If you are a tech professional, you’ve likely heard of the Kanban Methodology. But what is it? In its simplest terms, the Kanban Methodology is a way to manage projects with an agile approach. It helps teams track progress on tasks and visualize workflow. Let’s dive into the details!
What is Kanban?
Kanban started as a production system in the 1940s and was adapted to fit agile project management in recent years. It prioritizes tasks with three simple steps: visualize, limit work-in-progress (WIP), and measure flow. By visually mapping out tasks and tracking progress, teams have greater transparency that leads to better collaboration.
How Does It Work?
The concept of Kanban is simple—you create a “visual board” to track your team’s progress through tasks and various stages of completion. You can use sticky notes, whiteboards, or digital tools like Trello or Jira for your visual board. This allows each team member to see where they are in their individual task lists as well as how those tasks connect to other projects down the line.
The second step of this process is limiting WIP by setting maximums on how many items can be worked on at once, which helps keep everyone focused on one task until completion rather than jumping between multiple unfinished projects at once. Finally, measuring flow means tracking how long each item takes so you can plan accordingly and understand bottlenecks that may be slowing down your workflow.
What Are Its Benefits?
When implemented correctly, teams that use the Kanban process will experience an increase in productivity over time as well as improved communication between team members due to greater visibility into progress and tasks being completed efficiently and effectively. Additionally, it allows for quick adjustments when needed while keeping everyone up-to-date on changes quickly—allowing teams to remain agile throughout their entire project lifecycle instead of having rigid timelines or processes that cannot easily adjust when needed.
The Kanban Methodology helps project managers streamline their workflow through visual boards and limits on work-in-progress that allow teams to stay focused on one task at a time until completion. By following these simple steps, teams can improve their communication by having better visibility into progress while also allowing them to remain agile throughout their entire project lifecycle as they make quick adjustments when needed without sacrificing quality or efficiency. For anyone looking for an easy way to increase productivity in their team or project management process – consider giving the Kanban Methodology a try!
