Low-Key Kanban

True kanban is a very formal, regimented system. Following that process in a disciplined manner is what makes it work as well as it does. If cards go missing or don’t get dropped on time, the system fails.

But that same structure can also be a barrier to attempting it when there is not a clear and present need for it. It acts as a obstacle, even when a person or organization could benefit greatly from some portions of the system.

Enter, “low-key kanban.”

It is a term I coined to sort of give permission to people to use a variation of the full system, when conditions permit. This is most applicable for sole proprietors, small businesses, or startups with extremely sporadic demand, few employees, and a lot of other priorities. It lets them start reaping some of the benefits of kanban without worrying about managing what can be a challenging system.

The catch on low-key kanban is that you need to start it with the end in mind. It is a shortcut and should be thought of as such. Keep refining the process as it runs into glitches. It will. The kanban system has evolved the way it has because of all the problems it has encountered along the way.

With low-key kanban, you are reinventing the wheel. Every time your system breaks, you will need to deal with that issue. In most cases, the result of those little improvements will be a slow migration towards the normal implementation.