New Feature: Visualize Flow Efficiency with Service Level Expectations (SLEs)

If your team uses Kanban to improve flow and increase predictability, you’ve likely run into this familiar question:

 “How long should work stay in each column?”

While Kanban encourages limiting work in progress (WIP), it doesn’t prescribe specific timelines for completing tasks. That’s where Service Level Expectations (SLEs) come in. SLEs are a lightweight way to forecast, measure, and improve the time it takes for work to flow through your system.

Today, we’re excited to announce that Kanban Zone now supports SLEs directly on your boards!

What Is a Service Level Expectation (SLE)?

In simple terms, an SLE sets an expectation for how long a work item (or card) should remain in a given stage of your workflow. It’s not a deadline. It’s not a guarantee. It’s a probabilistic guide that helps teams understand:

• How long does work usually take
• When something is at risk of delay
• Where bottlenecks may be forming

SLEs bring time-awareness to your Kanban board, without resorting to task-level estimates.

Why SLEs Matter

Adding SLEs to your workflow introduces a subtle but powerful shift:

You stop guessing how long something might take and start observing how long it actually takes.

That shift enables better forecasting, faster feedback loops, and more consistent delivery, all without changing how your team works.

When teams visualize age-in-column and receive timely alerts when work lingers too long, they’re empowered to spot issues earlier, reassign blocked work, and optimize flow without needing a complete process overhaul.

How We Designed SLEs in Kanban Zone

When we set out to implement SLEs, our goal was to make it as data-driven and effortless as possible.

That’s why Kanban Zone automatically calculates the average time cards spend in each column over the previous four weeks. You’ll see this data right where it matters, directly in the column where you can set your SLEs, making it easy to define SLEs that reflect your team’s real performance.

Then, once you’ve set an SLE for a column, any card that exceeds that time will automatically turn the “Time in Column” badge red, a clear, immediate signal that it needs attention.

You can use SLEs to:

• Track delays in high-risk columns (like “Review” or “Waiting on Client”)
  
• Keep flow moving in time-sensitive workstreams
  
• Improve your team’s cycle time and delivery consistency

A Gentle Reminder, Not a Hard Deadline

It’s important to note that SLEs are not rigid targets or performance quotas. At Kanban Zone, we use SLEs instead of rigid Service Level Agreements (SLAs) because they reflect how work actually flows.

While SLAs impose fixed deadlines and penalties, SLEs offer data-informed forecasts based on your team’s historical performance.

They don’t demand action—they invite it.

Think of SLEs like a weather forecast for your workflow: not a hard stop, but a helpful heads-up: “This card’s been here longer than usual. Want to take a look?”

This mindset encourages better conversations, more accurate planning, and ultimately, higher quality outcomes.

Instead, they’re gentle nudges—designed to trigger conversations and spark continuous improvement.

Think of them as your board’s way of saying:

“This card’s been here longer than expected. Want to take a look?”

Ready to Try It?

This new feature is available now on all boards. To learn more and see it in action, head over to our SLE feature page, where we walk you through how it works and how to get started.

We can’t wait to hear how you use SLEs to improve your flow!

Want help setting up your first SLEs or reviewing your board design?

Reach out to our team or schedule a free demo. We’re always here to help.