Kanban

What is kanban?
Kanban is a Japanese word, it roughly translated as “visual workflow chart” or “card”. Actually
kanban is a JIT (just in time) system or philosophy that focuses attention on eliminating waste by purchasing or
manufacturing just enough of the right time, right item and right place.
In simple words, JIT means “Hand to Mouth approach production”.

Development of kanban system:

The first Kanban system was developed by “Taiichi Ohno” an industrial engineer at Toyota
Company, to improve the production efficiency. Kanban is only one method to achieve JIT The system takes its
name from the cards that track production within a factory. In many automotive sectors, kanban is known as the
"Toyota nameplate system".
Using method of Kanban, Toyota achieved an efficient just-in-time (JIT) production control system that
increased productivity rate and reducing cost of inventory of raw materials, semi-finished materials, and
finished products.

One or Single Card Kanban:

The “one-card” is the simplest implementation of kanban systems. This approach is used when the upstream
and downstream workstations (respectively, the preceding and succeeding processes) are physically close to
each other, so they can share the same stock buffer.

Basic Principles of Kanban system:

Four Basic Principles of Kanban are following as;

 Visualize Work Flow

 Limit Work in Progress
 Focus on Flow
 Continuous Improvement
1. Visualize Work Flow:
Visualize your work on a board with cards to represent user work in your product backlog
(inventory). Use colors to represent them. For a simple Kanban board, label one column “To Do”, “Doing”
and “Done”. Label columns “To Do” and “Done” and “Doing” .Place the cards into columns depending on
their workflow status.

 To Do: It lists the tasks that are not yet started.

 Doing: it consists of the tasks that are in progress.
 Done: It consists of the tasks that are completed.

As work gets completed, move your cards from left to right.

2. Limit Work in Progress (WIP):
Set a limit on how much work can be in progress at one time in each column. In other words,
how many cards can be in each column at a given time? This tells that rather cards are moving smoothly
across the board or not.

3. Focus on Flow:

Now, your work should flow freely through the Kanban system. It make sure that you keep a
lookout for any interruptions in flow and use these as opportunities for improvement. Workflow
should run smoothly and not stop and start. Here are some helpful examples:

 Lead time - how long does it take for a card to move from “TO-DO” to “DONE”?
 Cycle time - how long does it take for a card to move from “Doing” to “Done”?
 Number of items not started - are you struggling with your workload?
 Number of items that are WIP - are you staying within your WIP limits?
 Blockage areas - do you see any areas where cards build up, causing a blockage in flow?

Top tip: Smooth flow = smooth production

4. Continuous Improvement:
Remember that even after implementing Kanban, the work is never truly finished. Monitor your
Kanban system and make improvements on an ongoing basis.
Types of Kanban System:
There are two main types of kanban system;

 Withdrawal Kanban.
 Production Kanban.
Withdrawal Kanban:
The withdrawal or conveyance Kanban system is concerned with the movement of items and
components or parts. Whether the company produces physical or digital products, different parts of it need work
done by different teams in different areas. And when one team is finished, the ‘part’ is transferred to the next
team and production area.

For that purpose, teams use withdrawal cards or movement cards to alert people that an item is finished and
ready to move from one section to another. When the team is ready for more work, they send the withdrawal
card to the previous section signaling they are ready for more work. Also, the card usually specifies the number
of items that need to be taken to the workplace where they are needed.

Production Kanban.
It is the second type of Kanban systems. is usually used by large companies to manage their manufacturing
process efficiently. Like other Kanban systems it is based on the principle of WIP limitation.
The work station provides a production card to an area in the facility requesting the types of materials (or tasks)
they need. The production Kanban card signals the production system to start, explaining the quality and
quantity of the things that need to be produced. Additionally, the production cards contain information included
in the withdrawal of Kanban cards
 Kanban Software:
The great benefit of working with Kanban online, is the advantage of having access to automatically
generate analytical charts. While you and your team are sliding tasks from one column to another, the software
is tracking what you're doing, and gathering this information in statistical form for you to view whenever you
feel the need. In this way, without any additional work on your part, you're receiving valuable feedback, which
can be used for future process improvements.

Benefits of Kanban System:

 Focus on continuous delivery.

 Reduction of wasted work & wasted time.
 Increased production or output.
 Increased efficiency.
 Team member’s ability to focus.
 More improvement.
 Better visibility.
 Improved Company Status.

References:

1. Waldner, Jean-Baptiste (September 1992). Principles of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing. London:

John Wiley. pp. 128–132. ISBN 0-471-93450-X.
2. "Kanban". Random House Dictionary. Dictionary.com. 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
3. Ohno, Taiichi (June 1988). Toyota Production System - beyond large-scale production. Productivity
Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-915299-14-3.
4. Shingō, Shigeo (1989). A Study of the Toyota Production System from an Industrial Engineering
Viewpoint. Productivity Press. p. 228. ISBN 0-915299-17-8.
5. Hopp, Wallace J. (Spring 2004). "To Pull or Not to Pull: What Is the Question?". Manufacturing &
Service Operations Management: 133.
6. Tayur, Sridhar (1993). "Structural Properties and a Heuristic for Kanban-Controlled Serial
Lines". Management Science. 39 (11): 1347–1368. doi:10.1287/mnsc.39.11.1346
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban