kanban
/ˈkæn.bæn/
Japanese Origin
Business
Original Word
看板
Kanji (kanban)
Entered English
2000s
First recorded usage in English
The Story Behind "kanban"
From Japanese 'kanban' (看板), literally 'signboard'. Adopted in software development and manufacturing as a visual workflow management method, inspired by Toyota's production system. Now a mainstream Agile methodology worldwide.
Example Usage
"Our team switched to a kanban board to better visualize our workflow."