Managing and Measuring Flow
Originally published January 2025
We have looked at the Kanban practices of Visualize (the work) and Limiting WIP (Work in Progress). In this article, we’ll build on the first two practices and investigate Managing Flow. As given in Kanban Maturity Model by David Anderson and Teodora Bozhevo, Manage Flow is “to achieve fast, smooth, sustainable, and predictable creation and delivery of customer value, minimizing risk and cost of delay.”
Think of flow through the metaphor of traffic. Just as steady traffic ensures smooth transportation, well-managed workflow ensures consistent value delivery. When highways experience congestion, traffic planners introduce solutions like toll lanes, HOV lanes (both reducing WIP), and ramp meters (batching cars with red/green lights for merging). Similarly, bottlenecks can—and will—occur in work processes. Identifying and addressing these underlying issues is crucial for better flow management. By resolving these disruptions, teams can create an environment where work progresses predictably and without unnecessary delays.
Once you can visualize work and have established WIP limits, here are some key considerations for effectively managing flow:
Start by identifying distinct work types and their associated services. Work can range from standard requests and urgent expedite items to tasks tied to fixed delivery dates or those addressing intangible needs like technical debt. By categorizing work in this manner, teams can design workflows that appropriately prioritize and allocate people, ensuring that each type of work receives the attention it demands. We touch upon this concept, too, in the Limit Work in Practice article, where we discussed establishing WIP limits by type of work.
Focus on managing the work itself rather than micromanaging people. This principle is particularly evident during daily standups. These meetings should prioritize coordinating work and identifying obstacles rather than individual status reports. Consider structuring standups around work items instead of people, naturally steering the team toward managing the system's work and making decisions about moving items to completion.
Understand appropriate responses to poor flow. A common misconception is that adding more people will increase productivity in a low-flow process. However, poor flow typically results from work sitting in waiting states—when tasks are interrupted to address other priorities. Adding personnel to an already low-flow environment won't accelerate progress. Instead, focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of wait states. While team expansion can be beneficial, it's most effective when implemented within a system that already maintains sustainable flow.
Establish regular rhythms for work replenishment and delivery. An important element of managing flow is determining the frequency at which new work is replenished. Regular replenishment ensures that teams focus on the most valuable tasks and remain aligned with shifting business priorities. It also helps establish a regular cadence for the team to get together to discuss what items should be worked on next. At the other end, frequent delivery is another hallmark of good flow management. Delivering smaller increments of work reduces risk, allows for quicker feedback, and ensures that value is continuously provided to customers. Ensuring a steady pace for replenishment and delivery is vital to keeping a healthy workflow.
Implement robust measurement and monitoring practices. In a future installment, we'll explore flow metrics that provide insights into work progression. These metrics help explain disruptions, establish predictability, and identify efficiency opportunities—essential tools for teams committed to sustaining and improving customer value delivery.
Managing flow is fundamental to the Kanban method. By implementing effective flow management techniques, teams can create more predictable and efficient processes that enhance customer value delivery. Stay tuned for our upcoming article on how flow metrics can deepen your understanding of this crucial Kanban practice.