{"id":14642,"date":"2020-12-14T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?p=14642"},"modified":"2020-12-14T09:27:10","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T15:27:10","slug":"what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes\" class=\"wp-image-14827\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;are horizontal lanes on your&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board that help to separate and further define your workflow. These lanes allow teams to surface or highlight related work items or tasks that follow a similar process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your team might utilize&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to keep track of tasks for different products or cross-team dependencies, for example. It allows you to easily spot issues or bottlenecks and identify exactly where they\u2019re coming from so that you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/resources\/guide\/introduction-to-kanban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keep work flowing<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways you can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/products-solutions\/products\/leankit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">employ swimlanes<\/a>\u2014and most teams quickly experience the benefits of applying&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to their&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;boards.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Benefits_of_Kanban_Board_Swimlanes\" >Benefits of Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#How_to_use_Kanban_Board_Swimlanes\" >How to use Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Show_Class_of_Service\" >Show Class of Service&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Visualize_Cross-team_Dependencies\" >Visualize Cross-team Dependencies&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Distinguish_Sub-teams_Products_Clients\" >Distinguish Sub-teams, Products, Clients&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Highlight_Repetitive_Work_or_Recurring_Work\" >Highlight Repetitive Work or Recurring Work&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Target_Company-Level_Goals\" >Target Company-Level Goals&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#Kanban_Board_Swimlanes_Customizable_Clarity\" >Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes: Customizable Clarity&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Kanban_Board_Swimlanes\"><\/span>Benefits of Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"616\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-5.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes help teams define their workflow\" class=\"wp-image-14820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-5.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-5-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-5-150x90.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-5-768x462.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;help teams separate and further define their workflow as horizontal lanes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Utilizing&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;on your&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board makes it easy for you and your team to break down your workflow to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/the-science-of-kanban-visualization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visualize related items<\/a>. This ensures a clear understanding of your workload and the ability to prioritize as needed. These lanes allow you to further breakdown smaller processes that may exist within your team\u2019s broader workflow, as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;provide teams with the flexibility to manage specific product or client processes, cross-team workflows, company-level goals, and much more. With these lanes, your board maintains the full overview of your work while visually breaking down the sub-levels of your services.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_use_Kanban_Board_Swimlanes\"><\/span>How to use Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"777\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-3.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes help teams visualize work\" class=\"wp-image-14818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-3.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-3-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-3-150x114.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-3-768x583.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;are the most useful when they serve your team\u2019s goals for work visualization.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Visualizing work types using horizontal lanes allows you to further separate related tasks so work continues flowing and goals are continually met. There are several different ways to use&nbsp;swimlanes. You and your team should base the type of&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;you use on your goals for workflow visualization.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no right or wrong way to use horizontal&nbsp;swimlanes, but there are a few recommended ways that tend to work best for&nbsp;a majority of&nbsp;teams. Your team can employ&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Show class of service&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Visualize cross-team dependencies&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Distinguish sub-teams, products, or clients&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Highlight recurring work&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Target company-level goals&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/info.planview.com\/kanban-101-_ebook_lad_en_reg.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/planview-kanban-101-ebook_800x200-1.jpg\" alt=\"kanban-101-ebook-banner\" class=\"wp-image-13521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/planview-kanban-101-ebook_800x200-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/planview-kanban-101-ebook_800x200-1-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/planview-kanban-101-ebook_800x200-1-768x192.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/planview-kanban-101-ebook_800x200-1-750x188.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Show_Class_of_Service\"><\/span>Show Class of Service&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes to show class of service | Planview AgilePlace\" class=\"wp-image-14814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-150x80.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-768x408.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Many teams use Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to divide their work by urgency or time commitment.