kanban

plural kanbans · alternative Kanban

1. countableA card containing a set of manufacturing specifications and requirements, used to regulate the supply of components.First known use 1980s

   1 more example

   The sub-assembly line assembles A. It goes to processing line 1 to withdraw part a, and for this purpose it must take the sub-assembly kanban (called withdrawal kanban). It goes to store a, withdraws boxes in the required quantity and removes those kanban (called in-process kanban or production-ordering kanban) that are attached to the boxes.

   1986, David J. Lu, transl., edited by Japan Management Association, Kanban Just-in Time at Toyota: Management Begins at the Workplace, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 93

2. countableuncountableA coordinated manufacturing system using such cards.

   However, since so many Japanese industries have adopted Kanban, this problem is diminishing.

   1994, Yasuhiro Monden, Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time, Chapman & Hall, →ISBN, page 51

3. broadlycountableuncountableA system to manage, visualise, and improve work across teams, often as part of an agile methodology.First known use 2000s

   kanban board

   1 more example

   The first thing that often differentiates a daily standup in a kanban team from other standup meetings is that a kanban team tends to focus on the work on the board rather than on the individual people in the team.

   2014, Joakim Sunden, Marcus Hammarberg, Kanban in Action, Manning, →ISBN

plural Kanbans

1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of kanban.