Kanban Board with WIP Limits and Flow Policies
Design a complete Kanban system with WIP limits and flow metrics.
Design a Kanban system that optimizes workflow, reduces bottlenecks, and increases delivery predictability using WIP limits and flow metrics.
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Prompt objective
Design a Kanban system that optimizes workflow, reduces bottlenecks, and increases delivery predictability using WIP limits and flow metrics.
Real use case
PixelCraft, a digital agency, has 3 teams (design, dev, QA) and work accumulates between phases. Items sit in queue for an average of 12 days before being pulled. The operations director wants to implement Kanban to reduce lead time from 22 to 10 days.
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Prompt
Design a complete Kanban system for: Organization: [COMPANY NAME] Current process: [DESCRIBE THE CURRENT WORKFLOW, E.G. BACKLOG → DESIGN → DEV → QA → DEPLOY] Team size: [NUMBER PER STAGE] Weekly volume: [WORK ITEMS PER WEEK] Current lead time: [DAYS] Target lead time: [DAYS] Main bottleneck: [STAGE WHERE WORK ACCUMULATES] The system must include: 1) Kanban board design: - Columns with sub-columns (Doing/Done for each stage) - Expedite lane for urgent items - Blocked lane with unblocking policy - Buffer between stages (when necessary) 2) WIP limits per column: - Calculation based on capacity (explain the formula used) - System-wide WIP limit - WIP violation rule (when it is acceptable to break the limit) 3) Explicit flow policies: - Entry and exit criteria for each column - Service classes (Standard, Fixed Date, Expedite, Intangible) - SLA by service class - Prioritization policy (FIFO, WSJF, cost of delay) 4) Meeting cadence: - Daily standup (format: board-focused, not person-focused) - Replenishment meeting (backlog refilling) - Delivery planning - Service delivery review (with CFD) 5) Flow metrics: - Weekly throughput - Lead time and cycle time (with P50, P85, P95 percentiles) - Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) — how to read and interpret - WIP age and blocker clustering 6) Phased implementation plan (4 weeks) Format: visual board layout in text, policy tables, metrics dashboard, and rollout plan.
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