The debate about whether teams should have an In Test column is one that comes around every so often.

The concern is usually the same: once testing is split into a separate column, it can encourage handoffs, reinforce role boundaries, and create bottlenecks in delivery.

I’ve written about this in more depth before, but it can be a lot to take in. So I wanted a more memorable way to explain it, and it reminded me of when I worked in restaurants as a student.

The restaurant kitchen analogy

A useful analogy is a restaurant kitchen.

With a board like In Dev → Waiting for Test → In Test, we are basically running the kitchen like this:

• chefs cook the food

• finished plates are put on the counter, waiting to be checked

• one person checks every plate at the end before it goes out

At first, it can look organised and efficient. It gives us:

• clear boundaries (I know my bit)

• low coordination cost (I can just get on with it)

• visible personal productivity (I can show what I finished)

• less ambiguity (I know what to…