How to Use Agile Project Planning Methods

Table of Contents
Introduction to Kanban
The Origin and Definition of Kanban
The Agile Principles Behind Kanban
How to Implement Kanban: Step-by-Step Guide
Tips & Tricks
Use Cases of Kanban
The Right Toolkit for Kanban
Agile Project Management with Merlin Project
Final Thoughts
FAQs

Introduction to Kanban

Imagine walking into a factory where every station operates like a well-tuned symphony: parts arrive just in time, finished products move seamlessly to packaging, and teams adapt in near real-time to shifting demands. This elegant dance is the outcome of a project management system known as Kanban. Born in the automotive industry and widely embraced by software developers and creative professionals alike, Kanban is all about seeing your work, controlling the flow, and continually optimizing how tasks move from “to-do” to “done”.

Why Bother with Kanban?

Most of us have heard the term VUCA thrown around. It's almost become a buzzword. However, our world really is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. Deadlines pop up out of nowhere, priorities flip on a dime, and teams scattered across the globe only add to the mayhem. Rapid tech disruptions, shifting market trends, and ever-changing customer expectations all conspire to make our daily work lives unpredictable.

Kanban cuts through this noise. By making tasks visible and limiting work in progress, it brings clarity and focus, helping you navigate change with confidence. More than just boards and sticky notes, Kanban drives continuous improvement, keeping teams flexible, responsive, and efficient — without the burnout.

• Reduce context switching: no more juggling endless tasks
• Spot bottlenecks early: So you can fix issues before they grow
• Improve collaboration: everyone sees the same board, in real time
• Optimize delivery times: faster throughput translates to consistent results

Unlike rigid frameworks, Kanban is simple to implement — no role changes, no mandatory sprints, no heavy planning. Whether for teams or solo work, its visual cues keep tasks organized and progress clear.

In production, we need to manage the flow, not just the people.
Taiichi Ohno, Father of the Toyota Production System

The Origin and Definition of Kanban

Kanban traces its lineage back to post-World War II Japan, where Toyota sought to revitalize its manufacturing system. Toyota’s engineers, led by industrial pioneer Taiichi Ohno, looked to supermarkets for inspiration. They noticed that shelves would only be restocked when items were nearly sold out—no waste, no overproduction. Toyota replicated this “pull” system in its factories using visual signals called kanban cards. These cards indicated when a new batch of components was needed, preventing overstock and ensuring smooth flow.

Fast-forward a few decades: In 2007, software consultant David Anderson adapted Kanban for knowledge work such as software development, marketing campaigns, and creative projects. Instead of factory parts, tasks or features were placed on a board and moved through stages, ensuring teams tackled only a limited number of items at once. This adaptation skyrocketed Kanban into popularity across industries.

So what exactly is Kanban? The word itself is Japanese and means “billboard” or “sign”. A Kanban board is a tool that visualizes your flow of work, typically divided into columns like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” Each card on the board represents a task or work item. Combined with other core practices, like limiting work-in-progress (WIP) and continuous improvement, Kanban becomes a flexible and efficient framework.

Without visual control, confusion reigns.
Taiichi Ohno

The Agile Principles Behind Kanban

Kanban is considered one of the agile methodologies — a family of project management approaches that emphasize adaptability, iterative learning, and collaboration. While some agile frameworks (like Scrum) require new roles and ceremonies, Kanban leans toward evolutionary change. You start with your current workflow, visualize it, then steadily refine how work moves through your team or department.

The Power of Visualization and Flow

At the core of Kanban is the idea that humans grasp information far more effectively when it’s visual. (Think of the difference between a complicated text-based to-do list and a clear, color-coded board.) By mapping out the journey each task takes from start to finish, Kanban reveals bottlenecks, capacity issues, or unclear ownership.

Teams often discover that tasks stall in “Review” or “Waiting on Client Feedback.” With Kanban, such blockages can’t hide in an opaque system. They’re right there on the board — making it easier to fix them. This flow-based approach means tasks don’t get stuck indefinitely in a single column, and your work progresses in a steady, predictable rhythm.

