What is a system of visual cues designed to simplify scheduling and minimize work-in-progress?

The correct answer is Kanban. Kanban is a visual management system that leverages visual cues, such as cards and boards, to streamline workflow and enhance productivity. This approach helps teams monitor the flow of work, manage tasks in progress, and limit work-in-progress inventory, which is crucial for maintaining efficiency and identifying bottlenecks in the manufacturing or software development processes.

By utilizing these visible indicators, Kanban enables teams to see the status of tasks at a glance and make informed decisions about workflow, thereby simplifying scheduling and improving overall operational efficiency. This methodology is particularly effective in environments that require flexibility and rapid response to changes in demand.

In contrast, Scrum emphasizes iterative processes and team roles, focusing more on the structure of team organization and project management in sprints rather than on visual workflows. Agile, on the other hand, is a broader philosophy that encompasses multiple methodologies (including Scrum and Kanban) but does not specifically focus on visual cues for scheduling. Lean centers on reducing waste and improving processes but is less focused on the visual aspects specifically designed to control work-in-progress in the way Kanban is.