kanban board

A visual board that shows current work and its status so the team can see bottlenecks and overloading and improve the flow of work; often compared to a task board.

Key Points

  • Displays work items across columns such as To Do, In Progress, Review, and Done.
  • Makes work in progress and queues visible so bottlenecks and overcommitment can be detected early.
  • Often uses pull and WIP limits to manage flow and reduce multitasking.
  • May be physical (cards on a wall) or digital, and is updated continuously by the team.

Example

A software team tracks user stories on a board. The Testing column starts piling up, signaling a bottleneck. The team pauses new development, swarms on testing, and sets a WIP limit for Testing to prevent recurrence.

PMP Example Question

Which tool is best for visualizing work in progress to reveal bottlenecks and overcommitment so the team can improve workflow?

  1. Sprint backlog
  2. Kanban board
  3. RACI matrix
  4. Risk register

Correct Answer: B - Kanban board

Explanation: A kanban board makes WIP and queues visible, helping teams identify bottlenecks and optimize flow.

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