Tasks & Kanban#

When the project can be divided into tasks, it is convenient to manage the workflow using the Kanban method.

Definition

The term Kanban comes from Japanese and translates as “signal card”. Originally, Kanban was used in Toyota’s production facilities, where it also influenced agile development in IT and other departments. The aim is to establish a constant, orderly workflow. Moreover, Kanban can be combined with other agile methods such as Scrum.

- IONOS

Kanban can be used to managing workflow from the individual up to organizational level.

Simple Kanban Board#

The Kanban board helps to visualize and optimise the workflow. The board is organised through lanes (columns) and cards, where:

  • Lanes: defined steps

  • Cards: represent project tasks

By separating the cards in lanes it is easy to see the status of each task as well as the entire project workflow. See a simple Kanban board representation bellow:

Kanban board simple example

Tip

Note that the in a Kanban board the task begins on the left side and as the task progresses through the execution steps, it is moved to the right lanes.

Useful Cards Content#

  • Title

  • Description

  • Attachments and links

  • Card type (usually distinguished by color)

  • Assignment

  • Card & comment history

  • Subtasks

  • Due date

Software Development: Useful Lanes#

  • Backlog (To Do: Unprioritized)

  • Ready (To Do: Prioritized)

  • Plan

  • Develop (Coding)

  • Testing

  • Pending Final Approval

  • Deployment

  • Done

Useful Improvements#

  • Work-in-progress (WIP) limit: number of allowed open cards

  • Include more lanes

  • Priority lanes

  • Swimlanes: horizontal line to divide different groups

See a Kanban board with some improvements bellow:

Kanban board: more content example

Kanban: Pros & Cons#

Pros#

  • Easy integration

  • Increased visibility of the workflow

  • Improved delivery speed

  • Increased transparency

Cons#

  • absolutely necessary that the work can actually be divided into small steps

Trick#

The work-in-progress limits ensure that problems at a station quickly become visible and capacities can be reallocated accordingly. However, this is only possible if capacities can actually be swapped around. Team members must be able to work at different stations. Otherwise, blockages and overstraining will occur for some co-workers, while others will become idle – precisely the opposite of what Kanban is intended to achieve.

- IONOS