This document discusses Kanban metrics and how they can help teams improve. It introduces four key Kanban metrics: the cumulative flow diagram, which shows work progress over time; the control chart, which tracks how lead time varies; lead time distribution, which shows how lead times are distributed; and the throughput chart, which tracks throughput over weeks. These metrics provide transparency into the workflow and can help teams identify areas for improvement through collaborative experimentation and kaizen.

1. The Power of
Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Agile Coach and Trainer
AKT, KCP, ICP-ACC, KMP, CSP, PMI-ACP, ICP-ATF

2. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Introduction – Sanjay Kumar
 Agile Trainer & Coach:
 Lean Kanban Certifications (KMP1, KMP2)
 Certified Professional Agile Coach (ICP-ACC)
 Corporate Training/Coaching – Agile, Scrum, Kanban,
Scrumban
 Experience with Agile – 2006 onwards
 15+ years of software development experience

3. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Kanban in IT = Kanban Method
Six core practices in Kanban Method:
1. Visualize work
2. Limit work in progress
3. Manage Flow
4. Make policies explicit
5. Implement feedback loops
6. Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally

4. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
What does Kanban Deliver?
1. Transparent and consistent process
2. Smooth flow of work
3. Better Predictability
4. Balance demand with capability
5. Make business “Fit for Purpose”

5. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Why Teams adopt Kanban?
1. For Support Projects
2. To minimize pain and risk of transition
 Teams transitioning from Waterfall
3. Scrum is not working well ! 
 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-most-common-
challenges-facing-scrum-teams-sanjay-kumar

6. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
The Initial Success Phase
 Better transparency – clarity of process
 Work flows smoothly - it gets done
 Improvement in Throughput and/or Lead Time
 Better collaboration

7. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
BIG Challenge with new Kanban
Implementations
After initial success, complacency (inertia) sets in…
 Lack of Predictability:
o How much?
o How fast?
 Lack of kaizen culture

8. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
The Need for Kanban Metrics!

9. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)
 Shows how many items have crossed important
points in the flow.
 It is cumulative – items so far

10. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Sample Kanban Board

11. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
13
20
21 21 21
24 24
25
28 28 28
29 29 29 29
31
33
12
15 15 15 15
18
19
20 20 20 20
21
23 23 23
26 26
9
11 11
12 12
14
16 16 16 16 16
17
19 19
20
22
23
8
9 9 9
10
12 12
13 13
14
13
14
16
18 18 18 18
0 0 0 0
2 2
3
6
9
13 13 13
14 14 14
15
16
0 0 0 0
2 2
3
4
9
13 13 13
14 14 14 14
15
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1-Jun 2-Jun 5-Jun 6-Jun 7-Jun 8-Jun 9-Jun 12-Jun 13-Jun 14-Jun 15-Jun 16-Jun 19-Jun 20-Jun 21-Jun 22-Jun 23-Jun
Day -->
Committed Design Done Backend Done Frontend Done Testing Done UAT Done
Sample CFD
What problems
do you see here?

12. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
CFD – Another Sample

13. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
CFD – Comparing Releases

14. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Control Chart (or Run Chart)
 How Lead Time varies over a period of time
Day 
LeadTime

15. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
May/25 Jun/14 Jul/4 Jul/24 Aug/13 Sep/2 Sep/22 Oct/12
CycleTime
Date Done
Control Chart – Sample
Is the team performance
getting better or worse?

16. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Control Chart – Sample
y = -0.0122x + 531.88
R² = 0.0039
0
5
10
15
20
25
21/11/17
1/12/17
11/12/17
21/12/17
31/12/17
10/1/18
20/1/18
30/1/18
9/2/18
19/2/18
1/3/18
CYCLETIME
DAY COMPLETED

17. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Lead Time Distribution
 How Lead Time is distributed for a given time period
Lead Time 
NumberofItems

18. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Lead Time Distribution – Sample
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 32 34 37 40 42 44 46 48 51 54 55 56 60 61 62 84
NUMBEROFITEMS
LEAD TIME

19. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Numberofworkitems
Improvement
Opportunity #1
Improvement
Opportunity #3Improvement
Opportunity #2
Lead Time Distribution
– Improvement Opportunities

20. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Lead Time Distribution
– Improvement Opportunities
1. Make the distribution “tall and narrow” rather
than “flat & wide”
2. Move the distribution to the left
3. Slim or trim the tail

21. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 32 34 38 44 46
NumberofItems
Lead Time (days)
Release 1
85% confidence
– 26 days
Lead Time Dist. – Comparing Releases
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 25 29 41
NumberofItems
Lead Time (days)
Release 2
85% confidence
– 17 days

22. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Lead Time Dist. – Comparing Releases
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 25 29 41
NumberofItems
Lead Time (days)
Release 2
85% confidence
– 17 days
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 26 27 41
NumberofItems
Lead Time (days)
Release 3
85% confidence
– 12 days

23. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
16
40
27
21
6
25
30
17
24
26 26
20
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
48 49 50 51 52 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Throughput(Points)
Week Number
Throughput Chart
 How Throughput varies over a period of time
Do you see weekly throughput stabilizing?

24. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Kanban Metrics – Summary
Four most common metrics to enable kaizen:
 Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)
 Control Chart
 Lead Time Distribution
 Throughput Chart

25. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
Questions?

26. The Power of Kanban Metrics
Sanjay Kumar
THANK YOU!
 Stay in touch…
Sanjay Kumar
Agile Trainer & Coach
SunjayKumar@gmail.com
LinkedIn.com/in/SunjayKumar
Twitter.com/AgilityDelivers