getKanban: A Teaching Game for Kanban and Flow

getKanban (sometimes shown as Get Kanban / GetKanban: The Board Game) is a facilitation/teaching game by Russell Healy that simulates software product delivery using Kanban principles. It's used in workshops and classroom settings to help teams experience flow, WIP limits, pull systems, variability, and continuous improvement in a low-risk, game-based environment. I've run many teams through this game.

The game is played in teams of four to six people, one game per team. Each team has a playing board representing a Kanban task board, and a collection of story cards representing work to be done. Teams compete to maximize profit by optimizing the flow of work.

During the game the teams construct charts based on data from the game including a Cumulative Flow Diagram, a Run Chart, and a Lead Time Distribution Chart. Simulated events occur throughout the game to challenge the teams and require them to make various system design, prioritization, and resource allocation decisions.