At the end of the day, Kanban is about improving flow

TL;DR; Kanban focuses on improving workflow by removing constraints and bottlenecks, not by pushing people to work harder or longer. Key to better delivery is reducing work in progress and identifying blockers to increase efficiency. Managers should identify and address the biggest constraint in their current workflow to see meaningful improvements.

Published on 3 March 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/laeSXbgT7Hm

At the end of the day, Kanban is about improving flow. Not micromanaging individuals. Not squeezing more hours out of people. Just removing the constraints that slow everything down.

Nigel Thurlow 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇧 nails it:

“The Kanban Method is designed to improve flow (Process Cycle Efficiency) by improving throughput (units per unit time) by removing constraints (including bottlenecks) in the system.”

Want better delivery? Don’t push people to work faster. Reduce WIP. Find the blockers. Improve efficiency. The system will take care of the rest.

What’s the biggest constraint in your workflow right now?

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