FIFO lane rules poster

A FIFO lane links two processes with a lane that holds a fixed maximum number of items, taken out in the order they went in. When the lane is full, the process feeding it stops; when it is empty, the next process is about to wait. That limit keeps work in process and lead time under control without a full kanban system. This poster sets out five rules, after Rother and Shook's Learning to See.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 356 KB · no form

Free to print and share with your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

The words on the poster

FIFO lane rules

First in, first out, with a limit. The lane sets the pace of the process feeding it.

First in, first out Take the oldest item first. Never pick from the middle.
Marked maximum The lane holds a fixed number, painted or labelled.
Full means stop When the lane is full, the process feeding it stops.
Empty is a signal The next process will soon wait. Find out why.
No skipping Urgent jobs go in order too, or the rule breaks for everyone.

A FIFO lane is not a store. It carries work, in order, from one process to the next.

FIFO lanes as described by Rother and Shook, Learning to See (LEI, 1999).

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the FIFO lane rules poster to work

1
Put it at the lane itself, with the maximum written on the floor marking.
2
Use it when someone wants to pull a hot job from the middle: the answer is rule 5.
3
Count how often the lane is full or empty each shift; both point to a problem.
4
Pair it with the free FIFO lane sizing sheet.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.

Sources and notes

Mike Rother and John Shook, Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate Muda (Lean Enterprise Institute, 1999): the map symbols, continuous flow, supermarkets and FIFO lanes.