The Pull Principle states that work is only started when there is capacity available for it. New items are pulled, not pushed. This is the opposite of the push approach common in many organizations, where work is forced into a team from above or outside regardless of how much is already in progress. The Pull Principle systematically prevents overload.
In concrete terms, it works like this: a developer completes a ticket and independently pulls the next item from the queue. Nobody assigns work to them. WIP Limits make this principle visible on the board: only when there is space in a column may a new item be pulled in. If the Development column has a limit of three and all three slots are occupied, something must be finished before new work can begin. This forces the team to complete work in progress rather than constantly starting new topics.
The Pull Principle originates from the Toyota Production System, where it governed material flow in manufacturing. In knowledge work, it is a central Kanban principle that connects directly to Little’s Law.
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