Kanban replaces fixed iterations with continuous flow: work…

Kanban replaces fixed iterations with continuous flow: work is pulled when there is capacity, WIP is limited, and feedback is continuous through board visualization and flow metrics. — Kanban University

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Kanban is the most radical step so far: it removes fixed timeboxes entirely, making the feedback cycle equal to the cycle time of a single work item — hours or days instead of weeks. →

Kanban Method

2039590758597251341 — Kanban: continuous flow, WIP limits, board visualization
2039596911204966407 — Kanban is the most radical step: cycle time = single work item
Empirical Process Control — the broader principle Kanban implements

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Feedback Loops

OKR — quarterly goal-setting framework: objective + measurable key results (bib)
2039590834027508118 — management has been shortening the feedback cycle for decades
2039585611682918581 — OKR: 90-day feedback loop
2039585794495803405 — OKR from control theory: a thermostat that checks once a season
Scrum — three nested feedback loops: daily, sprint review, retrospective (bib)
2039587182000959844 — Scrum: three nested inspect-and-adapt loops
2039588170195710144 — Scrum implements empirical process control
Kanban Method — continuous flow, WIP limits, pull system, no fixed iterations (bib)
2039590758597251341 — Kanban: continuous flow, no fixed iterations
2039596911204966407 — Kanban is the most radical step: cycle time = single work item
2039597131431047679 — AI-native companies: management feedback in seconds
2039597531123032444 — companies running 90-day loops cannot compete with 90-second ones

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OKR (Objectives and Key Results) The user's xettel frames this as a thermostat that checks once a season — functional, but slow. Compared to Scrum (sprint-length loops) or Kanban (continuous flow), OKR operates at the lowest frequency in the management feedback spectrum. →

Open-Loop vs Closed-Loop Systems Goal-setting frameworks vary in loop frequency: OKR checks quarterly (xettel), Scrum inspects every sprint (xettel), Kanban operates as continuous flow (xettel). A quarterly OKR is effectively a thermostat that reads the thermometer once a season. →

Scrum

OKR: quarterly (90-day loop)
Scrum: 1–4 week sprints, with daily inner loop
Kanban: continuous flow, no fixed iterations

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