Why being Simple is better than being Simplistic? Kanban approach

The chances of you knowing about Kanban boards is high if you have worked on a software development project. A Kanban board is a tool to manage workflow using a visualization technique. This visualization technique makes use of components which are arranged in columns representing stages like To-do, Work in progress and Done. Each column has swimlanes to distinguish between components belonging to respective workflows.

What are the typical hurdles in Kanban board implementation?

Overcrowded columns resulting in bottlenecks – Many times, a delayed task is seen as a result of team members late response. But it is the other way round where the project manager is lacking. Either in identifying and structuring the workflow equally among all the team members. Allocation of tasks equally among resources will lead to successful tackling of the issue.

Lack of detailed planning – This case usually occurs when the requirement gathering is not clear enough for the product team to come up with effective user stories. When a product manager has not covered all use cases, chances of bottlenecks after the work has started becomes high. The last thing you want your client to know is the lousy preparation at your end.

Lack of optimum utilization of existing features on Kanban board – The columns on Kanban board can vary in number but you should not overdo it as you will end up increasing the complexity on board. Can continuous backlog grooming help you here? The answer is yes and you should always remember that it is a continuous process which demands your utmost attention.

Status update meetings – Ever found yourself in a situation where you run out of time. And end up thinking where you spent your maximum amount of energy. The answer lies in meetings conducted among team members to gather an updated status on the work done. Now imagine, having all updates on the board every day at a fixed time. Might sound like too good be true but is possible. Thanks to Kanban board.

How to steer clear of complexities?

Identify bottlenecks – You can steer clear of bottlenecks if you can put a limit on the number of tasks lying in the work in progress column. This way you can track each task ensuring the right distribution among resources. You actually reset their focus on the tasks of the maximum priority to achieve timely completion by keeping the cards open for the team members. It also gives them a clear and transparent view on what other team members are working on.

Reorganize and restructure workflow weaknesses – To start with having a thorough discussion with Business Analyst and key stakeholders will result in faster closure on expected requirement understanding process. The Product Manager can now sit and design flawless and smooth flowing user stories. Once the user stories are in place covering all use cases. You can allocate resources on Kanban board and intimate respective teams to update status on each card.

Use colours to update the status of the tasks – Imagine you are working as a tester and you only want your focus to be on the cards which matter to you. How can a manager deal with this situation using the Kanban board? He can allocate colours to the cards depending on the different roles of team members. For example, bugs can be represented in the red colour card and can float from one column to another. When the bugs card is taken up by the developer and its status is updated as Ready for testing. The card will get shifted to tester’s column and testers can begin working on it.

Eliminate status update meeting – Kanban board is a transparent visualization tool keeping every member in the team on the same page. This tool gives transparency to all in the team. It automatically facilitates the habit of pushing the cards to the completed column. Thereby allowing everyone to see the exact status of the card.

While writing this blog, I also recalled how much a kanban board is loved by the interviewers who have been successful Project Managers. I shall cover possible interview questions in my next blog concerning Kanban board. Stay tuned and keep sharing your reviews using the comments section.