Overview

We make use of a Kanban board for managing our software development lifecycle (SDLC). This simple process allows stakeholders to see progress quickly, while contributors move work through a clear sequence of stages.

Kanban can be compared to Lean software development. They tackle different aspects of the problem, so we treat them as complementary.

Board columns

Our typical board is:

1. Backlog
2. To Do
3. In Progress (split into Doing and Done)
4. Released

Backlog vs To Do

Backlog vs To Do often needs clarifying. Our mantra:

• The Backlog holds stories we are still investigating, but that could be of value
• The To Do list holds stories we have committed to doing

All stories start life in the backlog. They need further discussion before being promoted to To Do.

In Progress (Doing vs Done)

In Progress is where active development happens. Understanding it depends on Gitflow and continuous integration.

• Doing — work currently in flight on a branch
• Done — development complete and ready for the release path (review, merge, and promotion)

Related

• How we work
• Gitflow and releases
• User stories