{"id":11758,"date":"2014-09-16T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-16T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?p=11758"},"modified":"2020-01-03T08:53:11","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T14:53:11","slug":"what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Many teams find it useful to identify and track the size \u2014 or amount of work \u2014 associated with each work item. Planview AgilePlace lets you easily assign a size value to each card, \u00a0manage your WIP based on card size, and\u00a0run reports\u00a0using size as a variable.<\/p>\n

In Planview AgilePlace, size is an optional field that you can update in the\u00a0Details<\/strong>\u00a0tab. When you enter a number into the\u00a0Size<\/strong>\u00a0field, you override the default card size of one and assign the appropriate\u00a0amount of effort\u00a0to the work. The card size appears on the face of a card, ensuring visibility for the entire team.<\/p>\n

Sizing Approaches<\/h3>\n

Sizing can help teams plan and groom their backlog, understand how much work is in process at a given time, and analyze metrics such as cycle time and throughput.<\/p>\n

Approaches to sizing \u2014 or assigning points \u2014 vary by team and can range from using\u00a0a t-shirt size (e.g., 1 equals extra small, 2 equals small, etc.), a scale of 1 through 10, the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.), or a\u00a0detailed estimate for hours of effort. In manufacturing, card size is\u00a0also used to designate how many widgets\u00a0need to be built \u2014 often resulting in much higher card sizes.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Click on a lane or hover over any sublane to see total card count and total card size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once your team agrees upon an approach to sizing and captures this information for each work item in Planview AgilePlace, you have the option of using size to manage\u00a0your\u00a0work in process (WIP) limits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WIP Limits Based on Card Size<\/h3>\n

WIP limits can be established for lanes, including sublanes and swimlanes, and for board users. To learn more about how to setup WIP limits,\u00a0read here<\/a>. Once WIP limits are established, update the setting in Planview AgilePlace to \u201cBase WIP Limits on Card Size\u201d (see below for more details). Once this is in place, WIP limit warnings and override events will be calculated on card size rather than the number of cards.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of standard WIP setup. The lane WIP limit is set to three and is based on the number of cards in each lane. These two cards have a combined size of four, but there is no WIP limit warning or override as the number of cards has not been exceeded.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Example of WIP limit that’s not based on card size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When a\u00a0fourth card is later\u00a0pulled into this lane, the system requires a WIP limit override and the lane, along with the WIP limit number, stays red until the WIP limit of three cards is once again observed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Standard WIP limit override based on number of cards in the lane.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now let\u2019s take the same example and base the WIP limit on card size. The two cards highlighted have\u00a0a combined card size of four, which exceeds\u00a0the established WIP limit of three and also requires a WIP limit override.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Example of WIP limit override when WIP limit is based on card size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This same logic is applied to WIP limits for board users. If the setting to \u201cBase WIP Limits on Card Size\u201d is not selected, then the user WIP limit is based upon the number of cards assigned to the user. If the setting to \u201cBase WIP Limits on Card Size\u201d is selected, then the WIP limit warnings and overrides take the total card size assigned to the user into account.<\/p>\n

How to Set\u00a0WIP Limits Based on Card Size<\/h3>\n

For existing boards, click the\u00a0Settings<\/strong>\u00a0icon on the top bar. Next, click\u00a0Settings<\/strong>\u00a0from the drop-down menu. You will be on the\u00a0Board Settings<\/strong>\u00a0tab. Check the box next to \u201cBase WIP Limits on Card Size<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
“Base WIP limit on card size” setting for an existing board.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When creating a new board from the Planview AgilePlace\u00a0Home Screen<\/b>, check the box next to \u201cBase WIP Limits on Card Size<\/strong>\u201d in the\u00a0Create New Board<\/b>\u00a0tab to enable the setting.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The “Base WIP Limits on Card Size” setting can be selected during initial board setup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Applying the \u201cBase WIP Limit on Card Size\u201d setting lets you easily\u00a0identify when the estimated effort associated with work in process is overloading the system or team. To learn more about limiting your WIP, read our blog post on\u00a0WIP Limits: How to Journey (safely) Into the Unknown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Using Card Size as a Variable in Reports<\/h3>\n

