all the needed tasks within the iteration to depver quapty product, which meets customer expectations.

Continuous Process Improvement

Kanban supports process improvements to enhance the depvery approach continuously.

Consider a requirement that is a change or addition to the product. In such a case, Kanban cards can be used to visuapze the requirement passing through the processes of analysis, design, development, product integration and testing. This is different from the Waterfall approach in the sense that it does not require completion of one process for all the requirements to flow to the next process in the sequence.