Kanban Board Examples for Work, Projects and Life
Looking for a Kanban board example you can copy? Here are 12 real boards for work, projects and life – from sales pipelines and bug tracking to weddings, travel, meal planning and exam study – plus six column templates and real-world Kanban system examples.
Quick answer: A Kanban board example is a real board that shows how to organise a specific kind of work into columns and cards. The simplest example of a Kanban board has To Do, Doing and Done columns; others use stages such as Leads → Proposal → Won for sales or To Study → Revising → Exam-Ready for students. Copy the example closest to your work and rename the columns to match your process.
1. Key Takeaways
- This page has 12 real Kanban board examples built in PlanBoards: 6 for work, 3 for projects and 3 for life.
- Every example of a Kanban board uses the same idea: columns for steps, cards for work and limits on work in progress.
- Most boards follow one of 6 column patterns – basic, team, pipeline, content, personal or support.
- Kanban system examples also exist outside boards: Toyota’s parts cards, supermarket shelves and two-bin stock.
- You can copy any Kanban example board in a few minutes and adapt the column names to your process.
2. What Makes a Good Kanban Board Example?
A good Kanban board example has columns that match a real process, cards that each describe one piece of work, visible WIP limits and enough detail on each card – labels, dates, checklists or images – to act without asking.
- Real steps, not ideal ones: columns mirror how work actually flows.
- 3–6 columns: enough to show progress, few enough to read at a glance.
- WIP limits: written in the column name, e.g. “Fixing · WIP 3”.
- Rich cards: colour labels for type, due dates, checklists and image thumbnails.
- A clear finish line: a Done (or Won, Paid, Published) column that feels good to fill.
3. Kanban Board Examples for Work
The most useful Kanban examples for work are sales pipelines, product roadmaps, bug tracking, content calendars, client project boards and job search trackers. Each one below is a real board you can copy.
Example 1: Sales pipeline (CRM) board
Each deal is a card with its value in the title, a due date for the next follow-up and a red flag for hot deals. You see the whole pipeline at a glance and spot deals stuck in Proposal.
Lists: Leads · Contacted · Demo · Proposal · Won
Best for: sales teams, founders, agencies and partnerships
Example 2: Product roadmap board
A Now / Next / Later roadmap as a board. Stakeholders see what is being built, what comes next and what has shipped – without a Gantt chart.
Lists: Ideas · Next · Now · Shipped
Best for: product managers and startups
Example 3: Bug tracking board
Bugs are reported, confirmed, fixed and verified. A WIP limit on Fixing stops developers from juggling too many bugs, and priority flags show what to fix first.
Lists: Reported · Confirmed · Fixing (WIP 3) · Verify · Closed
Best for: software and QA teams
Example 4: Content calendar board
Posts, reels and newsletters move from idea to published. Due dates become the publishing schedule, and images on cards make the board look like your feed.
Lists: Ideas · Creating (WIP 3) · Scheduled · Published
Best for: marketers, content creators and social media managers
Example 5: Freelancer client projects board
One board covers the whole client journey, from first inquiry to paid invoice, so no project – or payment – is forgotten.
Lists: Inquiries · In Progress (WIP 2) · Client Review · Invoiced · Paid
Best for: freelancers, consultants and small studios
Example 6: Job search tracker
Every application is a card with the company, role, deadlines and interview notes. It turns a stressful search into a clear, motivating pipeline.
Lists: Wishlist · Applied · Interviewing · Offer
Best for: job seekers and career changers
4. Kanban Board Examples for Projects
Kanban boards are ideal for projects with many moving parts and a clear end date – such as a renovation, a wedding or moving house.
Example 7: Home renovation board
Plan purchases, trades and deadlines for a kitchen or any room. Photos on cards keep design ideas and quotes in one place.
Lists: To Plan · To Buy · In Progress (WIP 2) · Done
Best for: homeowners and renters
Example 8: Wedding planning board
Venue, suppliers, invitations and the seating plan on one shared board, so both partners – and family helpers – know what is decided and what is next.
Lists: To Decide · Booking · In Progress · Done
Best for: couples and event planners
Example 9: Moving house board
Break a big move into small cards. Limiting packing to three rooms at a time keeps the house liveable until moving day.
Lists: Before the Move · Packing (WIP 3 rooms) · Moving Day · Settled In
Best for: families and anyone moving home
5. Kanban Board Examples for Life
Personal Kanban boards bring the same calm structure to everyday life: travel, meals and study.
Example 10: Travel planning board
Collect ideas, book in the right order and tick off the packing list. Share the board with travel companions so everyone sees the plan.
Lists: Ideas · To Book · Booked · Packed
Best for: travellers, families and groups
Example 11: Weekly meal planner
Drag recipes into This Week, turn ingredients into a shopping checklist and move meals to Cooked. Less food waste, fewer “what’s for dinner?” moments.
