Is kanban a waterfall?

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No, Kanban is not Waterfall. In fact, Kanban and Waterfall are fundamentally different approaches to project management.

Key Differences Between Kanban and Waterfall:

Aspect	Kanban	Waterfall
Approach	Iterative and continuous. Work flows continuously without predefined phases.	Linear and sequential. One phase must be completed before moving to the next.
Flexibility	Highly flexible, allowing changes and continuous improvement.	Less flexible. Changes are difficult to implement once a phase is completed.
Delivery	Continuous delivery. Tasks are delivered whenever they are ready.	Work is delivered at the end of the project or phase.
Focus	Managing work in progress and optimizing flow.	Completing fixed phases like requirements, design, development, testing, and deployment in sequence.
Visualization	Uses a Kanban board to visualize tasks and manage flow through columns like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done."	Does not typically use visual tools like a Kanban board; work moves through distinct project phases.
Changes During Process	Easy to incorporate new tasks or changes mid-project.	Difficult to adapt to changes once a phase is completed.
Team Collaboration	Continuous collaboration and feedback throughout the process.	Collaboration typically happens during certain phases, not continuously.

Kanban Overview:

Kanban is an Agile framework focused on visualizing work, limiting work in progress (WIP), and ensuring continuous delivery. It provides flexibility and allows teams to adapt quickly to changes, with tasks moving across a Kanban board from "To Do" to "Done."

Waterfall Overview:

Waterfall is a traditional, linear project management approach where work flows through distinct phases like requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment. Each phase must be completed before moving to the next, and changes are typically difficult to incorporate once a phase is finished.

Conclusion:

Kanban and Waterfall are very different. Kanban is continuous, flexible, and allows for incremental delivery and adaptation, making it an Agile approach. Waterfall, on the other hand, is sequential and less flexible, with work progressing through clearly defined phases in a linear manner.

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