Updated
The Kanban Method: A Complete Guide
Kanban is a visual system for managing work as it moves through a process. Here's how columns, cards, and WIP limits fit together — and how to avoid the most common setup mistakes.
Setting Up Your Board
Map your workflow into columns
Start simple: To Do, In Progress, Done. Add columns only when a real, distinct stage of work exists — a Review or QA column, for example — not to mirror an org chart. Most teams over-build columns before they've run a single board.
Put every piece of work on a card
A card should represent a single unit of shippable work — small enough to move end-to-end in a few days. Give it a clear title, an owner, and a definition of done so anyone glancing at the board understands its state without asking.
Set a WIP limit per column
A work-in-progress limit caps how many cards can sit in a column at once. When 'In Progress' hits its limit, the team finishes something before starting anything new. This single rule is what separates kanban from a glorified to-do list.
Pull work, don't push it
Work moves when the person doing the next stage pulls a card toward them — not when someone upstream shoves it forward. Pulling keeps capacity honest: nobody accumulates a queue of things they haven't agreed to take on yet.
Review flow, not just status
Once a week, look at where cards get stuck rather than just what's 'done.' A column that's chronically over its WIP limit is telling you where the bottleneck actually is — that's more useful than any status meeting.
Kanban vs. a Simple To-Do List
| Aspect | Kanban Board | Plain To-Do List |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Every task's stage is visible to the whole team at a glance | Only the task owner (and maybe their manager) knows the state |
| Work limits | WIP limits force finishing before starting new work | No limit — lists grow indefinitely |
| Flow | Optimized for continuous flow, no fixed iteration length | No concept of flow or bottlenecks |
| Best for | Ongoing work: support, ops, content, maintenance | Personal task tracking |
Kanban Setup Checklist
Build Your Kanban Board in Minutes
My First Task includes drag-and-drop boards with WIP limits built in — free for teams up to 10.