​

Practical Kanban Templates and Examples

Ready-to-use Kanban templates can help you get started quickly and avoid common pitfalls. This guide provides templates for different types of teams and workflows, along with real-world examples of how teams use Kanban effectively.

​

Basic Kanban Templates

​

1. Simple Three-Column Template

Best for: Getting started, simple workflows, personal productivity

Columns:

• To Do - Work that needs to be started
• In Progress - Work currently being done
• Done - Completed work

WIP Limits:

• To Do: 5
• In Progress: 3
• Done: ∞

Example cards:

Review quarterly report
Assigned: Sarah
Due: Friday
Priority: High

Update team website
Assigned: Mike
Due: Next week
Priority: Medium

​

2. Software Development Template

Best for: Development teams, bug tracking, feature development

Columns:

• Backlog - Ideas and requests
• To Do - Work ready to start
• In Progress - Development work
• Review - Code review and testing
• Done - Completed and deployed

WIP Limits:

• Backlog: 10
• To Do: 5
• In Progress: 3
• Review: 2
• Done: ∞

Example cards:

Bug: Login fails with special characters
Assigned: Alex
Priority: High
Type: Bug

Feature: Dark mode
Assigned: Maria
Story Points: 8
Type: Feature

​

3. Marketing Team Template

Best for: Marketing campaigns, content creation, social media

Columns:

• Ideas - Campaign ideas and concepts
• Planning - Strategy and planning
• Creating - Content creation
• Review - Approval and feedback
• Published - Live campaigns

WIP Limits:

• Ideas: 8
• Planning: 4
• Creating: 3
• Review: 2
• Published: ∞

Example cards:

Q1 Email Campaign
Assigned: Marketing
Due: March 31
Type: Campaign

Blog: 10 Tips for Remote Work
Assigned: Content Team
Due: Friday
Type: Content

​

4. Customer Support Template

Best for: Support teams, help desks, customer service

Columns:

• New - New support requests
• In Progress - Being worked on
• Waiting - Waiting for customer response
• Resolved - Issue resolved
• Closed - Ticket closed

WIP Limits:

• New: 10
• In Progress: 5
• Waiting: 8
• Resolved: 5
• Closed: ∞

Example cards:

Can't reset password
Customer: [email protected]
Priority: High
Type: Technical

Billing question
Customer: [email protected]
Priority: Medium
Type: Billing

​

Industry-Specific Templates

​

1. Healthcare Team Template

Best for: Medical teams, patient care, healthcare administration

Columns:

• Patient Intake - New patients
• Assessment - Patient evaluation
• Treatment - Active treatment
• Follow-up - Post-treatment care
• Completed - Care completed

WIP Limits:

• Patient Intake: 5
• Assessment: 3
• Treatment: 8
• Follow-up: 4
• Completed: ∞

Example cards:

Patient: John Smith
Condition: Diabetes
Doctor: Dr. Johnson
Priority: Routine

​

2. Manufacturing Template

Best for: Production teams, quality control, supply chain

Columns:

• Orders - Customer orders
• Production - Manufacturing
• Quality Check - Quality control
• Packaging - Final packaging
• Shipped - Delivered to customer

WIP Limits:

• Orders: 15
• Production: 8
• Quality Check: 4
• Packaging: 3
• Shipped: ∞

Example cards:

Order #12345
Product: Widget A
Quantity: 100
Due: Dec 20

​

3. Education Template

Best for: Teachers, educational institutions, training programs

Columns:

• Planning - Lesson planning
• Teaching - Active teaching
• Assessment - Grading and evaluation
• Feedback - Student feedback
• Completed - Course completed

WIP Limits:

• Planning: 6
• Teaching: 4
• Assessment: 5
• Feedback: 3
• Completed: ∞

Example cards:

Lesson: Introduction to Algebra
Class: Math 101
Due: Monday

​

Advanced Templates

​

1. Scrum-Kanban Hybrid Template

Best for: Teams using both Scrum and Kanban methodologies

Columns:

• Product Backlog - Future work
• Sprint Backlog - Current sprint work
• In Progress - Active development
• Testing - Quality assurance
• Done - Sprint completed

Swimlanes:

• Epics - Large features
• Stories - User stories
• Bugs - Bug fixes
• Technical Debt - Code improvements

WIP Limits:

• Product Backlog: 20
• Sprint Backlog: 8
• In Progress: 4
• Testing: 3
• Done: ∞

​

2. Multi-Team Template

Best for: Large organizations with multiple teams

Columns:

• Portfolio - Strategic initiatives
• Program - Program-level work
• Team Backlog - Team-specific work
• Development - Active development
• Release - Ready for release
• Deployed - Live in production

Swimlanes:

• Team A - Frontend team
• Team B - Backend team
• Team C - QA team
• DevOps - Infrastructure team

​

3. Personal Productivity Template

Best for: Individual productivity, personal projects

Columns:

• Ideas - Future tasks and ideas
• This Week - Weekly goals
• Today - Daily tasks
• In Progress - Active work
• Done - Completed tasks

WIP Limits:

• Ideas: 15
• This Week: 8
• Today: 5
• In Progress: 3
• Done: ∞

​

Card Templates

​

1. User Story Template

Title: [User Story Title]

Description:
As a [user type], I want [feature/action], so that [benefit/value].

