Kanban Diagram Options

Enterprise Architect provides a number of options for generating a new Kanban diagram or for opening an existing Kanban diagram. Having opened the diagram, you can define its structure, content and appearance. It is also possible to configure a diagram of any other type to be a Kanban diagram, by simply adding Kanban properties to it. This powerful design feature means that a diagram containing, for example, a set of User Stories could simply be changed to a Kanban diagram and the team could immediately begin using this flexible, lean, project management method.

To define the structure, content and appearance of a Kanban diagram, you use the 'Kanban' dialog.

Access

Ribbon

Construct > Task Management > Kanban > (options to generate and/or open a Kanban diagram) or

Start > Today > My Kanban (displays personal default Kanban diagram)

Then

Design > Diagram > Manage > Kanban (on an open Kanban diagram)

Context Menu

On a Kanban diagram, double-click on a lane

On any other type of diagram, right-click on background | Kanban

Kanban Options - Configuration

When you display the 'Kanban' dialog, it defaults to the 'Configuration' page. You use this page to set up some basic Kanban properties, such as whether Kanban is enabled on the diagram, if the names are shown in the title bar of the diagram and if the width of each swimlane is locked.

Additionally, on this page you can set up the automatic filling of a Kanban diagram based on Packages or SQL searches.

To fill a diagram based on a Package, simply click on the Add button and on the 'Add Package' option, select the required Package from the 'Select a Package' browser, and then click on the Run Search button. This will automatically add any missing elements based on the search. The search is additive and will only add elements not currently on the diagram; it will not remove elements that no longer match the search. The Package search can be filtered using a search created on the 'Filters' page (see the Kanban Options - Filters section).

Alternatively, you can write a custom SQL search to fill the diagram, by clicking on the 'Custom SQL' tab and adding the appropriate SQL. In order for the diagram to be filled, you must include in the SQL Select statement:

Object_ID as Element_ID

It is not possible to use both a Package search and a custom SQL search at the same time.

Option	Action	See also
Enabled	Select the checkbox to apply any of the Kanban functionality to the diagram. If the checkbox is not selected, the diagram will behave as a non-Kanban diagram.
Show Names in Title Bar	Select this checkbox to display the lane names (but not the sub-lane names) in the diagram title bar, above the lanes. These will be visible once the lanes are defined.
Swimlane width locked	Select this checkbox to prevent the lanes in the diagram from being made narrower or wider.
Run Search	If you want to fill a Kanban diagram automatically, you can set up either a Package search or a custom SQL search. When the search is set up, you click on the Run Search button to fill the diagram.
Add	On the 'Package' tab, if you are using a search or filter (from the 'Filters' page of the dialog) you must define a Package or Packages for the search or filter to work on. You do this by clicking the Add button and choosing either 'Add Package' to browse to a selected Package, or 'Search Model' to search or filter from all elements in the current model.
Remove	If you want to clear a Package from the list (or the whole-model selection) click on the item line and click on this button.
Include Child Packages	If you have selected a Package with a child structure, select this checkbox to also include the elements from the structure in the Kanban diagram, or clear the checkbox to include elements from the selected Package only.

Notes

The elements in a Kanban diagram individually represent work in progress; you cannot create connectors between elements on the diagram
If you apply a Kanban definition to a current diagram, all connectors on the diagram are hidden; when you de-activate the definition, the connectors are shown again
When you first set up a Kanban diagram, any element on the diagram that does not have one of the defined property values is moved to the right-hand side of the diagram