Teams\u00a0can also use card size as a variable in Planview AgilePlace reports.\u00a0Calculating analytics\u00a0based on card size provides useful\u00a0insight into how effectively\u00a0work items are flowing through your system. \u00a0For example, rather than saying the average card\u00a0takes\u00a0five days to complete,\u00a0you could say\u00a0that the average card with a size of three takes five days to complete and then compare this to the average time a card with a size of five takes to complete.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cumulative Flow Diagram calculated based on card size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reports Based on Card Size<\/h3>\n

To run a report based on the size of the cards on your board, click the \u201cCalculate based on card size<\/strong>\u201d checkbox found on the bottom right of the report window (below the start\/end date selection fields).<\/p>\n

Each report (including Cumulative Flow, Cycle Time, Card Distribution, Efficiency, and Process Control) has a setting option to calculate based on card size.<\/p>\n

The average\u00a0Cycle Time<\/b>\u00a0report shows the amount of time it takes to complete work items from start to finish.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Average Cycle Time report.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Average cycle time based on card size provides additional insight into work throughput.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Average Cycle Time report calculated based on card size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Understanding how work items of varying sizes move through your workflow can help in re-distributing workload, determining where larger size items get held up, breaking work down into smaller batches, and forecasting throughput for similar work.<\/p>\n

Manage Your Work More Effectively with Card Size<\/h3>\n

The card\u00a0size<\/strong>\u00a0field is an available option in all Planview AgilePlace editions and allows you to capture\u00a0estimated effort for each work item to assist in planning and managing work. \u00a0Limiting your WIP by card size and running reports using card size as a variable gives you better insights to understand where bottlenecks are occur and how to improve your flow of work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many teams find it useful to identify and track the size \u2014 or amount of work \u2014 associated with each work item. Planview AgilePlace lets you easily assign a size value to each card, \u00a0manage your WIP based on card size, and\u00a0run reports\u00a0using size as a variable. In Planview AgilePlace, size is an optional field…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[521],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lean-agile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Card Size and Why Does it Matter? - Blog | Planview<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planview Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Planview Blog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Planview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Planview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Planview Blog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Planview Blog\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fd58aa7028c738371555a4f6fe4032f4\"},\"headline\":\"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\"},\"wordCount\":1112,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Enterprise Agile Planning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\",\"name\":\"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter? - Blog | Planview\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png\",\"width\":950,\"height\":473},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\",\"name\":\"Planview Blog\",\"description\":\"Leading the conversation on digital connected work\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Planview\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png\",\"width\":280,\"height\":66,\"caption\":\"Planview\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Planview\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fd58aa7028c738371555a4f6fe4032f4\",\"name\":\"Planview Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/author\/planviewblog\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter? - Blog | Planview","description":"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?","og_description":"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/","og_site_name":"Planview Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772","article_published_time":"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Planview Blog","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Planview","twitter_site":"@Planview","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Planview Blog","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/"},"author":{"name":"Planview Blog","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fd58aa7028c738371555a4f6fe4032f4"},"headline":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?","datePublished":"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/"},"wordCount":1112,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png","articleSection":["Enterprise Agile Planning"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/","name":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter? - Blog | Planview","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png","datePublished":"2014-09-16T13:45:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-03T14:53:11+00:00","description":"LeanKit lets you easily assign a size value to each card, manage your WIP based on card size, and run reports using size as a variable.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-2.03.51-PM.png","width":950,"height":473},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-is-card-size-and-why-does-it-matter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is Card Size and Why Does it Matter?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/","name":"Planview Blog","description":"Leading the conversation on digital connected work","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization","name":"Planview","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/planview-logo-black.png","width":280,"height":66,"caption":"Planview"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772","https:\/\/x.com\/Planview"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fd58aa7028c738371555a4f6fe4032f4","name":"Planview Blog","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/author\/planviewblog\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11758\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}