EXIN Kanban Foundation flashcards
EXIN Kanban Foundation · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Kanban definition
- A strategy for optimizing the flow of value through a process using visualization, explicit policies, and WIP limits, applied to the existing workflow rather than replacing it.
- Visualize the workflow
- Mapping the actual sequence of states and handoffs work passes through onto a board, including queues and buffers, so the real process can be seen and discussed.
- WIP limit
- An explicit cap on how many work items may occupy a workflow state at one time; a full state blocks new pulls until capacity is released.
- Pull system
- A control approach where downstream stages signal readiness and upstream work is released only on that signal, replacing push-based assignment of work regardless of capacity.
- Little's Law
- Average lead time equals average WIP divided by average throughput. It links the three core flow measures and predicts how WIP changes affect delivery time.
- Lead time
- Elapsed time from an agreed start point, typically when a customer request is committed, until the item is delivered to the customer.
- Cycle time
- Elapsed time from when work actively begins on an item until it is completed, excluding any waiting before the start point.
- Throughput
- The number of work items completed per unit of time, such as per week; a primary measure of system capability in Kanban.
- Work item age
- The elapsed time since a work item entered the workflow; items with the greatest age are the strongest candidates for attention to protect flow.
- Flow efficiency
- Active work time divided by total elapsed time for an item, expressed as a percentage; low values indicate large amounts of waiting.
- Explicit policies
- Written, visible rules governing how work moves, such as definitions of ready and done, WIP limits, classes of service, and escalation paths.
- Kanban board columns
- Columns represent workflow states, not roles or people; cards move across columns as work progresses, and column contents reveal queues and constraints.
- Queues and buffers
- Explicit waiting areas on the board between active states; making them visible exposes delay and lets the team decide whether to limit them.
- Bottleneck
- The workflow stage that constrains overall throughput; it is identified by accumulating work in front of it and relieved by limiting upstream WIP or adding capacity.
- Evolutionary change
- Kanban's improvement principle: start from the current process, make it visible, and change it in small measured steps rather than through prescribed reorganization.
- Classes of service
- Explicit policies that define how different types of work items are prioritized and handled, such as expedite, fixed date, standard, and intangible.
- Expedite class
- A class of service for urgent items that must bypass normal queue order; it typically uses a dedicated lane and separate WIP allowance to avoid swamping the system.
- Fixed date class
- A class of service for items with a hard deadline; selection and sequencing are driven by the date, and lateness risk is tracked explicitly.
- Intangible class
- A class of service for work whose value is not directly measurable in cost or revenue, such as technical debt or improvement work; it is often time-boxed.
- Daily standup cadence
- A short daily feedback loop focused on flow of work, blockers, and items at risk, rather than on individual status reporting.
- Replenishment cadence
- A recurring meeting where new work items are selected and pulled into the system, respecting available capacity and WIP limits.
- Delivery planning cadence
- A recurring review of which items will be delivered in the next period, based on throughput data and classes of service.
- Operations review
- A periodic system-level feedback loop examining flow metrics, blockers, and cross-team issues to drive improvement of the whole value stream.
- Service delivery review
- A feedback loop that compares actual service against customer expectations, using lead-time and throughput data to adjust policies and commitments.
- Risk review
- A cadence that examines pending work items against risk dimensions such as size, complexity, dependencies, and date sensitivity to plan mitigation.
- STATIK
- A systems-thinking approach to introducing Kanban: understand purpose, sources of dissatisfaction, demand, and capability, then model workflow, define classes of service, and design the system.
- Kanban Maturity Model
- A model describing progressive levels of Kanban adoption and organizational maturity, from basic team visualization toward enterprise-wide fitness for purpose.
- Blocked item visibility
- Marking blocked work clearly on the board, for example with a flag or blocker column, so waiting time and its systemic causes can be measured.
- Definition of done
- An explicit policy stating the criteria an item must meet before it counts as complete, preventing partial work from being counted as throughput.
- Definition of ready
- An explicit policy stating the criteria an item must meet before it can be pulled into active work, reducing rework and mid-stream surprises.
- Improvement experiment
- A managed change with a stated hypothesis, a measure, a defined trial period, and a review decision to keep, adjust, or revert.
- Kanban with Scrum
- Using Kanban practices such as WIP limits and flow metrics inside an existing Scrum process to expose bottlenecks and improve delivery predictability.