Visualizing Workflow with Kanban Boards in Lean Six Sigma
- sonamurgai
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
In the world of Lean Six Sigma, effective project management is crucial to ensure processes run smoothly, waste is minimized, and teams remain aligned. One of the most powerful and practical tools for achieving this is the Kanban board. Rooted in Lean principles and popularized by Toyota’s production system, Kanban boards provide a simple yet highly effective way to visualize workflow, track progress, and identify bottlenecks.
What is a Kanban Board?
A Kanban board is a visual management tool used to represent work items and their progress through different stages of a process. The board is typically divided into columns, such as "To-Do," "In Progress," and "Done." Work items are represented by cards or sticky notes, which move across the columns as tasks advance.
This simple visualization makes work status visible to all team members, reducing confusion and increasing accountability. Whether used on a physical whiteboard or through digital platforms (e.g., Trello, Jira, or Microsoft Planner), Kanban boards foster transparency and continuous improvement.
How Kanban Boards Support Lean Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma focuses on eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and improving quality. Kanban boards directly support these goals by:
Enhancing Transparency – Everyone can see what tasks are being worked on, by whom, and what is pending. This reduces communication gaps.
Identifying Bottlenecks – Work that piles up in a specific column signals a problem in that stage of the process, enabling teams to take corrective action quickly.
Limiting Work-in-Progress (WIP) – Kanban encourages setting WIP limits to avoid overloading team members and creating delays.
Driving Continuous Improvement – Regularly reviewing the board in team meetings promotes reflection and refinement of workflows.
Steps to Implement a Kanban Board
Define Your Workflow – Break down the process into clear stages (e.g., “Backlog → In Progress → Testing → Completed”).
Set Up the Board – Create columns for each stage of the workflow.
Add Tasks as Cards – Write each task or work item on a card (physical sticky notes or digital cards).
Set WIP Limits – Restrict the number of items allowed in a column to prevent overload.
Track and Improve – Conduct regular reviews to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, and brainstorm potential improvements.
Example in Practice
Consider a salon trying to streamline its hair kit preparation process for stylists.
The To-Do column might list tasks such as “Order hair color supplies,” “Assemble starter kits,” or “Label client-specific kits.”
The In Progress column could include “Assembling kits for morning appointments” or “Restocking hair brushes.”
The Done column would show completed kits, ready for stylists to use.
By using the Kanban board, the team at Gloss & Glow quickly identifies when too many kits are stuck in 'In Progress'—a clear sign of a bottleneck. This visibility helps them adjust staffing, balance workloads, and ensure that stylists always have what they need on time.
Final Thoughts
Kanban boards are more than just project management tools—they are visual systems for process discipline that embody Lean thinking. By making work visible, promoting collaboration, and highlighting areas for improvement, Kanban boards help Lean Six Sigma teams achieve better outcomes with less waste.
As Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, once said: “Without standards, there can be no improvement.” Kanban boards provide those visual standards, empowering teams to refine and excel continuously.