when using the kanban method companies often gather information analyze how processes are flowing and implement changes to further improve the process this feedback loop allows employees to continuously improve and make incremental changes that are easier to adapt to the feedback may be positive feedback or negative feedback the kanban approach enables workers to understand failures early in the process and allows the company to adapt to a correct path before inefficiencies become a larger issue 
because tasks are broken down into very small kanban cards individuals must often rely upon each other when using the kanban method individuals often on different teams must collaborate and discuss transitions between swim lanes while other individuals must group to identify and resolve issues quickly under kanban changes to the process must be broadly communicated as adjustments made in one area may have a wider impact in other kanban boardthe kanban process utilizes kanban boards organizational systems that clearly outline the elements of a process a kanban board often has three elements boards lists and cards kanban boards are the biggest picture of a process that organizes broad aspects of a workflow for example a company may choose to have a different kanban board for different departments within its organization such as finance marketing and others the kanban board is used to gather relevant processes within a single workspace or taskboard area kanban lists are the to do items within each board for example a manufacturer may have each stage of manufacturing as a list item as kanban lists often represent different stages of production within a similar field kanban lists may also flow from one task to another often one task will end and another task will pick up with the next action item following the completion of the prior list item last kanban cards live within lists and represent the most minute detailed action items needed to complete the list these cards are the specific items that must be addressed in sequential order to complete the list for example a manufacturer must contact the supplier confirm raw material availability submit the order receive the inventory items and begin manufacturing each of these steps can even be refined further into more specific kanban cards that represent mini projects the example below depicts the an example of a kanban or pull system with well defined tasks swim lanes and an overall demonstration of the flow of tasks u s general services administrationelectronic kanban systemsto enable real time demand signaling across the supply chain electronic kanban systems have become widespread these e kanban systems can be integrated into enterprise resource planning erp systems these systems leverage digital kanban boards lists and cards that communicate the status of processes across departmentstoyota ford motor company and bombardier aerospace are among the manufacturers that use e kanban systems these electronic systems still provide visual signals but the systems are also usually enabled to automate parts of the process such as transport through the factory or even filing purchase orders scrum vs kanbanscrum and kanban both hold methodologies that help companies operate more efficiently however each have very different approaches to achieving that efficiency scrum approaches affix certain timeframes for changes to be made with kanban changes are made continuously the scrum methodology breaks tasks into sprints defined periods with start and end periods in which the tasks are well defined and to be executed in a certain manner no changes or deviations from these timings or tasks should occur scrum is often measured by velocity or planned capacity and a product owner or scrum master oversees the process on the other hand kanban is more adaptive in that it analyzes what has been done in the past and makes continuous changes teams set their own cadence or cycles and these cycles often change as needed kanban measures success by measuring cycle time throughput and work in progress kanban should not be confused with kaizen the methodology of continuous improvement benefits of kanbanthe idea of kanban carries various benefits ranging from internal efficiencies to positive impacts on customers the purpose of kanban is to visualize the flow of tasks and processes for this reason kanban brings greater visibility and transparency to the flow of tasks and objectives by depicting steps and the order in which they must occur project participants may get a better sense of the flow of tasks and importance of interrelated steps because kanban strives to be more efficient companies using kanban often experience faster turnaround times this includes faster manufacturing processes quicker packaging and handling and more efficient delivery times to customers in turn this reduces company carrying costs such as storage insurance and risk of obsolescence while also turning over capital quicker for more efficient usage companies that use kanban practices may also have greater predictability for what s to come by outlining future steps and tasks companies may be able to get a better sense of risks roadblocks or difficulties that would have otherwise slowed the process instead companies can pre emptively plan to attack these deficiencies and allocate resources to combat hurdles before they slow processes the ultimate goal of kanban is to provide better service to customers with more efficient and less wasteful processes customers may be charged lower prices with faster processes customers may get their goods faster by being on top of processes customers may also be able to interact with customer service quicker and have resolutions met faster disadvantages of kanbanfor some companies kanban is not possible to be implemented or not feasible to practice first kanban relies on stability a company must have a predictable process that cannot materially deviate for companies operating in dynamic environments where activities are not stable the company may find it difficult to operate using kanban kanban is often related to other production methodologies just in time scrum etc for this reason a company may not reap all benefits if it only accepts kanban practices for example a company may understand when it will need raw materials when reviewing kanban cards however if the company does not utilize just in time inventory it may be incurring unnecessary expenses to carry the raw materials during periods when it is sitting idle kanban also has the demand of needing to be consistently updated for a few reasons first if completed tasks are not marked off the team analyzing next steps may not adequately assess where along the process the team is at second there is no timing assessments to different phases so team members must be aware of how much time is allocated to their task and what future deadlines rely on the task at hand 