Kaiten

What it is and why

Kaiten is a Russian work management service with very strong Kanban: nested cards, swimlanes, multiple boards, links between items. It is listed in the Russian software registry — which matters for state-owned companies and anyone who needs RU-based solutions. Pick it if visual flow management is your main thing, you need a Russian interface/support/ruble billing and possibly a "domestic software" requirement.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Sign up at kaiten.ru — there is a free plan to start with, and billing is in rubles.
2. Create a Space for a team or a direction, and Boards inside it.
3. Set up columns to match your flow: Backlog → In progress → Testing → Done. Columns can be split into sub-columns (for example, In progress: To Do | Doing).
4. Swimlanes. Split the board horizontally — by team, type of work, urgency. Handy for an "Expedite" lane for anything on fire.
5. WIP limits. Set a card limit per column — Kanban discipline that stops you from pulling too much into progress at once.
6. Nested cards (children). Break a big task into child cards right inside the parent — convenient for epics.
7. Automation and services. Set up auto-rules (moving, assigning), hook up Telegram notifications, integrate via API/webhooks.
8. Kanban metrics. Turn on the Cumulative Flow diagram and Cycle Time — you can see where the flow clogs up.

A ready-made recipe/combo

A production flow with prioritization: incoming tasks pile up in Backlog → weekly grooming: you pull items into Ready for work within the WIP limit → urgent items go through a separate Expedite lane on top of the limit → a developer moves the card and ticks off child subtasks inside it → the CFD shows that Testing has become the bottleneck → you reassign people. A Russian service, rubles, software registry.

What it costs (honestly)

The logic: a free plan with the basics, then per user per month in rubles; higher plans unlock reports, permissions, integrations, diagrams. Exact amounts and limits are on kaiten.ru and they change.

When it fits / when it doesn't

• Fits: you love Kanban and visual flow; you need a Russian interface/support/rubles; you need software from the registry; any team size.
• Doesn't fit: you need heavy-duty Scrum with Jira-level velocity reports; you need a huge ecosystem of ready-made integrations; a strong mobile app is critical.

Risks and responsibility

A Russian service in the software registry makes life easier with 152-FZ and domestic-software requirements. Responsibility for client consent to process personal data stored in cards, and for your processing policy, is on you. See the section disclaimer.

🤖 Prompt helper

You are a Kanban coach setting up Kaiten. The team is {size, process}. Help me: (1) design the structure of spaces and boards; (2) define columns/sub-columns and swimlanes for our flow; (3) set WIP limits so nobody gets overloaded; (4) decide which metrics (CFD, Cycle Time) to watch and how to read the bottlenecks. Give me concrete setup steps.