Why Kanban Works

1. Limiting Work-in-Progress (WIP)
   Kanban challenges the popular “multitasking myth” by restricting how many tasks you can work on at one time. This limit forces teams and individuals to finish tasks before pulling new ones in. The result? Fewer half-done items and faster overall completion times.

2. Continuous Improvement
   Kanban encourages incremental tweaks rather than sweeping, disruptive changes. Instead of overhauling your entire workflow, you observe your board daily or weekly, experiment with small improvements, and measure the results. Over time, these minor tweaks accumulate into major gains in productivity.

3. Flexibility in Process
   Kanban doesn’t say you must hold daily stand-ups or adhere to fixed sprints. If a task’s requirements change mid-flow, you can adjust without breaking a sprint. This flexibility is especially valuable in environments where continuous delivery or unpredictable client demands are the norm.

4. Team Autonomy
   Because tasks are pulled rather than pushed, team members get autonomy in how they choose and tackle tasks. It shifts the focus to a self-organizing style, aligning with the broader agile principle that those doing the work are best positioned to decide how it’s done.

Kanban is a method of accomplishing work through limiting work-in-process and managing flow. I have found that some work (especially creative work) is more effectively managed with iterations, while other work (especially naturally sequential work) is more naturally managed with Kanban.
Mary Poppendieck, Lean Software Pioneer

How to Implement Kanban: Step-by-Step Guide

Eager to try Kanban on your next project? Here’s a straightforward roadmap:

1. Identify Your Workflow
   Write down the stages your work naturally goes through. A simple flow might be Backlog → Doing → Done. Complex workflows might have steps like Design → Development → Testing → Deployment. Keep it minimal at first; you can always add more columns later.

2. Create Your Board
   Choose a physical whiteboard or a digital tool — whatever suits your team’s style. Label columns to represent each stage. Now, place sticky notes (or digital cards) on the board for each task. One card = one task (or user story, feature, etc.).

3. Set WIP Limits
   Decide how many tasks can be in each column at once. For instance, set a limit of 3 tasks in “Development.” If you hit that limit, you can’t bring new tasks in until one moves forward. This golden rule keeps your focus razor-sharp and prevents the dreaded half-finished pile-up.

4. Start Pulling Tasks
   Begin working on tasks from the leftmost column. When you finish, move the card to the next stage. Only then, pull a new one from the column on the left. This pull system fosters a healthy flow, preventing your board from becoming a chaotic “everything is in progress” mess.

5. Track Blockers and Monitor Flow
   Any time a task gets stuck, label it as blocked or on hold so the impediment is obvious to everyone. This clarity spurs quick resolutions — someone might jump in to fix a bug, clarify a requirement, or follow up with a stakeholder.

6. Review and Improve
   Periodically (weekly or bi-weekly) review your board. Identify bottlenecks, recurring blockers, or tasks that took much longer than expected. Adjust WIP limits, refine columns, or experiment with new rules. This cyclical reflection is the engine of continuous improvement.

7. Celebrate Small Wins
   As your flow stabilizes and throughput increases, recognize the achievements — like finishing tasks faster or drastically reducing the number of cards in “Doing.” Celebrating these milestones builds motivation and cements new habits.

Learn from David Anderson himself. He gave a lecture on the Kanban system in 2014:

Tips & Tricks

Start Simple with Columns and Cards

It’s tempting to create a complex board with nested sub-columns, color-coded labels, and myriad custom statuses. Resist the urge. A minimal board with a few columns is easier to maintain and interpret. Once your team grows comfortable and sees the need, scale up.

Start with what you do now and respect current roles, responsibilities and job titles.
David Anderson, Founder of the Kanban Method

Visual Hierarchies and Explicit Policies

For clarity, keep columns consistent in color and shape. If needed, highlight priority tasks in red or add “urgent” icons to specific cards. Also, define explicit policies—like “A task can only move to ‘Done’ if all subtasks are tested” or “Nothing enters ‘In Progress’ if we already have 4 tasks there.” Post these guidelines next to the board so everyone abides by the same rules.

