CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
A team adopting Kanban wants to visualize its workflow and identify bottlenecks. Which Kanban practice should the team implement first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming Kanban starts by imposing WIP limits, when the foundational step is mapping the actual workflow.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a board that maps the team's actual process steps from start to finish.
Kanban begins with visualizing the workflow so the team can see how work actually moves. Mapping real process steps reveals queues, handoffs, and delays that cause bottlenecks. Once the workflow is visible, the team can apply WIP limits, manage flow, and make policies explicit. Jumping to limits or role changes before mapping the process would optimize a workflow the team does not yet understand.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set a work-in-progress limit on every column immediately, using a fixed number like five.
Why it's wrong here
WIP limits are valuable, but they depend on knowing the workflow first. Applying arbitrary fixed limits without understanding process steps, capacity, and demand can create artificial constraints that do not reflect reality. The team should map the workflow, observe flow, and then establish limits empirically rather than guessing a universal number.
- ✓
Create a board that maps the team's actual process steps from start to finish.
Why this is correct
The first Kanban practice is to visualize the workflow by mapping the actual steps work takes, from request to delivery. This value stream view exposes handoffs, queues, and delays. Without an accurate map of the real process, later practices like limiting work in progress or measuring flow cannot be applied meaningfully, because the team would be optimizing a fictional workflow.
- ✗
Replace the team's existing roles and meetings with a continuous flow model before starting.
Why it's wrong here
Kanban is an evolutionary change method that overlays existing processes rather than replacing roles and meetings up front. Starting with visualization lets the team see current state, then improve incrementally. Ripping out roles and ceremonies before understanding the workflow creates disruption without data, and it contradicts Kanban's principle of starting with what you do now.
- ✗
Assign a dedicated Kanban manager to move cards between columns for the team.
Why it's wrong here
Kanban does not define a manager role that moves cards. The team pulls work and manages the board collaboratively. Introducing a card-mover centralizes control and hides the very flow problems the board is meant to reveal. Visualization works best when the people doing the work update the board themselves, making impediments and queues visible.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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