KDI - Kanban for Design and Innovation - Classroom
1.650,00 EUR
- 2 days
Kanban for Design and Innovation (KDI) is a practical course designed for professionals who want to improve the upstream side of Kanban—from incoming ideas and customer requests through discovery, decision-making, and preparation for delivery. KDI addresses these challenges by providing practical tools and techniques for shaping customer demand, managing upstream work, reducing uncertainty, and establishing an effective Upstream Kanban system. Participants learn how to connect upstream design and innovation activities with downstream delivery to create a more effective end-to-end flow
What Is Included?
Language
Course material in English
Level
Intermediate - Advanced level
2-Day Interactive Online Course
Small class sizes for genuine trainer interaction
Digital Course Materials available
One Month of Kanban+ Access from Kanban University
20-40 hours recommended study time
Kanban for Design and Innovation (KDI) Certificate of Completion
No exam required
Certification is awarded through full participation.
What Skills Will You Gain?
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
Upstream Role & System Design
Establish an effective Upstream Kanban system to manage incoming requests, shaping value within the end-to-end delivery framework
Demand Shaping & Value Optimization
Apply targeted techniques to structure customer demand, explore incoming opportunities, and maximize the overall business value delivered.
Uncertainty & Commitment Management
Visualize exploratory and uncertain work to validate options, mitigate risks, and make informed decisions before committing to execution.
Upstream to Downstream Integration
Seamlessly bridge the gap between initial ideation, strategy, and innovation, connecting upstream workflows directly into downstream delivery.
Stakeholder Engagement & Decision-Making
Involve cross-organizational stakeholders in idea generation to foster collaborative prioritization and maintain a balanced capacity pipeline.
Evolutionary Scaling & Continuous Flow
Apply evolutionary change principles to refine upstream processes and scale Kanban across the organization for frictionless value flow.
What Will You Learn ?
Introduction to Design & Innovation
Lesson 1
- The role of upstream work in Kanban
- Product delivery versus service delivery
- Understanding the upstream environment
- Why traditional backlogs can create problems
- Managing ideas, opportunities, and requests
- Connecting upstream and downstream systems
Understanding Customer Demand
Lesson 2
- Sources of incoming demand
- Understanding customer needs
- Shaping demand
- Evaluating opportunities
- Managing competing requests
- Aligning demand with organizational goals
- Maximizing value from incoming work
Managing Upstream Work
Lesson 3
- Understanding work before the commitment point
- Visualizing discovery and design activities
- Managing uncertain and exploratory work
- Handling iterative upstream processes
- Managing long-running discovery activities
- Identifying appropriate work item types
- Making upstream policies explicit
Establishing an Upstream Kanban System
Lesson 4
- Principles of Upstream Kanban
- Designing an upstream workflow
- Visualizing ideas and opportunities
- Establishing appropriate WIP limits
- Creating explicit policies
- Managing options before commitment
- Balancing preparation and execution
Reducing Uncertainty
Lesson 5
- Identifying sources of uncertainty
- Exploring options before commitment
- Determining how much preparation is appropriate
- Managing discovery activities
- Using experiments and evidence
- Improving decision quality
- Determining when work is ready for commitment
Stakeholder Engagement & Decision-Making
Lesson 6
- Identifying key stakeholders
- Engaging stakeholders in idea generation
- Collaborative decision-making
- Aligning different organizational perspectives
- Facilitating conversations around options
- Improving transparency and shared understanding
- Making better decisions about incoming work
Connecting Upstream and Downstream Flow
Lesson 7
- Connecting discovery to delivery
- Managing the transition from options to commitments
- Balancing upstream and downstream capacity
- Identifying dependencies
- Improving end-to-end flow
- Avoiding excessive work-in-progress
- Creating a more effective delivery system
Scaling Kanban for Product Delivery
Lesson 8
- Extending Kanban across organizational boundaries
- Connecting multiple Kanban systems
- Managing upstream and downstream relationships
- Scaling decision-making
- Improving end-to-end visibility
- Supporting organizational alignment
Evolutionary Change & Continuous Improvement
Lesson 9
- Applying evolutionary change thinking
- Identifying improvement opportunities
- Designing improvement experiments
- Using feedback to evolve the system
- Engaging stakeholders in change
- Creating sustainable improvement
- Continuously improving upstream Kanban
Who Should Enroll in this Program?
Product Owners / Product Manager
Business Analysts
Agile Coaches & Scrum Masters
Innovation & Design Professionals
Project & Program Managers
Kanban Practitioners
Prerequisites
Kanban System Design (KSD) is strongly recommended before attending KDI. Kanban University specifically recommends prior KSD attendance because KDI builds on foundational Kanban concepts. KDI is not a beginner-level introduction to Kanban. It is better positioned as an intermediate to advanced practitioner course, particularly for professionals who already understand Kanban and want to apply it to upstream product, design, and innovation work.
Recommended progression:
KSD → KDI → KMP
KSD provides the foundational Kanban knowledge, while KDI develops deeper capability in upstream/product delivery. Completing KSD and KDI fulfills the course requirements for the Kanban Management Professional (KMP) credential.
Frequently Asked Question
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