# Kanban Continuous Flow & WIP Optimization

> **Category**: Pull-Based Agile | **Badge**: Continuous Flow

## Overview
Kanban is a visual pull system. Rather than working in fixed timeboxes, work flows continuously. Teams limit Work-In-Progress (WIP) to prevent developer multitasking and highlight delivery bottlenecks.

### Best Suited For
DevOps infrastructure teams, Bug fixing & maintenance pods, Customer support engineering, and mature product teams.

### Not Recommended For
Projects requiring strict synchronized delivery dates across 10+ distinct external suppliers.

## Key Roles & Responsibilities
- **Service Delivery Manager (SDM)**: Tracks cycle time, lead time, and maintains steady delivery throughput.
- **Engineering Team**: Pulls tasks only when downstream WIP capacity opens up.

## Core Ceremonies & Rhythms
### Daily Standup at Board (10 Minutes)
Walk the board from right to left (focusing on cards nearest to completion).

### Operations & Flow Review (Monthly)
Analyze cumulative flow diagrams (CFD) and average cycle times.

## Phases & Execution Stepper
1. **Visualize the Workflow** (01): Map every step from Backlog to Production on your ThinkNCollab board.
1. **Enforce WIP Limits** (02): Cap in-progress tasks (e.g. Max 3 tasks in Review). If cap is hit, team swarms to resolve blocked cards.
1. **Manage Flow** (03): Reduce cycle time (time from starting a card to deploying it).
1. **Continuous Improvement** (04): Iterate process policies collaboratively based on empirical delivery metrics.

## Default Board Workflow Blueprint
Columns: Backlog Pool ➔ Selected (WIP: 4) ➔ In Development (WIP: 3) ➔ Peer Review (WIP: 2) ➔ Live in Production