Kanban is a lean method for managing workflow. This document describes using a pizza game to teach Kanban principles. Players take on roles in a pizza business workflow to produce pizzas. The objectives are to make as many pizzas as possible within a day while avoiding wasted materials. Players learn to visualize their workflow, limit work in progress, and improve collaboratively based on metrics for finished and in-progress pizzas. Additional rounds introduce concepts like new pizza types and centralized orders to manage flow through the system.

1. @xabarx
abaranovskis
Kanban pizza game
Learn Kanban the tasty way
Armands Baranovskis

2. Kanban
• Meaning – visual card
• Origins – Toyota production system
• Principles:
– Visualize workflow
– Limit WIP
– Manage flow

5. The Competition
• I am a pizza magnate planning to open a new
franchise in Riga
• I am willing to help with initial investments
• Only the best restaurant will gain my full
support and financial backing

6. We are open!
• You have opened a pizzeria
• We are running one day promo – all
pizzas for free
• Your objectives:
–Make as many pizza as possible
until the end of day (until I say so)
–Try to avoid wasted materials

7. Let’s play

8. Kanban properties
• Measure and optimize
flow
• Visualize workflow
• Limit work in progress
• Make process policies
explicit
• Improve collaboratively

9. Measure and optimize
Finished slice = +5 points
Pizza base = -2 points
2 toppings = -1 point
Each slice counts as negative until
it is fully done (-5 points)

10. Let’s play
again

11. Workflow and WIP
• Do you have a workflow?
• Make a station for each
step
• Was work piling up?
• Select an appropriate WIP

12. Let’s play
again

13. It’s time to introduce a
NEW and BETTER
pizza!

14. And the orders start to arrive
• An order is fully done or nothing is done
• Orders will be placed centrally each
group can take orders
• The finished orders have to be placed at
a defined location for delivery

15. Let’s play
again
and again

16. Draw your workflow

17. Kanban properties - reminder
• Measure and optimize
flow
• Visualize workflow
• Limit work in progress
• Make process policies
explicit
• Improve collaboratively

18. Feedback and questions

19. Further reading
Kanban and Scrum – making the most of both:
http://www.infoq.com/resource/minibooks/kanban-scrum-
minibook/en/pdf/KanbanAndScrumInfoQVersionFINAL.pdf
Kanban Pizza Game: www.agile42.com/training/kanban-
pizza-game

20. Thank you!
eBIT
www.ebit.lv
e-mail: armands.baranovskis@ebit.lv