Kanban
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Kanban is a visual workflow system where tasks move through columns — To Do, In Progress, Done. Unlike Scrum with fixed sprints, Kanban is continuous flow. You pull new work when capacity allows. Originated in Toyota's factories, adopted by software teams worldwide.
Real Talk
Kanban is an agile workflow management method that visualises work on a board, limits work-in-progress to prevent overload, and optimises flow. It is more flexible than Scrum with no fixed iterations or roles, making it suitable for support, maintenance, and operational teams.
When You'll Hear This
"We switched from Scrum to Kanban for the support team since they work reactively." / "The Kanban board shows what's blocked."
Related Terms
Agile
Agile is a philosophy of building software in short cycles, learning from real feedback, and adapting quickly instead of following a massive upfront plan.
Backlog
The backlog is the master to-do list for a product — every feature, bug, and idea that hasn't been built yet, prioritised by importance.
Scrum
Scrum is a specific recipe for doing Agile.
Standup
A standup is a short daily team meeting — meant to be done standing so it stays brief.
Ticket
A ticket is a single unit of work in a project management tool — it could be a bug to fix, a feature to build, or a task to complete.
WIP (Work In Progress)
Code that's not done yet. When you mark a PR as WIP, it means 'don't merge this — I'm still working on it.' It's like a 'wet paint' sign for your code.