Upstream Kanban: Managing Ideas Before They Become Work
Most teams have more ideas than capacity. Upstream Kanban manages those ideas as options – shaping, testing and discarding them – before anything becomes committed work. Here is how it works and how to set it up.
Quick answer: Upstream Kanban (also called discovery Kanban) applies Kanban to the work before commitment: ideas, requests and options are shaped, validated and either discarded or made ready. At the commitment point, selected options are pulled into downstream delivery. A high discard rate upstream is healthy.
1. Key Takeaways
- Upstream Kanban manages options; downstream Kanban manages committed work.
- Typical stages: Ideas, Shaping, Validating, Ready to commit.
- The commitment point is where an option becomes a promise.
- Discarding options early is a success, not waste.
- Patrick Steyaert’s Essential Upstream Kanban is the main short guide.
2. What Is Upstream Kanban?
Upstream Kanban is the part of a Kanban system before the commitment point, where ideas are filtered into a small set of good options.
Kanban University describes it as applying Kanban to discovery so teams reach a clear go or no-go decision. It is also called discovery Kanban.
3. Upstream vs Downstream Kanban
Upstream decides what to do; downstream delivers it – with different goals, policies and metrics.
4. Upstream Kanban Stages
A typical upstream board moves options through Ideas, Shaping, Validating and Ready to commit.
5. The Commitment Point
The commitment point is the moment an option becomes committed work – usually at replenishment – and where customer lead time starts.
Build your upstream board
Colour-coded lists, cards with images, checklists and due dates – on Android, iPhone, tablet and desktop.
Free to use
6. Upstream Kanban Board Examples
Here are three upstream and discovery Kanban boards built in PlanBoards.
Upstream Kanban – product options
Ideas, Shaping, Validating (WIP 3), Ready to Commit and Discarded – with a hypothesis card.
Upstream + downstream board
Options and Ready to Commit on the left, Committed, Building (WIP 3) and Delivered on the right.
Discovery Kanban – research
Questions, Interviews (WIP 2), Insights and Decided.
7. Upstream Kanban Metrics
Track discard rate, option age, options in analysis, time to decision, ready pool size and hit rate.
8. Essential Upstream Kanban
Essential Upstream Kanban by Patrick Steyaert (Lean Kanban University Press) is a short guide to managing options and discovery with Kanban.
It explains how to treat ideas as options, design an upstream board, size the options pool and connect it to delivery through replenishment and the commitment point.
9. FAQ
These are the questions people ask about upstream Kanban.
What is upstream Kanban?
Kanban applied to ideas and options before they are committed – the discovery part of the system.
What is the difference between upstream and downstream Kanban?
Upstream decides what to do and discards freely; downstream delivers committed work.
What is the commitment point?
The point where an option becomes committed work, usually at the replenishment meeting.
Is discovery Kanban the same as upstream Kanban?
Yes, the terms are used interchangeably.
Why is a high discard rate good upstream?
It shows the team is filtering options before spending delivery capacity on them.
Who wrote Essential Upstream Kanban?
Patrick Steyaert.
Can I run upstream Kanban in PlanBoards?
Yes – use option columns, a Discarded list and hypothesis cards, free to use.
10. Sources and Further Reading
These are the sources behind this guide.
- David J Anderson School of Management. What do we mean by Upstream Kanban?
- Kanban University. Upstream Kanban resources.
- Patrick Steyaert. Essential Upstream Kanban. Lean Kanban University Press.
- Scrum.org. Upstream Kanban: 7 essential metrics.
Related pages: Features · SME & Projects · Sharing Cards
Better options. Better delivery.
Android, iPhone, tablet and desktop.
Free to use