Kanban (japanese for signboard or billboard) is a scheduling system originiated in manufacturing settings to allow for just-in-time (or lean) manufacturing.
It has since become a popular tool in many workplaces, as it allows a team to visualise how tasks flow through the team.
A common setup is a three-column board with the labels “To do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”, although there are numerous variations on the theme. Incoming work is then written on cards and put in the “To do” column.
The card is then moved to “In Progress” when someone starts working on fulfilling it, and finally put in “Done” once completed.