kanban

Activate this skill when working with:

• Kanban board setup
• WIP limit configuration
• Flow metrics analysis
• Continuous delivery workflows
• Pull-based systems

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┌────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┐

│ BACKLOG │ TO DO │ IN PROGRESS│ REVIEW │ DONE │

│ (∞) │ (10) │ (5) │ (3) │ (∞) │

├────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┤

│ │ │ │ │ │

│ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │

│ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │

│ │ 1 │ │ │ 2 │ │ │ 3 │ │ │ 4 │ │ │ 5 │ │

│ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │

│ │ │ │ │ │

│ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ │ ┌──────┐ │

│ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ │ Task │ │

│ │ 6 │ │ │ 7 │ │ │ 8 │ │ │ │ 9 │ │

│ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ │ └──────┘ │

│ │ │ │ │ │

└────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┘

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Core Practices

1. Visualize the workflow - Make work visible
2. Limit WIP - Focus on finishing, not starting
3. Manage flow - Optimize throughput
4. Make policies explicit - Clear rules for moving work
5. Implement feedback loops - Regular reviews
6. Improve collaboratively - Continuous improvement

WIP Limits

\\\`markdown

| Column | WIP Limit | Rationale |

|---------------|-----------|-------------------------------|

| Backlog | ∞ | Unlimited ideas storage |

| To Do | 10 | Committed work for near-term |

| In Progress | 5 | Active development capacity |

| Review | 3 | Prevent review bottleneck |

| Done | ∞ | Completed work archive |

Setting WIP Limits

• Start with team size × 1.5
• Adjust based on flow metrics
• Too high = loss of focus
• Too low = idle time

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Lead Time vs Cycle Time

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Lead Time

◄───────────────────────────────────────────►

│ │

│ Cycle Time │

│ ◄─────────────────────► │

│ │ │ │

┌───▼────▼───┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌▼─────────┐

│ Created │──►│In Progress│──►│ Review │──►│ Done │

│ (Backlog) │ │ │ │ │ │ │

└────────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘

Lead Time: Time from request to delivery

Cycle Time: Time from start to completion

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Throughput Calculation

\\\`python

# Throughput: Items completed per time period

def calculate_throughput(completed_items: list, period_days: int) -> float:

items_completed = len(completed_items)

throughput = items_completed / period_days

return throughput

# Example

completed_this_week = 15

throughput = completed_this_week / 7 # 2.14 items per day

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Cumulative Flow Diagram

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Items │

50 │ ●──── Done

│ ●────●

40 │ ●────●

│ ●────● ●──── Review

30 │ ●────● ●────●

│●────● ●───● ●──── In Progress

20 │ ●───● ●───●

│ ●───● ●──── To Do

10 │ ●───●

│ ●───●

0 │●──●_________________________________

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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\\\`markdown

Title

[Clear, concise description]

Type

[ ] Feature [ ] Bug [ ] Tech Debt [ ] Support

Details

• Requester: [Name]
• Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
• Size: [S/M/L/XL]
• Due Date: [If applicable]

Description

[What needs to be done]

Acceptance Criteria

• [ ] Criterion 1
• [ ] Criterion 2

Blockers

[Any dependencies or impediments]

Class of Service

[ ] Expedite (Urgent, bypass WIP)

[ ] Fixed Date (External deadline)

[ ] Standard (Normal flow)

[ ] Intangible (Low priority)

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\\\`markdown

| Type | Target Lead Time | % On Time Target |

|---------------|------------------|------------------|

| Expedite | 1 day | 95% |

| Bug Fix | 3 days | 90% |

| Feature | 2 weeks | 85% |

| Tech Debt | 1 month | 80% |

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┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐

│ EXPEDITE (WIP: 1) │

├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤

│ ┌──────────┐ │

│ │ CRITICAL │ │

│ │ Bug #123 │ │

│ └──────────┘ │

├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤

│ STANDARD (WIP: 5) │

├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤

│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │

│ │ Task │ │ Task │ │ Task │ │ Task │ │

│ │ 1 │ │ 2 │ │ 3 │ │ 4 │ │

│ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ │

├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤

│ INTANGIBLE (WIP: 2) │

├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤

│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │

│ │ Docs │ │ Tech │ │

│ │ Task │ │ Debt │ │

│ └──────┘ └──────┘ │

└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Daily Standup (Walking the Board)

• Start from right (Done) to left (Backlog)
• Focus on blocked items
• Identify bottlenecks
• 15 minutes max

Replenishment Meeting (Weekly)

• Review backlog
• Prioritize incoming work
• Pull items to "To Do"
• Discuss capacity

Delivery Planning (Bi-weekly)

• Review completed items
• Update forecasts
• Communicate delivery dates

\\\`bash

# View board status

/kanban-status --board golden-armada

# Add item to backlog

/kanban-add --title "Feature X" --type feature --size M

# Move item

/kanban-move GA-123 --to "In Progress"

# Generate metrics report

/kanban-metrics --period 30d

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