Who it is for
KGFP is the third level of the Kanban.Global ladder. It certifies advanced competencies: analyzing the data of a real Kanban system, diagnosing bottlenecks and flow risks, coordinating flow across teams and in the portfolio and leading evolutionary improvements with evidence.
It is meant for people who already apply Kanban with confidence and have taken on more than one team or service: service delivery managers, agile coaches, operations leads, portfolio owners and consultants.
Prerequisite: active KGCP. Holders of a valid earlier “Kanban · Avançado” credential can also take the exam, with a free credit.
The three parts of KGFP
The credential requires three parts, in this order:
- A match in the advanced scenario of the Kanban Game, verified by the server, with the minimum score.
- A practical case with data from your own system, approved.
- A theory exam, passed.
The theory exam is released only after the first two parts. That way, no one spends an exam right without having the practice done.
Theory exam format
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Questions | 50, multiple choice, nearly all with data |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Pass mark | 80% (40 correct answers) |
| Price | US$ 55.00 (retake: US$ 37.00) |
| Validity | 3 years, renewable |
| Language | Portuguese, English or Spanish |
Domain weights
| Domain | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundations and principles | 10% | 5 |
| 2. Visualization and system design | 10% | 5 |
| 3. WIP and pull flow | 16% | 8 |
| 4. Metrics and predictability | 20% | 10 |
| 5. Classes of service and prioritization | 12% | 6 |
| 6. Cadences and feedback | 8% | 4 |
| 7. Evolution and change | 10% | 5 |
| 8. Flow across teams and portfolio | 14% | 7 |
| Total | 100% | 50 |
Domain 8 is covered only in KGFP. Read Flow across teams, services and portfolio carefully and review Flow metrics and predictability, which carries the highest weight.
The practical case
The practical case shows that you can read your own system with data, not just a textbook example.
What you submit
A CSV file with the history of completed items from your team or service, one row per item:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| id | item identifier (can be any number) |
| start | date the item was committed (YYYY-MM-DD or DD/MM/YYYY) |
| end | date the item was delivered |
| class | optional: class of service or item type |
You need at least 30 completed items covering at least 8 weeks. Do not send personal or confidential data: the identifier and the dates are enough. The data stays in your account, is included in your data export and is deleted if you delete your account.
What you answer
Three numbers, calculated from your data:
- 85th percentile of cycle time, in calendar days, counting both the start day and the end day.
- Average weekly throughput: items completed per week, in 7-day weeks starting from the first delivery.
- Forecast with 85% confidence: in how many weeks the system completes 20 items, using a Monte Carlo simulation with the observed weekly throughput.
And two texts, with at least 400 characters each:
- Diagnosis: what the data shows about the flow, with evidence (where the bottleneck is, what is aging, what the variability indicates).
- Improvement proposal: an evolutionary change with a hypothesis and the metric that will confirm or refute the hypothesis.
The flow analyzer and the Monte Carlo simulator calculate the three numbers. Using the tools is allowed and expected: what the case assesses is your reading and your decision.
How it is assessed
-
Numbers: checked instantly by the server, with a tolerance of 1 day or 10% on the 85th percentile, 10% on throughput and 1 week on the forecast. Outside the tolerance, the case comes back indicating which number to check.
-
Texts: assessed by a person with a four-criterion rubric, scored 0 to 2 each:
- diagnosis with evidence from the data;
- proposal with a hypothesis and a metric;
- consistency with the KGBOK;
- clarity.
The case is approved with at least 6 out of 8 points and the correct numbers.
You can submit up to three cases every 30 days. A rejection can be appealed.
The advanced scenario gate
It is a full match of the Kanban Game in the advanced scenario, with more people, more urgent items, a WIP policy change in the middle of the match and a change in business priority. Only verified matches count, that is, matches replayed on the server from your actions.
Sample question
This question was written for this guide and is not part of the real bank.
Over the last 12 weeks, a service has had an average throughput of 5 items per week and an average WIP of 30 items. WIP rose from 20 to 40 over the period, while throughput stayed stable. The manager says the average cycle time is 6 weeks, according to Little’s Law. Which reading is the most appropriate?
- A) She is right: 30 ÷ 5 = 6 weeks, and the law holds for any system.
- B) The calculation is approximate: with WIP growing, the system is not stable and cycle time tends to get worse.
- C) She is wrong: the right way is to divide throughput by WIP.
- D) Only the 85th percentile makes sense; averages do not apply to Kanban systems.
Answer: B. Little’s Law relates averages in a stable system. With WIP rising and throughput flat, items wait longer and longer: the 6 weeks describe the average past, not what is coming. The first action is to stop pulling in more than goes out.
Renewal
KGFP is valid for 3 years. Renewal opens 90 days before expiration and is free with 20 practice points during the validity period (1 point per day with practice recorded on the platform) or with an active Pro subscription. Otherwise, it costs US$ 28.00. The full rules are in the Candidate Handbook.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use data from more than one team in the case?
Yes, as long as it comes from the same work system and you explain this in the diagnosis. Mixing different systems tends to hide what matters.
Is the case data made public?
No. The data and the texts are seen only by you and by the person who assesses the case.
Do I need to redo the case if I fail the theory exam?
No. The approved case remains valid for your next exam attempts.