Acceptance Criteria:
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]
- [ ] [Criterion 3]

Story Points: [1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
Assignee: [Name]

​

2. Bug Report Template

Title: Bug - [Brief Description]

Description:
[Detailed description of the bug]

Steps to Reproduce:
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]

Expected Behavior:
[What should happen]

Actual Behavior:
[What actually happens]

Environment:
- Browser: [Browser and version]
- OS: [Operating system]
- Device: [Device type]

Priority: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Severity: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]

​

3. Task Template

Title: [Task Title]

Description:
[What needs to be done]

Requirements:
- [ ] [Requirement 1]
- [ ] [Requirement 2]
- [ ] [Requirement 3]

Dependencies:
- [List any dependencies]

Estimated Time: [Hours/Days]
Due Date: [Date]
Assignee: [Name]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]

​

4. Epic Template

Title: Epic - [Epic Title]

Description:
[High-level description of the epic]

Goals:
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
- [Goal 3]

Success Criteria:
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]
- [ ] [Criterion 3]

Sub-tasks:
- [ ] [Sub-task 1]
- [ ] [Sub-task 2]
- [ ] [Sub-task 3]

Timeline: [Start Date] - [End Date]

​

Real-World Examples

​

Example 1: Software Development Team

Company: Tech startup with 8 developers

Board Setup:

Backlog (10)  To Do (5)  In Prog (3)  Review (2)  Done (∞)
Epic: User Authentication System
Card 1        Card 2     Card 3       Card 4      Card 5
Card 6        Card 7                                  Card 8

How they use it:

• Daily standups around the board
• WIP limits prevent overloading developers
• Review column ensures code quality
• Epic swimlanes for large features

​

Example 2: Marketing Agency

Company: Digital marketing agency with 12 people

Board Setup:

Ideas (8)     Planning (4)  Create (3)  Review (2)  Publish (∞)
Client: ABC Corp - Website Redesign
Card 1        Card 2        Card 3      Card 4      Card 5
Card 6        Card 7                                  Card 8

How they use it:

• Swimlanes for different clients
• Planning column for strategy work
• Review column for client approval
• Color coding for different content types

​

Example 3: Customer Support Team

Company: SaaS company with 6 support agents

Board Setup:

New (10)      In Progress (5)  Waiting (8)  Resolve (5)  Closed (∞)
Priority: High
Card 1        Card 2           Card 3       Card 4       Card 5

Priority: Normal
Card 6        Card 7                                    Card 8

How they use it:

• Swimlanes for priority levels
• Waiting column for customer responses
• WIP limits prevent agent overload
• Quick visual status updates

​

Implementation Tips

​

1. Start with a Template

• Choose a template that matches your workflow
• Don’t customize too much initially
• Focus on getting started quickly

​

2. Customize Gradually

• Use the template for a few weeks
• Identify what works and what doesn’t
• Make small adjustments based on feedback

​

3. Set Realistic WIP Limits

• Start with conservative limits
• Adjust based on team capacity
• Monitor and refine over time

​

4. Use Consistent Card Format

• Create card templates for your team
• Standardize information fields
• Make cards easy to read and understand

​

5. Regular Review and Improvement

• Hold weekly board reviews
• Discuss what’s working
• Make improvements based on data

​

Common Template Mistakes

​

1. Too Many Columns

Mistake: Creating 10+ columns from the start Better approach: Start with 3-5 columns and add more as needed

​

2. Unrealistic WIP Limits

Mistake: Setting WIP limits too high or too low Better approach: Start conservative and adjust based on team capacity

​

3. Complex Card Templates

Mistake: Creating cards with too many fields Better approach: Keep cards simple and add detail as needed

​

4. Ignoring Team Input

Mistake: Using a template without team feedback Better approach: Involve the team in template design and customization

​

5. Not Evolving the Template

Mistake: Using the same template forever Better approach: Regularly review and improve the template

​

Conclusion

Kanban templates provide a great starting point for implementing Kanban in your team. The key is to choose a template that matches your workflow and then customize it based on your team’s specific needs.

Remember:

• Start simple and evolve
• Use templates as a starting point, not a rigid structure
• Involve your team in template design
• Regularly review and improve your setup
• Focus on the core Kanban principles

Ready to implement a template? Check out our guide on Personal Kanban for individual productivity or Work In Progress Limits for optimizing your workflow.

Next: Learn about Personal Kanban for individual productivity or Work In Progress Limits for optimizing team workflow.