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Kanban, \u201cclass of service\u201d refers to the set of parameters that define how your team classifies incoming work. For example, you can utilize class of service to specify the urgency, time commitment, or other requirements that help to further visualize specific work items.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to highlight class of service allows you and your team to prioritize work effectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some types of class of service specifications might include tasks to expedite, items that have fixed delivery dates, or general work items. Again, there\u2019s no specific right or wrong way to use this. Most teams identify a few&nbsp;class&nbsp;of service types that best represent their workflow and go from there.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Visualize_Cross-team_Dependencies\"><\/span>Visualize Cross-team Dependencies&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"763\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-6.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes to visualize cross-team dependencies\" class=\"wp-image-14822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-6.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-6-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-6-150x112.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-6-768x572.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Using Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to define cross-team dependencies can improve collaboration and shorten handoffs among teams.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Swimlanes&nbsp;can also be used to visualize cross-team dependencies so that work from other teams\u2014or work from your team that relies on other teams\u2014can be easily surfaced and managed. Often when teams have cross-functional work items it\u2019s easy for blocked work to get lost in the mix if it\u2019s not visualized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But by utilizing&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to define and demonstrate cross-team dependencies on your team\u2019s board, you\u2019ll create further clarity and keep work moving.&nbsp;Plus&nbsp;you can have as many&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;as you need to clearly identify dependent work items. This way, the teams that work the most closely together within the organization can operate with cross-team clarity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Distinguish_Sub-teams_Products_Clients\"><\/span>Distinguish Sub-teams, Products, Clients&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-7.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes to distinguish subteams, products or clients\" class=\"wp-image-14823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-7.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-7-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-7-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-7-768x395.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;can be used to visualize multiple processes on one board.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar to&nbsp;visualizing cross-team dependencies, your&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlane&nbsp;can be used to visualize sub-teams within a team. Beyond that, you can also employ these lanes to surface clients, customers, and products. This allows you to separate processes for specific clients or varied product workflows.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you have a regularly established workflow for a specific client\u2019s deliverables, you can easily surface this using&nbsp;swimlanes. You can also use it to easily visualize different product flows you and your team might use based on your organization\u2019s offerings. Whatever the necessary workflow division,&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;allow you to clearly and quickly visualize it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/info.planview.com\/kanban-roadmap-_ebook_lad_en_reg.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/planview-ebook-kanban-roadmap_800x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/planview-ebook-kanban-roadmap_800x200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/planview-ebook-kanban-roadmap_800x200-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/planview-ebook-kanban-roadmap_800x200-768x192.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/planview-ebook-kanban-roadmap_800x200-750x188.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Highlight_Repetitive_Work_or_Recurring_Work\"><\/span>Highlight Repetitive Work or Recurring Work&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"775\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-9.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes for repetitive or recurring work\" class=\"wp-image-14828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-9.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-9-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-9-150x114.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-9-768x581.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Teams often use Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to&nbsp;track, measure, and improve repetitive processes over time.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also utilize&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to clearly visualize consistent recurring or repeated work. Many teams have team-based, internal tasks that must be accomplished on a regular basis. It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of not documenting this work simply because you and your team are constantly completing it\u2014but this allows for missed work and misrepresentation of your team\u2019s actual workload.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using a dedicated&nbsp;swimlane&nbsp;to track and visualize this work allows you to fully understand how often these repetitive tasks come up, distinguish how quickly your team is completing these tasks, and ensure that work is getting done. This can likewise be used for work that doesn\u2019t follow the team\u2019s regular process but is still worked on by the team.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Target_Company-Level_Goals\"><\/span>Target Company-Level Goals&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-8.png\" alt=\"kanban board swimlanes for company-level goals\" class=\"wp-image-14825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-8.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-8-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-8-150x99.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/image-8-768x509.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>This program-level board shows kanban board swimlanes for the iterations planned by the IT department of a large organization.