Agile Kanban and Logistics Kanban: two different worlds, one common name

When we talk about Kanban, an entire world opens up online… or rather two distinct worlds, often confused with one another.

On the one hand, there are project management tools such as Trello, Jira, Asana or Monday, used by teams (mainly IT and marketing) to organize activities according to Agile and Scrum principles.

On the other hand, there are industrial software solutions to manage material flows in production, logistics, and the supply chain.

Two approaches with different objectives, functionalities, and users, but sharing one common term: Kanban.

In this article, we clarify the differences once and for all.

Agile Kanban: visual management of project activities

Agile Kanban is a visual planning tool. Each activity is represented on a card within a Kanban board, divided into columns (e.g., To Do / Doing / Done).

What is it used for?

• Visualizing the status of activities
• Limiting work in progress (WIP)
• Working in an iterative and flexible way

Tools like Trello, Jira, Asana or ClickUp are designed to track tasks, manage deadlines, and facilitate collaboration.
The goal is to organize team work and improve productivity, not to manage materials or logistics.

Agile Kanban is particularly useful when companies want to overcome the rigidity of Gantt charts and adopt a more flexible, iterative, and responsive approach to change. It is widely used, for example, in software development.

Logistics Kanban: pull-based material management

Industrial Kanban originated at Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS) to reduce overproduction and apply the pull system logic: produce or supply only when requested.

Each Kanban card represents a signal to trigger a replenishment, a production order, or a material transfer.

What is it used for?

• Automating inventory management
• Avoiding waste and stockouts
• Improving supply chain responsiveness

The goal is to control the physical flows of materials, containers, and goods, in a Lean and Industry 4.0 perspective.

KanbanRocket: the e-Kanban (digital Kanban) for the supply chain

KanbanRocket is a platform specialized in the electronic management of materials within the company, enabling true Supply Chain Collaboration.
It is software designed for manufacturing and logistics companies that want to digitalize production and procurement processes in a Lean and Industry 4.0 framework.

It does not manage projects.
It does not create tasks.
It does not work with milestones.
It does manage components, containers, warehouse movements, delivery schedules, and automatic replenishments.

Who is it for?

• Operations Managers
• Logistics and Warehouse Managers
• Purchasing Departments
• Supply Chain Managers
• Lean Managers

Key functionalities:
KanbanRocket is a complete system for Kanban-based material management, covering both operational and strategic needs. It includes:

• Management of Kanban links for every process type (procurement, production, transfer, sales)
• Automatic calculation of the number of cards and containers based on consumption, lead time, and lot size, with dynamic adjustments as parameters (consumption, lead time) evolve
• Planning and scheduling of deliveries with expected dates and configurable lead times
• Advanced tracking of card status throughout the entire supply chain
• Free connection to suppliers or customers to provide them real-time visibility on relevant materials
• Automatic generation of documents: purchase orders, production orders, delivery notes (DDT), labels, packing lists
• KPI dashboards and real-time monitoring of consumption, stock turnover, delays, and QCT performance, both within the platform and via integrated BI systems such as Microsoft Power BI
• Multi-company and multi-plant management, with dedicated access for suppliers and customers
• Mobile app and touchscreen interface to record movements and scan barcodes/QR codes
• Configurable workflows for authorizations, alerts, notifications, and issue reporting
• Integration with ERP, WMS, and MES via API, webhooks, XML files, or custom connectors

These features go beyond the limitations of standard ERP modules and position KanbanRocket as a best-in-class software in the e-Kanban sector, offering complete, flexible, and digital control of material management under Lean and pull principles.

How the Kanban Board looks in KanbanRocket for an end user:

A concrete example

Imagine a factory that needs to receive containers of components from several suppliers every week.

With KanbanRocket:

• Each container has an electronic Kanban card.
• When the picker removes the last piece from the container, the system automatically triggers a replenishment order in the ERP (e.g., purchase, internal production, subcontracting, etc.).
• The software automatically calculates the expected replenishment date.
• The supplier receives a notification and can access the platform to monitor material status.
• Optionally, the supplier can integrate its ERP (e.g., insert sales orders) and/or update card status to keep the customer informed (e.g., In Production, Produced, Shipped).
• The delivery note and goods receipt process can be fully automated.
• The entire process is digitally tracked in real time.

Result?

• Zero stockouts
• Reduced average inventory
• Increased stock turnover
• Zero waste in processes such as order entry, communication, or delivery note handling

Comparison: Agile vs Supply Chain

Kanban is not a single tool: it is a concept adapted to two very different contexts.

• Agile Kanban is perfect for managing tasks and projects.
• Logistics Kanban is essential for those who work with stocks, replenishments, and material flows.

KanbanRocket is one of the leading software solutions in the industrial sector, designed to digitalize material management flows and eliminate waste.

If you are looking for a system to “organize tasks”… look elsewhere.
But if you want to bring order, responsiveness, and transparency to material management, then KanbanRocket is the right solution.