Sequencing strategies

What is a sequencing strategy?

The Sequencer module supports multiple strategies for determining the order in which kanban cards are added to each resource's sequence. The sequencing strategy can be selected based on operational needs, product characteristics, or production constraints.

Note that this sequencing feature works automatically and only when cards are added to the sequence. It also respects the frozen area, if present, meaning that the cards present in the frozen area will not be modified

Below are the currently supported strategies:

• FIFO (first in, first out) [default]
• By date
• Product wheel

How to set a sequencing strategy for a partner

The appropriate sequencing strategy can be selected and defined for each partner: to know more about the configuration, look at the Partner configuration.

FIFO

The FIFO strategy processes cards in the exact order they are added to the sequence. The first card added will be the first one processed, regardless of its properties such as the required date or type. The oldest entry is always processed first.

For example, if cards are added to the resource's sequence when they are set as Released, they will be simply added to the end of the queue, because the cards that were already present in the sequence need to be processed before.

When to use the "FIFO strategy

Use the FIFO strategy when the order of work does not depend on specific deadlines or types. It is useful for simple processes where tasks are handled one after another in the order they come in.

Using FIFO keeps the production system simple and transparent. The lead time for each card becomes more predictable and consistent across the whole system, while the length of the queue directly corresponds to the throughput time.

This makes FIFO the preferred strategy whenever possible, because it supports flow efficiency, stability, and ease of coordination.

By date

The By date strategy ensures that cards are processed in order of their required date, so that those with earlier deadlines are prioritized and completed on time.

In KanbanBOX, the priority is given to the confirmed date (if present). If not, the system uses by default the required date. In most cases, these two dates are the same, so the behavior remains consistent and predictable.

Note: This strategy is applied automatically only when cards are added to the sequence.
If you manually rearrange the sequence, the system keeps that custom order. When a new card is added, the sequencer analyzes the lower part of the list to decide where to insert the new card based on its required date. This means the sequencing can become partially manual and partially automatic, with the top section preserved as-is and the bottom section continuing to follow the date-based logic.

When to use the "By date" strategy

Use the By date strategy when it is important to complete work by specific dates. It helps make sure that the deadlines are respected and that urgent cards are done before less urgent ones.

Example

Let’s say you have the following cards in your sequence:

Step 0: Initial Sequence

Let's assume that we

Position	String ID	Required date
1	D7E4T6Y8	2nd July
2	A3F9B1C2	5th July
3	M2N7Q5Z1	6st July
4	H8J3K9L0	8th July
5	R4S6V2X3	10th July

In this case, the cards are already ordered by required date.

Step 1: Manually rearranged sequence

Imagine that the sequence needs to be modified and the card A3F9B1C2 needs to be processed before the others.

Position	String ID	Required date
1	A3F9B1C2	5th July
2	D7E4T6Y8	2nd July
3	M2N7Q5Z1	6st July
4	H8J3K9L0	8th July
5	R4S6V2X3	10th July

By manually reordering the sequence, we brake the sequence, thus creating an upper part which does not follow the by-date ordering (position 1) and a lower part which respects the by-date ordering (positions 2-5).

Step 2: Add a new card (ID: B5K8M2P9 - required date: 3rd July)

The sequencer checks the sequence starting from the last card to find the right position for the card that needs to be added based on the required date.

Position	String ID	Required Date
1	A3F9B1C2	5th July
2	D7E4T6Y8	2nd July
3	B5K8M2P9	3rd July
4	M2N7Q5Z1	6st July
5	H8J3K9L0	8th July
6	R4S6V2X3	10th July

The new card B5K8M2P9, with required date 3rd July, is then inserted between the card D7E4T6Y8 with required date 2nd July and the card M2N7Q5Z1 with required date 6th July.

Product wheel

The Product wheel strategy arranges the cards based on a predefined cycle of product types. The goal is to reduce the number of product changeovers by grouping similar parts together and following a repeatable production pattern.

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When to use the "Product wheel" strategy

This strategy is useful when switching between different types of products takes time or resources, such as when changing machine settings or cleaning equipment. The grouping field can be used for example to store the information about the different set-ups: by doing so the cards can be automatically grouped following the preferred set-up sequence.

Example

Assume your product wheel is configured with the following part number cycle: A → B → C → D.

Step 0: Initial Sequence

Let's assume that this is the initial sequence where the cards are already ordered to be processed according to the predefined cycle.

Position	String ID	Part Number	Required Date
1	A1B2C3D4	A	5th July
2	B5C6D7E8	B	6th July
3	C9D0E1F2	C	7th July
4	D3E4F5G6	D	8th July

Step 1: Add another card with part number B

Position	String ID	Part Number	Required Date
1	A1B2C3D4	A	5th July
2	B5C6D7E8	B	6th July
3	E1F2G3H4	B	9th July
4	C9D0E1F2	C	7th July
5	D3E4F5G6	D	8th July

The card with part number B is right before C.

Step 2: manual rearrangement (move D between A and B)

Let's assume that the card D3E4F5G6 needs to be processed before and the sequnce is manually rearranged as follows.

Position	String ID	Part Number	Required Date
1	A1B2C3D4	A	5th July
2	D3E4F5G6	D	8th July
3	B5C6D7E8	B	6th July
4	E1F2G3H4	B	9th July
5	C9D0E1F2	C	7th July

Step 3: add a new card with part number A

• The sequencer looks at the last card, which now is a C
• It follows backwards the product wheel order: C → B → A → D
• A comes after B and before D, so the card is inserted between D and B

Final Sequence (after insertion)

Position	String ID	Part Number	Required Date
1	A1B2C3D4	A	5th July
2	D3E4F5G6	D	8th July
3	N7P8Q9R0	A	10th July
4	B5C6D7E8	B	6th July
5	E1F2G3H4	B	9th July
6	C9D0E1F2	C	7th July