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If your team contributes work toward company-wide goals, it can be highly beneficial to visualize larger initiatives or build a board to showcase epics or programs. If you or your organization has built a separate board for broader goals, you can link to connected boards through cards in a dedicated&nbsp;swimlane&nbsp;on your team\u2019s board.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These board hierarchies can be incredibly helpful if your team utilizes methods like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scaledagileframework.com\/pi-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SAFe Program Increment (PI) planning<\/a>. Visualizing and linking these broader goals from one larger, company-based board to individual team boards helps everyone across the organization stay on the same page and keep moving toward organization-wide initiatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kanban_Board_Swimlanes_Customizable_Clarity\"><\/span>Kanban Board&nbsp;Swimlanes: Customizable Clarity&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Swimlanes&nbsp;are horizontal lanes that you can easily utilize to further clarify and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/products-solutions\/solutions\/enterprise-agile-planning\/enterprise-kanban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">define processes across your team and organization<\/a>. You can employ these&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to visualize the specific workflow divisions that work best for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve got an understanding of how to utilize&nbsp;swimlanes,&nbsp;take a look&nbsp;at these&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/info.planview.com\/rs\/456-QCH-520\/images\/7_Principles_%2520of_Smart_Kanban_Board_Design.pdf?_ga=2.216917329.63225970.1606929635-91243899.1606929635\" target=\"_blank\">7 Principles for Smart Kanban Board Design<\/a>&nbsp;to help you accurately design a board that reflects your team\u2019s process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kanban board&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;are horizontal lanes on your&nbsp;kanban&nbsp;board that help to separate and further define your workflow. These lanes allow teams to surface or highlight related work items or tasks that follow a similar process.&nbsp; Your team might utilize&nbsp;swimlanes&nbsp;to keep track of tasks for different products or cross-team dependencies, for example. It allows you to easily spot&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":188,"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":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-work-collaboration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them - Planview Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.\" \/>\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-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/\" \/>\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=\"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marc Rayis\" \/>\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=\"Marc Rayis\" \/>\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-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marc Rayis\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03c1a5dee6d7664d939d6d7ca38ce5cd\"},\"headline\":\"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1243,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Work Management for Teams\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/\",\"name\":\"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them - Planview Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them\"}]},{\"@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\\\/03c1a5dee6d7664d939d6d7ca38ce5cd\",\"name\":\"Marc Rayis\",\"description\":\"Marc is a Product Marketing Manager for Planview\u2019s Work Management solutions, which help teams visualize, prioritize and collaborate to deliver their most important work fast. Marc is committed to engaging with customers through collaborative customer forums and interactive use case discussions with the goal of improving the overall customer experience. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and enjoys swimming the lakes of Austin and reading by the pool.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.planview.com\\\/author\\\/marc-rayis\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them - Planview Blog","description":"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.","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-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them","og_description":"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/","og_site_name":"Planview Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772","article_published_time":"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Marc Rayis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Planview","twitter_site":"@Planview","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marc Rayis","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/"},"author":{"name":"Marc Rayis","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/03c1a5dee6d7664d939d6d7ca38ce5cd"},"headline":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them","datePublished":"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/"},"wordCount":1243,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg","articleSection":["Work Management for Teams"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/","name":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them - Planview Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2020-12-14T15:35:00+00:00","description":"Looking to improve a basic Kanban board? You might need Kanban board swimlanes. Learn 6 common swimlane types and see Kanban board examples of each type.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kanban-board-swimlanes-cropped-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/what-are-kanban-board-swimlanes-and-how-to-use-them\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What are Kanban Board Swimlanes? And How to Use Them"}]},{"@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\/03c1a5dee6d7664d939d6d7ca38ce5cd","name":"Marc Rayis","description":"Marc is a Product Marketing Manager for Planview\u2019s Work Management solutions, which help teams visualize, prioritize and collaborate to deliver their most important work fast. Marc is committed to engaging with customers through collaborative customer forums and interactive use case discussions with the goal of improving the overall customer experience. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and enjoys swimming the lakes of Austin and reading by the pool.","url":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/author\/marc-rayis\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14642","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\/188"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}