How to Manage Projects Using an Online Kanban Board

Once you understand the concept behind what a kanban board is, take a
moment to learn more about how they can help you plan and manage
projects in a visual way.
kanban boards for project managers and team work
Kanban boards were originally designed to work with the Kanban project
management method but can be adapted to any business or
organization. They can act as a supplement to help manage already
proven processes. Or they can be used to completely evaluate processes
that are in need of renewal.
With LeanKits online kanban board software, you can:

Increase your team's efficiency

Maximize your time
More easily manage projects

Continuous Improvement
One of the biggest benefits of using kanban boards is they help you
better achieve continuous improvement. Continuous improvement is a
concept related to the Agile methodology but can be beneficial to any
organization wanting to improve production.
Project managers and team members can continuously review processes
and projects to actively organize priorities and respond to change.
Lets explore how Kanban boards can help you reap the benefits of
continuous improvement.
Kanban Boards for Project Management
Project managers use kanban boards to simplify project management.
Kanban boards help address a number key issues that can cause
professional project managers nightmares, the most important of these
being:

Resource Allocation

Workflow management
Inefficiency

LeanKits online kanban boards offer the functionality and versatility to

supplement or mirror existing project management tools. With such a
diverse resource teams spend less time learning new systems and more
time meeting goals and improving process.
Resource Allocation
Project Managers use LeanKit to allocate resources and assign work. By
making certain resources are being allocated in the most effective
manner project managers can avoid delays and overages. Resources can
include on-site team members, off-site teams, third party services and
systems.
Resource allocation takes place in three stages:

Creating work items

Assigning work to team members
Collaborating with teams to prioritize work

Once a project begins routinely assess priorities as part of your ongoing

continuous improvement efforts. Kanban boards help guide this process
so that each time a new project enters into the workflow the right
resources are being applied the best possible ways.
Workflow Management
Kanban boards allow project managers and team leaders to visually
manage workflows and/or process flows. A workflow is the sequential
completion of work items or tasks. A process flow is the order in which
multiple processes are followed and relate to one another within a
project.
Providing visual representations of these production indicators makes
them easier to comprehend. An understanding of how different
procedural elements and task specific work relate to one another lends
itself to natural collaboration between team members, and the discovery
of smarter ways of working together.
Waste Reduction

Organizations practicing Lean are most interested in reducing costs by

way of waste reduction. Waste is usually a result of inefficient processes
or an inability to correctly direct resources due to the lack of a shared
vision.
Waste comes in various forms:

Defects - something is incorrect or not working as it was stated in

business requirements
Overproduction - producing too much, resulting in throw-away
work
Idle Team Members - team members who are held up by delays
with other dependent tasks

Kanban boards help project managers identify potential trouble areas

before they cause these problems. For instance, when cards are building
up at one stage, creating a bottleneck, other team members can be
assigned to help alleviate the overloaded person. Impediments to
progress can be identified and rectified in the same way, so prior
dependencies can be completed and other work can begin.
Kanban Boards for Software Development
Software development projects have a tendency to get complex, this can
easily frustrate clients who are looking for quick answers. Kanban boards
provide a visual aid for projects with multiple phases, offering
transparency to stakeholders and easy to follow guidelines for team
members.
Because of its visual nature and flexibility, kanban boards have become
very popular among software development teams practicing iterative
work methods.
Iterative work cycles make deliverability easier by focusing on features
that ensure the project will move forward. These are called minimum
marketable features (MMF). Consistent delivery of MMFs satisfies
stakeholder expectations without delving into the unknown risks.
Going beyond iterations and into the unknown can lead to back tracking
due to:

Changes in technology
Changes in an organizations goals, objectives and/or tactics
Changes in the scope of a project
Changes in a projects budget
Reprioritization of a project

Weve all heard the saying that the only constant in life is change.
Project management is no different. Working in iterations has shown to
reduce waste and yield more gains in productivity by avoiding
unexpected issues that can impact deliverability and time to market.