EXIN Kanban Foundation key terms

A method for managing and improving the flow of work using a visual board, explicit policies, and limits on work in progress, so that delivery becomes more predictable and bottlenecks become visible.

A visual representation of the workflow in which work items are shown as cards moving through columns that represent process stages, making status, blockers, and queues easy to see.

A single work item shown on a Kanban board, typically carrying information such as its type, age, owner, and blockers, and moved across columns as it progresses.

A vertical lane on a Kanban board representing one stage of the workflow or a queue between stages, used to show where each work item currently sits.

Any unit of value flowing through the system, such as a feature, defect, request, or service ticket, tracked from the moment it enters the workflow until it is delivered.

The sequence of stages and activities that work passes through from initial request to delivery, including handoffs, queues, and decision points that shape how quickly value is created.

The end-to-end set of activities, from customer request to delivery, that creates value for the customer, used to identify delays and waste outside a single team's workflow.

Work that has been started but not yet finished, including items being actively worked on and items waiting in queues within the workflow.

A maximum number of items allowed in a workflow stage or across the whole system at one time, used to expose bottlenecks, reduce multitasking, and improve flow.

A way of working in which new work is started only when capacity becomes available downstream, rather than being pushed into the system regardless of whether it can be handled.

A way of working in which work is assigned or released into the next stage according to a plan or schedule, regardless of whether downstream capacity is available, often creating queues.

The smooth and continuous movement of work through the workflow with minimal waiting, rework, or handoffs, so that items move steadily toward delivery.

The stage in a workflow that limits the overall rate of delivery because its capacity is lower than the demand placed on it, causing queues to build up in front of it.

Any factor that limits the system from achieving more of its goal, most commonly the capacity of a particular stage, policy, or skill set within the workflow.

An improvement approach holding that every system has at least one limiting constraint, and that improvement efforts should focus on identifying and exploiting that constraint before raising capacity elsewhere.

A collection of work items waiting to be processed by the next stage, which adds to lead time without adding value and therefore deserves explicit visibility and management.

The total elapsed time from the moment a work item is requested or enters the system until it is delivered to the customer, including all waiting and processing time.

The elapsed time from when work actively starts on an item until it is finished, excluding time spent waiting before work began.

The number of work items completed per unit of time, used as a measure of how much value the system delivers and as an input to forecasting.

A mathematical relationship stating that average work in progress equals average throughput multiplied by average lead time, useful for predicting how limiting work affects delivery time.

A chart plotting the number of items in each workflow stage over time, whose band widths reveal work in progress, bottlenecks, and trends in lead time.

A chart of cycle time or lead time per completed item over time, with statistical limits that help distinguish normal variation from unusual signals worth investigating.

The natural fluctuation in arrival of work, processing times, and item sizes, which increases queues and unpredictability unless explicitly managed.

Written, visible agreements about how work is handled, such as definitions of ready and done, entry criteria, and prioritization rules, so that behavior is consistent and discussable.

An agreed checklist describing what must be true for a work item to be considered complete, helping prevent items from lingering unfinished or being handed on prematurely.

Explicit categories of work, such as expedited, fixed date, standard, and intangible, each with its own policies for prioritization and handling so that urgency is managed transparently.

A stated probability, based on historical data, that a work item will be completed within a given number of days, used to set realistic expectations with customers.

Using historical throughput and cycle time data, often through Monte Carlo simulation, to predict how many items can be delivered by a given date or when a given item will finish.

The complete set of practices, board, policies, limits, and feedback loops that an organization uses to visualize work and manage flow in a given context.

A structured approach for introducing Kanban that starts from understanding demand, capability, and sources of dissatisfaction, then designs a board and limits that fit the actual work.

The way a Kanban adoption is introduced and sustained, including starting with what exists, gaining agreement, and evolving the system incrementally rather than imposing a fixed model.

The deliberate, ongoing effort to raise the capability of the workflow by removing bottlenecks, adjusting policies and limits, and reducing delays, guided by data from the board.

A recurring review, such as a daily standup or service delivery review, in which the team examines flow data and policies and decides on adjustments to the Kanban system.

Anything preventing a work item from progressing, which should be made visible on the board, such as with a flag, so it can be resolved quickly.

The amount of time a work item has spent in its current stage, often shown on cards, used to spot items that are stalled and to prompt action before they breach expectations.

A practice in which team members collaborate on a single item, often one at a bottleneck, rather than each starting new work, to finish items faster and reduce work in progress.

Agreed criteria that a work item must meet before it may enter a workflow stage, protecting downstream stages from unclear or incomplete input.

A staged view of how deeply an organization has embedded Kanban practices, from basic visualization and limits toward enterprise-wide flow optimization and customer-focused service delivery.