Question

You are a developer on a team using a Kanban board to manage flow. You work on Step X within the process and it just so happens that you are looking for more work.

The Kanban board is set up as follows:
+Step X has a WIP limit of 3.
+Step X is divided into "Doing" and "Done."
+The number of items in the "Doing" column is 2.
+The number of items in the "Done" column is 1.
Without violating the rules of the Kanban board, what should you do? Select all that apply.

A. Ignore the WIP limit of 3. Pick the next item to work on from the previous column.
B. Help the group (that picks work from the following column) finish their work so they can pull an item from the "Done" column of Step X. That will allow you to pick an item from the previous step.
C. Talk to the team about adjusting the WIP limit because increasing the WIP limit will create a better flow of work.
D. Push the done item to the next column/step without considering the WIP limit of the next column/step.

Answer 1

The correct actions to take in this scenario are to help the group finish their work so they can pull an item from the "Done" column, allowing you to pick an item from the previous step.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct actions to take in this scenario are B. Help the group (that picks work from the following column) finish their work so they can pull an item from the "Done" column of Step X. That will allow you to pick an item from the previous step.

It is important to respect the WIP (Work in Progress) limit set for Step X, which is 3 in this case. By helping the group in the following column finish their work, they can pull an item from the "Done" column of Step X, creating space for you to pick an item from the previous step without violating the WIP limit.

Talking to the team about adjusting the WIP limit may be a valid option to consider in the future, but in this scenario, it is not necessary as there is a solution without changing the limit. Pushing the done item to the next column/step without considering the WIP limit of the next column/step would violate the rules of the Kanban board and disrupt the flow of work.