What is the Kanban methodology?
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 8:30 am
Although the Kanban method is fairly well-known worldwide, many people don't know how and where it originated. In fact, this management methodology originates from the Toyota Production System (TPS ). In the 1940s , at Toyota factories, management specialists created a production system called " just in time ," which was very different from the manufacturing practices of the time.
In this system, instead of producing certain quantities of products and waiting for the market to absorb them, the idea was to maintain a manufacturing line entirely based on customer demand . In other words, production was carried out solely with purchasing interest in mind.
For this idea, quite innovative at the time, to work properly, it was necessary to create a task management system capable of identifying bottlenecks throughout the entire production chain, from the entry of raw materials into inventory to the completion of the product.
Before going into a more detailed explanation of the method, here's a fun fact: "Kanban" is a Japanese word that can be translated as "signal board" or "signaling."
Its meaning will make a lot of sense as you delve deeper rich people database into the concept of Kanban.
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Marketing and Sales: Key Differences and Everything You Need to Know
Kanban is a visual board that provides an overview of the activities currently in progress and those that need to be completed within a company.
It's basically made up of columns that represent the stages of a product or service's process. As the process progresses, the information in the columns changes, allowing management greater control.
Kanban can be implemented in a variety of ways: you can use a physical whiteboard, an office wall with sticky notes , or more modern tools (like Pipedrive ). It's also now possible to create Kanban boards in applications like Microsoft Teams.
For Kanban to fulfill its objective of maintaining the organization of deliveries while considering production chain management, it is key to understand its four pillars, which will help you understand both the theoretical aspects of Kanban and its practical application in any company.
In this system, instead of producing certain quantities of products and waiting for the market to absorb them, the idea was to maintain a manufacturing line entirely based on customer demand . In other words, production was carried out solely with purchasing interest in mind.
For this idea, quite innovative at the time, to work properly, it was necessary to create a task management system capable of identifying bottlenecks throughout the entire production chain, from the entry of raw materials into inventory to the completion of the product.
Before going into a more detailed explanation of the method, here's a fun fact: "Kanban" is a Japanese word that can be translated as "signal board" or "signaling."
Its meaning will make a lot of sense as you delve deeper rich people database into the concept of Kanban.
Recommended reading
Marketing and Sales: Key Differences and Everything You Need to Know
Kanban is a visual board that provides an overview of the activities currently in progress and those that need to be completed within a company.
It's basically made up of columns that represent the stages of a product or service's process. As the process progresses, the information in the columns changes, allowing management greater control.
Kanban can be implemented in a variety of ways: you can use a physical whiteboard, an office wall with sticky notes , or more modern tools (like Pipedrive ). It's also now possible to create Kanban boards in applications like Microsoft Teams.
For Kanban to fulfill its objective of maintaining the organization of deliveries while considering production chain management, it is key to understand its four pillars, which will help you understand both the theoretical aspects of Kanban and its practical application in any company.