Lists: Recipe Ideas · This Week · Shopping List · Cooked
Best for: families and healthy-eating goals
Example 12: Exam study plan
Each topic is a card. Studying only two topics at once improves focus, and the Exam-Ready list is a visible record of progress.
Lists: To Study · Studying (WIP 2) · Revising · Exam-Ready
Best for: students and lifelong learners
6. Kanban System Examples Beyond Boards
Kanban system examples are not limited to boards: any process that uses a visual signal to start work only when there is demand – from Toyota’s parts cards to supermarket shelves – is a Kanban system.
- Toyota assembly line: kanban cards travel with boxes of parts and trigger production.
- Supermarkets: shelves are refilled only as customers take products – the idea that inspired Toyota.
- Two-bin inventory: hospitals and warehouses reorder when the first bin is empty.
- Restaurant kitchens: order tickets move along the line from prep to the pass.
- Software and office teams: digital cards on a shared Kanban board.
- Personal Kanban: a board for everyday life and home.
Copy the board, or the system around it
Colour-coded lists, cards with images, checklists and due dates – on Android, iPhone, tablet and desktop.
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7. Kanban Board Templates: 6 Column Patterns
Almost every Kanban example board follows one of six column patterns: basic, team workflow, sales pipeline, content, personal or support. Start from the closest pattern and rename the columns.
| Pattern | Columns | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | To Do · Doing · Done | Personal tasks, small projects |
| Team workflow | Backlog · Doing · Review · Done | Teams with a review or approval step |
| Pipeline | Leads · Contacted · Proposal · Won | Sales, hiring, partnerships, fundraising |
| Content | Ideas · Writing · Scheduled · Published | Blogs, social media, video, newsletters |
| Personal | Someday · This Week · Today · Done | Life, home and personal goals |
| Support | New · Triage · In Progress · Resolved | Help desk, IT, customer service |
8. How to Choose the Right Example
Choose the Kanban example that matches the shape of your work: a pipeline for anything with stages and a win/lose outcome, a project board for work with an end date, and a personal board for ongoing life tasks.
9. How to Copy an Example into PlanBoards
You can copy any of these Kanban board examples into PlanBoards in about five minutes.
- Pick an example. Choose the board closest to your work or life project.
- Create the board. Create a new board in PlanBoards and give it a clear name.
- Add the lists. Copy the column names and give each list a colour.
- Add WIP limits. Put a limit in the name of active lists, e.g. “Doing · WIP 3”.
- Add your cards. Add your real tasks with labels, due dates, checklists and images.
- Share and use it daily. Share the board and move cards as work progresses.
10. Tips for Every Kanban Example Board
Whatever example you start from, the same few habits make a Kanban board work: limit work in progress, keep cards small, update the board daily and review it weekly.
- Limit WIP: 2–3 active cards per person is a good start.
- Small cards: split anything bigger than a few days into smaller cards or a checklist.
- Use colour with meaning: one label colour per type of work or client.
- Add images: photos and screenshots make cards recognisable at a glance.
- Show blockers: a red label or a Waiting column makes stuck work visible.
- Review weekly: archive Done cards and ask which column slows you down.
11. Kanban Board Examples FAQ
These are the questions people ask most often when they look for a Kanban board example to copy.
What is an example of a Kanban board?
A simple example of a Kanban board has three columns – To Do, Doing and Done – with each task on a card. A sales team might instead use Leads, Contacted, Proposal and Won; a student might use To Study, Studying, Revising and Exam-Ready.
What are some Kanban examples for work?
Common work examples are sales pipelines, product roadmaps, bug tracking, content calendars, client project boards, recruitment pipelines and IT support queues.
Can I use a Kanban board for personal life?
Yes. Kanban works well for meal planning, travel, moving house, home renovation, wedding planning, studying and weekly personal tasks.
What columns should a Kanban board have?
Start with your real process. A basic board uses To Do, Doing and Done; most boards have 3–6 columns. Add a column only when work genuinely waits in that step.
What is the difference between a Kanban board example and a template?
An example shows a real board filled with cards; a template is the empty structure – the columns and rules – that you copy and fill with your own work.
What are Kanban system examples outside software?
Toyota’s assembly-line cards, supermarket restocking, two-bin inventory in hospitals and warehouses, and restaurant order tickets are all Kanban systems.
How many cards should be on a Kanban board?
As many as you have real work items, but keep the active columns small with WIP limits – usually 2–3 cards per person in Doing.
Can I copy these Kanban board examples for free?
Yes. You can recreate any of these boards in PlanBoards, which is free to use on Android, iPhone, iPad and the web.
12. Sources and Further Reading
The examples on this page follow the Kanban practices described in these sources.
- Vacanti, D. & Coleman, J. et al. The Kanban Guide.
- Kanban University. The Kanban Method.
- Benson, J. & DeMaria Barry, T. (2011). Personal Kanban: Mapping Work, Navigating Life. Modus Cooperandi Press.
- Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota Production System.
- Wikipedia: Kanban board · Kanban
Related pages: Personal · Family · SME & Projects · Content Creators · Features
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