Every company has different strategies for managing its projects. Project management tools, team collaboration, and time and work management all of these are some of the strategies. In project management, there are further methods like an agile, waterfall, Lean Six Sigma and more. Similarly, for managing any company’s workflow, tracking the progress of tasks and more, we need a workflow management approach. One of the methods is Kanban. Let’s understand what is kanban, its usefulness and the management tools that facilitate kanban boards.

What is Kanban Board?

The Kanban board is a visual representation of the progress made in assigned tasks. Teams can visualize work and track the progress of the work with the Kanban Board. It is like a board that has different progress statuses of the tasks like ‘To Do’, ‘In Progress’, ‘In Review’, ‘Backlog’ and ‘Done’. These statuses are the column of the board. Now, each task or work activity is represented as a card. Whenever a task is making progress, the card is moved from its present status column to another status column. For example, if a task was in ‘To Do’, and now you are working on that task, you need to move that particular task card from ‘To Do’ to ‘In Progress’.

Kanban boards are actually used in agile development. However, you can use it in any business workflow management because it helps team members or staff in tracking the progress and setting up the priorities of the task. Furthermore, you can figure out the issues faced in tasks of any project and take that tasks into ‘Backlog’ to solve them. In the event that you are unsure about how to handle Kanban boards, know that the whole team is accountable for doing so. Since each member of the team is responsible for a unique responsibility, the team must coordinate their efforts in order to successfully manage the board.

What are the benefits of the Kanban Board?

Now you know about kanban and how to use it, let’s move forward to learn the benefits of using Kanban board.

  • Clear Visualization: A board’s ability to visually display the current stage of work is one of its key benefits. It enables team members to see each task’s progress and position in the process. A clearer knowledge of the workflow is provided by this visualization, which also makes it easier to see any problems or obstacles in the work. Furthermore, the team can immediately determine whether tasks are finished, ongoing, and in need of more action.
  • Improved Efficiency: It improves productivity because it cut down on time spent in long meetings and task organizing. The board shows the big picture of the process, so everyone knows what they should be working on and when. As the progress of each work can be seen by everybody, lengthy meetings for task updates can be avoided. Additionally, you can spot problems and obstacles that might hinder production. When teams are able to see these problems at an early stage, they can take corrective measures before they worsen.
  • Team Collaboration: Teamwork is greatly improved with the use of a Kanban board since it facilitates interaction and feedback amongst team members. The current progress of each job is visible to all team members, encouraging open communication and responsibility. Thus, team members can easily share information and provide input on projects by posting on the board. Furthermore, by displaying the full process, team members may understand how their efforts affect others and contribute to the whole.
  • Increased Focus: It aids teams in maintaining focus on their goals and minimizing interruptions. The boards make it easy to see what has to be done and in what order. This aids team members in setting priorities and focusing on the most important work. Thus, the efforts of the team go in the right direction and help in decreasing job stress or burnout. Furthermore, by encouraging teams to evaluate their processes and make any necessary adjustments, Kanban boards foster a culture of continuous development. Thus, the team continuously thinks of new methods to boost output and efficiency.
  • Flexibility: Kanban boards’ scalability is an additional benefit. The boards may be altered to meet any kind of workflow, procedure, or market. Because of this, they are a useful resource for a wide range of projects and organizations. They allow modifications and updates as the process evolves. If anything new has to be done, it may be put on the board in no time. It’s simple to get rid of a job if it’s no longer needed. Its adaptability assures that the board will continue to serve its purpose regardless of the circumstances.

How do Alian Hub Kanban Boards help teams?

For the modern workplace, digital Kanban Boards are beneficial as you need to share the progress of the project not only with the team members but also with the clients. Furthermore, creating cards and boards every time using Google sheets is tough when you have to manage complex projects. Thus, Kanban software is used in companies to streamline workflow.

One of the Kanban software is Alian Hub. It is a low-cost project management tool that has a kanban board view to efficiently manage multiple tasks. You can easily customize it and manage the projects in your way. Furthermore, it facilitates team management, workload management, time tracking, and milestone management. Thus, it demonstrates itself to be an all-inclusive means of facilitating smooth project management.

Conclusion

Kanban board is an efficient method of monitoring and improving operational procedures. It’s a graphic depiction of the process that aids teams in prioritizing tasks, communicating more effectively, working more efficiently, avoiding obstacles, being more adaptable, having better collaboration, wasting less time, and being more transparent. You can use digital tools that facilitate the Kanban view to help manage the board effectively.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Kanban and Scrum boards?
Scrum board aids teams in organizing and directing their work according to a predetermined set of ideas, guidelines, and procedures, while Kanban depends on visualization of the status of work to manage workflows.
Does Kanban have daily standups?
Yes, daily standup meetings(10 min or 15)can be kept on Kanban in ‘To-Do’.
What is Kanban not good for?
Kanban is just a visual representation of the progress of the task. Thus, it will not help in improving the speed of work. You will not be able to use it to increase the work speed of the team members.
What questions should I ask in a Kanban meeting?
You can ask questions like What is on your to-do list? Which tasks are in ‘Done’? and Which are in the backlogs?
What is the best tool for Kanban?
One of the best Kanban tools is Alian Hub. It is a low-cost project management tool that has a kanban board view to efficiently manage multiple tasks.