Kanban
A flow-based method for visualizing work, limiting work in progress, and managing flow, distinct from but often combined with Scrum.
What it means
Kanban is not part of the Scrum Guide; it is its own method, rooted in lean manufacturing, focused on continuous flow rather than fixed-length iterations. Teams pull work through columns representing stages, from 'to do' to 'done'.
Kanban's core practices are visualizing workflow, limiting work in progress (WIP), managing and measuring flow, making policies explicit, and improving collaboratively.
Common mistakes
Many Scrum Teams use a Kanban board inside their Sprint to visualize the Sprint Backlog, blending Scrum's cadence with Kanban's flow visualization, an approach sometimes informally called Scrumban.
Example
A support team with unpredictable incoming work uses Kanban instead of Scrum, since fixed-length Sprints do not fit reactive work.