Kanban Method and Practices Flashcards
7 cards from real Agile Project Management practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Kanban Method and Practices flashcards as text
What is a 'swimlane' on a Kanban board?
Answer: A horizontal row used to categorize or separate types of work
Swimlanes are horizontal lanes that group items, often by class of service, team, or expedite status.
What is an 'expedite' class of service in Kanban?
Answer: A fast-track lane for urgent items that bypass normal WIP rules
An expedite class of service handles critical, time-sensitive items that may preempt other work to be delivered fast.
According to Little's Law, how can a team reduce average cycle time?
Answer: Reduce the amount of work in progress
Little's Law shows cycle time equals WIP divided by throughput, so lowering WIP shortens cycle time at a stable throughput.
What does 'throughput' measure in a Kanban system?
Answer: The number of items completed per unit of time
Throughput is the delivery rate, counting how many work items are finished in a given time period.
Why might a team add an explicit 'Done' sub-column under an in-progress stage?
Answer: To signal an item is ready to be pulled to the next stage
Split columns with a 'Done' buffer clarify when work is finished in one stage and available to pull downstream.
A blocked item should be handled in Kanban by:
Answer: Marking it visibly as blocked and resolving the impediment quickly
Blockers should be made visible, often with a marker, so the team can prioritize removing the impediment to restore flow.
What is the benefit of limiting the number of board columns to the real workflow?
Answer: It keeps the board an accurate, honest reflection of how work flows
Columns should mirror the actual process; extra or fake stages distort the picture and hide real bottlenecks.