Visualisation of Responsibilities

To make the board easy to grasp, use Merlin Project's versatile styling options to assign resources an image and a colour. Then you can see at a glance who is responsible for a task. This gives the board a personal look.

For working in an internal team, it's great that photos of team members can be displayed in the Kanban board. This makes it easy for my colleagues to find their way around the board and everyone can see which cards and thus which tasks have been assigned to them. If I then assign colours to the individual departments, I can visually structure the board in a great way. This is always well received! And if I don't have a photo of an external person, I simply use the corresponding company logo.
Kathrin Lamm, Certified Trainer for Merlin Project

Flow Efficiency and Cycle Times

Consider tracking cycle time—the duration a card spends in “In Progress” until it’s marked “Done.” Regularly measuring this metric will help your team see if changes (like lower WIP limits or new test protocols) actually speed up delivery. If cycle times shorten over time, you’re on the right track.

Dealing with Interrupts and Urgent Work

Sometimes urgent requests pop up that can’t wait. Decide in advance how your team handles such disruptions. You might set aside a special column called “Expedite,” but keep in mind a strict policy — too many expedite tasks break your normal flow. Another strategy is to allocate a small portion of your capacity to “urgent tasks” each week, ensuring you stay flexible without derailing everything else.

Swimlanes for Prioritization

If your board starts feeling overloaded, swimlanes (horizontal rows) can help categorize tasks by priority or type. For example, a top swimlane might be “Critical Bugs,” while a lower swimlane is “Regular Features.” This structured approach ensures the most important tasks don’t get buried.

Use Cases of Kanban

Kanban’s flexibility makes it suitable for various contexts:

Team Collaboration

For teams handling ongoing streams of work — like software development or content production — Kanban provides a shared view of progress. Each member sees which tasks are in progress, who owns what, and where help might be needed. Weekly or daily reviews become more meaningful because you’re discussing visible tasks and bottlenecks, not vague bullet points.

When teams are asked to work together to analyze problems and design solutions, the quality is higher.
David Anderson, Founder of the Kanban Method

Personal Productivity

Kanban can also serve as your personal to-do list system, especially if you juggle multiple small projects or responsibilities. A simple three-column board — To Do, Doing, Done — helps you see what’s next in line and avoid starting too many tasks at once. Some individuals even use digital Kanban apps on their phones or tablets to keep track of chores, meal planning, or fitness goals.

Hybrid Project Management

In larger organizations, teams often blend Kanban with more traditional methods like Waterfall or more structured agile frameworks like Scrum. This approach — sometimes called Scrumban — lets you schedule sprints or planned releases while still using a Kanban-style board to manage day-to-day tasks. The result is a hybrid environment that benefits from both worlds: the predictability of planning cycles and the fluid adaptability of Kanban.

The Right Toolkit for Kanban

Kanban boards can be as simple as sticky notes on a whiteboard or as sophisticated as cloud-based platforms that sync tasks across geographies. The best approach depends on your team’s needs, the complexity of projects, and whether you need real-time collaboration, reporting, or remote access.

Physical vs. Digital Boards

Choosing between physical and digital Kanban boards depends on your team's workflow, collaboration style, and need for flexibility. Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide which suits your project best.

Accessibility: Remote Access and Collaboration

For geographically dispersed teams, a digital Kanban board is almost non-negotiable. Look for apps with robust cloud syncing, real-time editing, and mobile versions. That way, a developer in Singapore and a designer in Canada can see exactly the same board, with no confusion about which tasks are in progress.

Reporting: Presenting to Stakeholders

Sometimes, you need more than just a quick board to show your boss or clients. Kanban software that offers advanced filters, charts, or analytics can help you present data-driven insights — like lead times, throughput, or error rates — without manually compiling the info every time. Gantt-like views are also handy for stakeholders who prefer timeline-based perspectives.

Integration with Other Tools

Kanban boards often work best when they seamlessly integrate with calendars, chat apps, or specialized platforms like GitHub. That way, tasks remain in sync with your codebase or your event schedule, reducing the double-entry and confusion that arise when different parts of your organization live in separate digital silos.

