Throughput in Kanban: How to Measure and Improve It

Quick answer

Throughput = items finished per period — Kanban’s capacity metric; stable throughput is a forecasting base more reliable than estimates.

Measuring

Count completed cards per week/sprint — track the trend, not the single number.

For forecasting

‘We finish ~12 items/week’ → 30 items ≈ 2.5 weeks — throughput replaces estimation at system level.

Improving it

Lower WIP, faster blocker clearing, smaller items — throughput responds to system changes, not effort.

Stable vs growing

Stable throughput is the forecast base; improving it needs bottleneck work, not overtime.

Bottom line

Throughput = items finished per period — Kanban’s capacity metric; stable throughput is a forecasting base more reliable than estimates.

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