What is a Kanban board?
A Kanban board shows work as cards in columns, one column per stage. Cards move from left to right as the work progresses, so anyone can see at a glance what is waiting, what is being worked on and what is finished. The method comes from Toyota's production system and is now one of the most popular ways to run software, support and marketing work.
What is in the template
- To do: work that is ready to start.
- In progress: work someone is actively doing.
- Review: work waiting for a check, such as code review or an approval.
- Done: finished work that meets your definition of done.
How to use it
- Put the work on sticky notes in To do, one task per note.
- Agree on a limit for In progress, for example two items per person. Fewer things in flight means each one finishes sooner.
- Move notes to the right as work progresses, and pull new work only when something leaves In progress.
- Look at the board together for a few minutes each day and ask what is blocking the cards that have not moved.
Example
The example tracks a small launch. Release notes and a webinar plan are waiting, the landing page copy and customer interviews are in progress, the pricing page and onboarding emails are in review, and the launch checklist and the beta feedback summary are done.
From a whiteboard to a real Kanban board
A whiteboard is perfect for a workshop or a quick plan. For day to day work, every Starlex project also has a live Kanban board: changes appear for everyone at once, any status can be a column, and swimlanes split the board by person or epic. Turn any sticky note into an issue and it lands in the backlog, ready for the board.
Use this template in Starlex
Open a project, go to Notes, then Whiteboards, choose New whiteboard and pick Kanban. To add it to a board you already have, use the board's ⋯ menu.
- Everyone in the project can work on the board at once, with live cursors and cursor chat.
- Run a timer for silent writing, and use dot voting to choose.
- Turn any sticky note into an issue, or bring real issues onto the board as live cards.
- Export the board as a PNG or SVG image, or embed it in an issue description.
Frequently asked questions
What columns should a Kanban board have?
Start with the stages your work really goes through. To do, In progress, Review and Done suit most teams. Add a column only when work starts waiting somewhere new.
What is a WIP limit?
A work in progress limit caps how many cards can sit in a column at once. It keeps the team finishing work instead of starting more.
Is Kanban better than Scrum?
Neither is better in general. Kanban suits continuous work such as support, and Scrum suits teams that plan in fixed sprints. Starlex supports both in every project.