What Is Kanban Throughput?

What Is Kanban Throughput?

Kanban throughput is the average number of completed tasks delivered during a set period. The Kanban throughput formula only takes into account completed tasks. Tasks that are still in progress are not included in the throughput calculation. Throughput in Kanban is one of the ways you can measure Kanban performance and understand a team’s ability to deliver results. 

Project managers use throughput data to determine team performance over time by looking at a throughput histogram or bar chart. These visual representations will show how many tasks a team is delivering compared to other periods. The rate should either stay the same or increase over time. Project managers can look at daily, weekly, or monthly Kanban throughput charts to determine how teams are performing compared to past periods, which can help maintain a stable workflow. 

Throughput in Kanban can also help project managers determine future capacity for delivering work and consequently improve communication with key stakeholders about what they can expect. Additionally, Kanban throughput data can be used to understand team performance and diagnose potential problems based on how much work is being completed. This can encourage team collaboration to improve performance over time.