Many people are familiar with the Kanban board-a bulletin board with various columns representing the status of a task, such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Completed.” In fact, the term Kanban refers to the board (or kanban in Japanese), which is the item that moves through these columns. A useful system for providing a visual and immediate overview of the work to be done, but Kanban has more to offer than many users may know.
The Pull System principle in project management
At the core of Kanban is a principle called the Pull system. In many work environments, working with a system that could be called Push. In this model, the focus is on moving tasks from the “To Do” column; when one task gets stuck, the tendency is to move on to another task, pushing forward multiple tasks at once, even if not all are considered completed. This approach often creates a backlog of “In Progress” work, which negatively affects project management and timely task completion. Kanban, on the other hand, proposes the opposite: it uses the Pull System, in which the “Completed” column “pulls” tasks from the other columns once there is capacity to handle them. In other words, when a task is completed, it frees up space to start a new task, reducing the risk of overload and increasing productivity.
WIP limit: limitation of work “in progress” in project management
One of the key tools to ensure the proper functioning of the Kanban system is the WIP limit (work-in-progress limit), which is the maximum number of tasks that can be handled simultaneously in the “In Progress” column. The principle behind the WIP limit is simple: if there are too many activities going on, the team will become overloaded and productivity will decrease. Conversely, setting a limit naturally encourages the team to finish tasks before starting new ones. This approach helps keep the workflow smooth and allows teams to focus on priorities without being too scattered on multiple fronts. It also reduces stress due to accumulated unfinished work and increases the completion rate of tasks, thereby improving project management.
Scrumban: flexibility in project management
An interesting concept worth mentioning is Scrumban, a hybrid of Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban combines these two approaches to provide greater adaptability and control in project management. In a Scrumban context, some structural elements of Scrum can be retained, such as regular meetings (e.g., daily stand-ups or retrospectives), while adopting the flexibility of Kanban’s Pull system, eliminating the rigidity of sprints.
Some of the main benefits of Scrumban include, but are not limited to:
- Sprint flexibility: instead of adhering to fixed cycles, the team can choose to move tasks according to their priority and availability, while still maintaining a regular cadence of meetings and reviews.
- Continuous flow improvement: with Scrumban, tasks can be managed as they become available, enabling continuous workflow improvement without having to wait for a sprint to end.
- Constant monitoring: with Kanban metrics and regular Scrum reviews, team performance can be constantly monitored and real-time process changes can be made, thus improving project management.
- Reduced workload: the introduction of the WIP limit (from Kanban) helps prevent “In Progress” task overload, a common problem for teams working with traditional Scrum.
Innovation in Project Management with Kanban and Scrumban
Adopting Kanban and Scrumban in project management means embracing an innovative approach that goes beyond simply organizing activities. These methodologies not only improve workflow visualization and resource management, but also promote a corporate culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.
In an increasingly dynamic business environment, the ability to respond promptly to changes and optimize processes n real time is crucial to success. Scrumban offers a balance between the structure of Scrum and the flexibility of Kanban, making it particularly beneficial for teams working in areas such as web marketing consulting or business solutions development .
In addition, the Scrumban methodology has been recognized as an ideal middle ground for organizations that wish to integrate agile principles without compromising quality or speed of work. Adopting systems such as Scrumban not only simplifies project management but also helps create a robust framework for achieving measurable strategic goals, aligning the group’s output with customer expectations.
If you want to learn more, you can find more about SORINT.lab’s Agile approach at this link