Kanban Skill
Provides comprehensive Kanban methodology capabilities for the Golden Armada AI Agent Fleet Platform.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when working with:
-
Kanban board setup
-
WIP limit configuration
-
Flow metrics analysis
-
Continuous delivery workflows
-
Pull-based systems
Kanban Board Structure
┌────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┐
│ BACKLOG │ TO DO │ IN PROGRESS│ REVIEW │ DONE │
│ (∞) │ (10) │ (5) │ (3) │ (∞) │
├────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼────────────┤
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │
│ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │
│ │ 1 │ │ │ 2 │ │ │ 3 │ │ │ 4 │ │ │ 5 │ │
│ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ │ ┌──────┐ │
│ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ Task │ │ │ │ Task │ │
│ │ 6 │ │ │ 7 │ │ │ 8 │ │ │ │ 9 │ │
│ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ └──────┘ │ │ └──────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
└────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┘
Kanban Principles
Core Practices
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Visualize the workflow - Make work visible
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Limit WIP - Focus on finishing, not starting
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Manage flow - Optimize throughput
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Make policies explicit - Clear rules for moving work
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Implement feedback loops - Regular reviews
-
Improve collaboratively - Continuous improvement
WIP Limits
WIP Limit Guidelines
Column
WIP Limit
Rationale
Backlog
∞
Unlimited ideas storage
To Do
10
Committed work for near-term
In Progress
5
Active development capacity
Review
3
Prevent review bottleneck
Done
∞
Completed work archive
Setting WIP Limits
- Start with team size × 1.5
- Adjust based on flow metrics
- Too high = loss of focus
- Too low = idle time
Flow Metrics
Lead Time vs Cycle Time
Lead Time
◄───────────────────────────────────────────►
│ │
│ Cycle Time │
│ ◄─────────────────────► │
│ │ │ │
┌───▼────▼───┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌▼─────────┐
│ Created │──►│In Progress│──►│ Review │──►│ Done │
│ (Backlog) │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└────────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘
Lead Time: Time from request to delivery
Cycle Time: Time from start to completion
Throughput Calculation
Throughput: Items completed per time period
def calculate_throughput(completed_items: list, period_days: int) -> float:
items_completed = len(completed_items)
throughput = items_completed / period_days
return throughput
Example
completed_this_week = 15
throughput = completed_this_week / 7 # 2.14 items per day
Cumulative Flow Diagram
Items │
50 │ ●──── Done
│ ●────●
40 │ ●────●
│ ●────● ●──── Review
30 │ ●────● ●────●
│●────● ●───● ●──── In Progress
20 │ ●───● ●───●
│ ●───● ●──── To Do
10 │ ●───●
│ ●───●
0 │●──●_________________________________
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Card Structure
Kanban Card Template
Title
[Clear, concise description]
Type
[ ] Feature [ ] Bug [ ] Tech Debt [ ] Support
Details
- Requester: [Name]
- Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
- Size: [S/M/L/XL]
- Due Date: [If applicable]
Description
[What needs to be done]
Acceptance Criteria
- Criterion 1
- Criterion 2
Blockers
[Any dependencies or impediments]
Class of Service
[ ] Expedite (Urgent, bypass WIP)
[ ] Fixed Date (External deadline)
[ ] Standard (Normal flow)
[ ] Intangible (Low priority)
Service Level Expectations
SLE by Card Type
Type
Target Lead Time
% On Time Target
Expedite
1 day
95%
Bug Fix
3 days
90%
Feature
2 weeks
85%
Tech Debt
1 month
80%
Swimlanes
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EXPEDITE (WIP: 1) │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ CRITICAL │ │
│ │ Bug #123 │ │
│ └──────────┘ │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ STANDARD (WIP: 5) │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │
│ │ Task │ │ Task │ │ Task │ │ Task │ │
│ │ 1 │ │ 2 │ │ 3 │ │ 4 │ │
│ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ INTANGIBLE (WIP: 2) │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │
│ │ Docs │ │ Tech │ │
│ │ Task │ │ Debt │ │
│ └──────┘ └──────┘ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Kanban Meetings
Daily Standup (Walking the Board)
-
Start from right (Done) to left (Backlog)
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Focus on blocked items
-
Identify bottlenecks
-
15 minutes max
Replenishment Meeting (Weekly)
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Review backlog
-
Prioritize incoming work
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Pull items to "To Do"
-
Discuss capacity
Delivery Planning (Bi-weekly)
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Review completed items
-
Update forecasts
-
Communicate delivery dates
Golden Armada Kanban Commands
View board status
/kanban-status --board golden-armada
Add item to backlog
/kanban-add --title "Feature X" --type feature --size M
Move item
/kanban-move GA-123 --to "In Progress"
Generate metrics report
/kanban-metrics --period 30d