Kanban

5 minutes 5 Questions

Kanban is an agile methodology that can be integrated with Scrum for managing and improving the flow of work. Kanban visualizes the whole workflow. The work items are placed on the Kanban board where they move from one column to the next representing the stages of the workflow. Teams can limit the …

A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Kanban

Kanban is a significant concept in software development and an essential part of integrating scrum with other methodologies systems.

What is Kanban?
Kanban is a visual system for managing work as it moves through a process. It visualizes both the process (the workflow) and the actual work passing through that process. The goal of Kanban is to identify potential bottlenecks in your process and fix them so work can flow through it cost-effectively at an optimal speed or throughput.

Why is Kanban Important?
Kanban has several benefits, it helps in visualizing the work, limit work in progress (WIP) and effectively manage work throughout. It also helps teams to collaborate and communicate better.

How Does Kanban Work?
In Kanban, you map your process on a board divided into different lanes. Each lane represents a different stage of your process. Then, you place cards on the board. Each card represents work items, for example, features, user stories, or tasks. As work progresses, you move the card through different lanes (or process stages), from left to right.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Kanban.
- Understanding the basics: Be sure to have strong foundational knowledge. Understand what Kanban is, why it is used, and how it works. - Process and workflow: Kanban question often focus on process and workflow, make sure you understand how work items move through different stages in Kanban method. - The role of WIP limits: You may be asked about Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits in a Kanban system, why they are important, and how they affect throughput and lead time- Applying Kanban: Some questions may ask about how to apply Kanban in certain situations. Think about what you know about the Kanban system and how you would apply it to help streamline workflows and reduce bottlenecks.

Make use of these tips and guides to enhance your understanding of Kanban and to successfully answer Kanban related questions in an exam.

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Question 1

As a Certified ScrumMaster, you have observed a constant change in tasks causing chaos. Using the principles of Kanban, how would you manage this?

Limit the WIP and control the order and flow of tasks Assign more tasks to team members to complete changes faster Increase team size to manage fluctuating tasks Ignore the changes and follow the initial plan

Correct Answer: Limit the WIP and control the order and flow of tasks

As a Certified ScrumMaster handling a scenario with constant changes causing chaos, the correct method following Kanban principles would be to 'Limit the WIP (Work In-Progress) and control the order and flow of tasks'. By limiting WIP, we ensure that team members are not overwhelmed with many tasks. This promotes focus and increases the team's ability to handle change. Controlling the order and flow of tasks further enhances the team's ability to manage change by promoting visibility and continuous improvement. The other options are not effective approaches. Ignoring changes and sticking to the initial plan does not address the problem of constant change. Assigning more tasks to team members could result in unnecessary stress and reduced quality of work. Increasing team size is not a sustainable solution to manage fluctuating tasks as it may lead to overscaling and coordination complexities.

Question 2

Your team has noticed that the backlog of tasks has increased considerably. To address this in a Kanban environment, what would be the best course of action?

Ignore the backlog and proceed with current tasks Increase the team's WIP limits Add more tasks to the backlog Conduct a review of the backlog and prioritize tasks according to their importance or urgency Change the team's working hours Instruct the team to start working on all tasks simultaneously

Correct Answer: Conduct a review of the backlog and prioritize tasks according to their importance or urgency

The correct course of action is to review and prioritize the backlog of tasks since it will help the team maintain focus on important tasks. In a Kanban environment, it is crucial to prioritize tasks effectively to maintain a smooth workflow. The other options don't directly address the problem or may create additional issues.

Question 3

You have just joined a team as a manager, and your team is struggling to keep up with their tasks. What would be the most suitable action using Kanban principles?

Implement WIP limits for each team member Increase the project budget Ask the team to work overtime Give more tasks to the more experienced team members Add more team members to handle tasks Remove all deadlines

Correct Answer: Implement WIP limits for each team member

Kanban focuses on maintaining a sustainable pace of work by managing the Work In Progress (WIP) limits. This helps to reduce bottlenecks and ensure that the team can handle their tasks. The other options don't specifically follow Kanban or its focus on optimizing the current workflow.

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