The word “Kanban” comes from Japanese. It means “visual signal.” If you work in services or (alternatively) technology, your work is oftentimes invisible as well as intangible. A Kanban board assists with making your work visible so that you can show it to others as well as keep everyone on the same page. It is for this reason that Kanban boards are such an invaluable project management tool.
Why Kanban project management is invaluable
If you’ve ever worked on a project which involves both strategy as well as execution, you know that getting started is often the most difficult part. A lot of time is spent on determining the goals in addition to the vision. However, come execution time the manner of thinking reverts to “just get things done”.
However, the way in which things get done can make a big difference. Project management is the crucial element in providing an effective workflow for your organisation so you can get closer to achieving your vision.
How Kanban project management works
The foundation idea of the Kanban methodology is to performs as many tasks as possible in as little time as possible. This is the reason why Kanban boards in addition to Agile project management principles go so well together. Although this may seem to be counter-intuitive at first glance, it has been demonstrated – many times before – that focusing on the most important thing first enhances your productivity.
Kanban is a simple concept to understand. Everything which is related to the task is in one place. Comments, checklists, explanations of the task, assignees as well as due dates are all fields which can be updated as projects progress. There are also columns for each step of your process.
It is possible to you to customise your workflows by setting rules. Choose who is assigned as well as where a task goes next for each column. Your team members will get an alert when they’re assigned or mentioned in a comment. The purpose of this is that everyone knows what’s on their plate.