In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I became the second Accredited Kanban Trainer (AKT) in Taiwan. The trainer qualification process at Kanban University is highly rigorous: it includes standardized materials, standardized case studies, and standardized teaching methods. By following the prescribed process, one can begin teaching right away. With my 20 years of training experience, delivering such courses was not a challenge.
However, I have always believed that a responsible trainer must deeply understand the subject they teach—not just the method of teaching it. That’s why I chose to return to the role of a “student” and start from the beginning.
Within Kanban University’s learning pathway, there are two core courses:
KSD (Kanban System Design): A two-day course focused on learning how to design your own Kanban system.
KSI (Kanban System Improvement): Another two-day course centered on techniques for continuous improvement.
After completing these four days of training, participants can earn the professional KMP (Kanban Management Professional) certification. Once I personally completed these courses, I finally had the confidence to say, “I truly understand what I teach.” After all, as a trainer authorized to issue Kanban certificates, I must hold a profound understanding of the spirit of Kanban itself.
Forming an Eight-Person Learning Group: The Humility and Passion from Trainer to Learner
Since the original instructor, Mr. Chungan Ke (affectionately known as “Orange Teacher”), did not have this class scheduled, I volunteered to organize the participants myself. I shared this idea in our Agile alumni community—now over 5,000 members strong—saying openly: “Although I just earned my AKT certification, I want to relearn the fundamentals through the KSD course.” This honesty and willingness to start from zero received an enthusiastic response.
Before long, five of my former CSM students signed up, along with two friends—Sister Chun-Ying and Yi-Ming Wu—forming an intimate eight-person study group. The participants shared several traits: warm-hearted, eager to learn, and most were in managerial positions. During class, we split into two teams, and the sessions were filled with laughter, lively discussions, and an atmosphere of genuine connection.
Orange Teacher’s Class: Experiential Teaching and Gamified Learning
Orange Teacher’s (Mr. Chungan Ke’s) teaching style is completely different from mine. He enjoys blending in with his students, guiding discussions through casual conversation that makes everyone feel at ease. His examples are drawn from real life, and his game designs are full of insight and creativity.
In the morning of the first day, we played a game to experience the power of WIP (Work In Progress) limits. In the afternoon, another game taught us how to manage different Classes of Service (COS), calculate Lead Time, draw Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFDs), and even understand how Lead Time distribution appears on a normal curve.
Throughout the entire day, we were fully immersed in hands-on learning. The transition from theory to practice helped me truly grasp the spirit of Kanban: “Manage the flow of work, not the workers.”
The Power of WIP Limits: From Traffic Jams to Smooth Flow
Through the first day’s game, I physically “felt” the power of WIP limits for the first time. Let me use a metaphor: imagine a highway during a long holiday—if there’s no traffic control, everyone rushes onto the road, and the result is inevitable congestion. But when traffic flow is regulated, the highway moves smoothly.
That’s exactly the essence of WIP limits: when we control the flow, the system can truly flow.
Breaking the Myth: Kanban Is Not Just Sticky Notes, but a Flow System
On the second day, we moved into the core topic—KSD: Kanban System Design. Many people associate “Kanban” with walls full of colorful sticky notes. But that’s merely the surface. A true Kanban system consists of four key aspects:
- Workflow design and flow management
- Card information management
- Setting WIP limits
- Work classification and policy transparency
Teacher Chungan Ke used a “parking lot” metaphor to explain the concept of a pull system: if a parking lot can hold 100 cars, when the display shows “0,” it means it’s full. Once it changes to “1,” a new spot becomes available, and another car can enter. This perfectly illustrates the core concept of Kanban—limit capacity to enable flow.
The Three Change Management Principles and Six Core Practices of Kanban
During the course, we learned Kanban’s three change management principles:
- Start with what you do now
- Pursue incremental, evolutionary change rather than radical transformation
- Respect current roles and responsibilities, encouraging everyone to participate in improvement
And its six core practices:
- Visualize Work
- Limit Work In Progress (WIP)
- Manage Flow
- Make Policies Explicit
- Implement Feedback Loops
- Improve Collaboratively and Experiment Continuously
Teacher Chungan Ke also shared a fascinating story—“The Admission Ticket under the Cherry Blossom Trees.”
He explained that the founder of Kanban once observed the admission system in the Japanese Imperial Gardens: every visitor received a ticket upon entering and returned it when leaving. This mechanism—controlling the number of tickets to regulate entry—ensured the garden’s quality and order. It’s the perfect real-world example of Kanban’s core philosophy: “control flow to maintain quality.”
From the KSD Course to Trainer Reflection: Three New Insights from My Kanban Learning Journey
1. The Warmth of Service: The Learner’s Experience Is Part of the Learning Itself
This KSD course helped me rediscover the idea of being “a trainer beyond the title of a trainer.” During the two days, Orange Teacher thoughtfully designed even the lunch and snack arrangements—not the most expensive, but the most locally distinctive. From Taipei’s famous glutinous oil rice to traditional Ximending desserts, every detail reflected genuine care.
What I learned is this: the learning experience is not only about knowledge but also about the feeling of being valued. When training combines solid content with human warmth, the learners’ motivation multiplies.
2. From Theory to Practice: Building the Operational Muscles of Kanban
In this course, I used PM-ABC ’s CSM and PMP enrollment process as an example to personally design a Kanban system. From design to optimization, every step deepened my understanding of the power of flow and limits. It wasn’t just about knowing—it was about doing. This experience helped me fill the missing “practice” piece of the puzzle and gave me greater confidence to teach courses that truly work in real life.
3. Integrating Scrum and Kanban: Making Agility More Transparent
I plan to bring these insights into corporate agile workshops, helping participants combine the rhythm of Scrum with the flow of Kanban. As I take on the role of Product Owner next year, I also plan to use Kanban to manage project progress—making processes more transparent and bottlenecks more visible. Scrum provides rhythm, Kanban brings smoothness; together, they create teams that are both stable and adaptable.
Conclusion
Finally, I’ve gained new insights into course design and learner interaction. In Teacher Chungan Ke’s classes, the number of participants is usually around six. The small class size allows him to fully interact with each student, naturally resulting in high satisfaction.
In contrast, my CSM classes typically have 20 to 30 participants. While the scale is larger, the depth of interaction is inevitably limited.
His five-star reviews come from creating an atmosphere where learners feel at ease, like a refreshing breeze. My five-star reviews, on the other hand, come from systematic structure and meticulous design. Both styles have their own value—and they remind me that course quality is not only about depth of content, but also about emotional connection.
In addition, the venue was also a key difference. Changhong’s courses are usually held at Taipei’s top conference center (IEAT), with each classroom covering about 35 ping, offering a comfortable environment and well-equipped facilities. In contrast, Teacher Chungan Ke’s venue was relatively modest—about one-quarter the size of the former. Although it demonstrated good cost control, I believe there is still room to further enhance its overall quality.
This contrast made it even clearer to me: teaching is not merely about transferring knowledge—it is a holistic experience design. From content to venue, from instructor to interaction, every element contributes to the total value.
This “Kanban Reset Learning Journey” reaffirmed one truth for me:
“Only a teacher who keeps learning can nurture students who keep growing.”
This was not just a recharge of knowledge—it was a rebalancing between teaching and learning. By returning to the role of a student, I came back with a more mature teaching perspective and a clearer vision for the next stage of instructional evolution.