I have been using Kanban boards for over two years and I have to say I totally love using them. Its a great way to see what needs to be done (Backlog), whats being worked on (Doing or In Progress), and whats done (Done!)
I use them for personal stuff like the “Honey Do” list, or when I am planning a family trip. I use them for work all the time for myself and with my teams.
This what a simple Kanban board looks like if you have never seen one.
Credit: From Wikimedia.org
There are a ton of different ones out there to try from making your own with a whiteboard and post-it notes to mobile apps to cloud hosted solutions for your whole company to use.
Here are some to check out:
Kanbanflow is pretty good. I use it for my personal things. For business I would recommend freedcamp. Clean interface and its easy to use.
if you are just getting started trello is a good starting point. Straight to the point with their easy to use simple boards. Really feels like a real Kanban board.
Strictly Business:
Kanbans are great for improving efficiency, getting teams of people organized and getting things done, and seeing WIP (Work In Progress). For work the greatest hidden advantage of them is they allow management to actually see all the work that is being done in IT. Most computer work you can’t see it, its unlike the manufacturing work where Kanbans are from, where you can see the WIP. Kanbans make IT work visible, which makes it more manageable, and ensures everyone can actually see it and how much there really is.
Do you use a Kanban board? I would love to hear about how you used it and what difference it has made in your life.
Best,
Julian