Agile Project Management with Merlin Project

If you’re looking for a Kanban solution that seamlessly integrates with traditional project management capabilities — like Gantt charts, critical path analysis, resource management and more — look no further than Merlin Project. Unlike stand-alone Kanban apps, Merlin Project lets you unify your agile and traditional workflows under one roof.

Agile Project Management on macOS & iOS
Merlin Project’s Kanban board offers a dynamic way to manage projects by visualizing work in structured columns such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” Tasks become draggable cards, allowing teams to track progress, set custom statuses, and control work-in-progress (WIP) limits—ensuring focus and efficiency. The board is fully synchronized, enabling the entire team to collaborate in real-time, with updates instantly reflected for everyone working on the project.

Switch Methodologies Seamlessly
With real-time synchronization across Kanban, Gantt, and mind map views, Merlin Project lets you instantly switch between perspectives. Start by brainstorming ideas in a mind map, then transform them into a Kanban board for task management or a Gantt chart for scheduling. Custom columns like “Blocked” or “Testing” help refine workflows, while task cards support file attachments, resource assignments, and comments—ensuring seamless collaboration across all views.

Swimlanes against Complexity
For complex projects, swimlanes help categorize work by priority, feature set, or team responsibility, making it easier to manage multiple workflows in a single project. Advanced formatting allows color-coded cards and rules-based filters to highlight critical tasks, while seamless reporting tools provide clear project insights.

Final Thoughts

Kanban stands out for its simplicity, adaptability, and focus on continuous improvement. Originating in factory floors but now ubiquitous across design studios, software teams, and even personal task lists, Kanban’s core principle remains the same: visualize your work, limit your workload, and keep improving.

Whether you manage a sprawling corporate initiative or your own personal side projects, the Kanban mindset can cut through complexity, clarify priorities, and deliver outcomes reliably.

Progress cannot be generated when we are satisfied with existing situations.
Taiichi Ohno

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is Kanban and how does it work?

Kanban is a visual project management method that organizes work into columns (e.g., “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done”) with draggable cards representing tasks. This system helps teams visualize progress, identify bottlenecks, and improve workflow efficiency.

How does Kanban support agile project management?

Kanban supports agile project management by providing a visual framework that helps teams adapt quickly, manage changing priorities, and continuously improve processes. By visualizing workflow and limiting work in progress, it encourages a steady and sustainable pace of work.

What are the benefits of setting Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits?

WIP limits help maintain focus and efficiency by preventing teams from overloading themselves with too many tasks simultaneously. This ensures tasks are completed before new ones are started, reducing context switching and minimizing bottlenecks.

What are swimlanes and how do they enhance board organization?

Swimlanes are horizontal divisions on a Kanban board that categorize tasks by priority, team, or feature set. They help manage multiple workflows within a single project, ensuring that critical tasks remain visible and organized.

What is the importance of continuous improvement in Kanban?

Continuous improvement is key in Kanban as it allows teams to regularly review their workflow, identify bottlenecks, and adjust processes for greater efficiency. This iterative approach leads to better productivity and more predictable outcomes over time.

Can Kanban be used for personal productivity as well?

Yes, Kanban is highly adaptable for personal productivity. Whether you’re managing work tasks, home projects, or personal goals, a Kanban board helps you visualize your workload, set priorities, and track progress in a clear and organized manner.

How does real-time synchronization improve team collaboration?

With real-time synchronization, any updates made on the Kanban board are immediately visible to all team members. This ensures everyone is working with the most current information, reducing miscommunication and enhancing collaboration.

Can I switch between different project views like Kanban, Gantt, and Mind map?

Yes, Merlin Project allows you to convert between various project views instantly. For example, you can begin with a mind map for brainstorming, then convert your ideas into a Kanban board for task management or a Gantt chart for scheduling and resource planning.

What are the key features of Merlin Project’s Kanban board?

Merlin Project’s Kanban board includes structured columns, draggable task cards, customizable statuses, and WIP limits. It also offers (ink: merlin-project/sync text: real-time synchronization), the ability to switch between different views (like Gantt and mind map), and advanced options such as swimlanes and rules-based formatting.