Making a System: Kanban
The Kanban method developed in manufacturing, and if you search "Kanban card" online you'll find templates for little cards with specific spots for images, directions, serial numbers, etc.
So what use would Kanban be to you?
Kanban is one of several Agile methods, (along with XP and Scrum).
It's easier to explain Agile by what it values, and by what it is not.
- Focus on individuals and interactions, not processes and tools
- Working drafts are more important than waiting for a perfect final product
- Getting stuff done is better than talking or writing about getting stuff done
- Allow the process to respond to change, rather than sticking to a plan -
- Stay in touch with clients / the group to make sure the 'product' meets needs
- Continuous attention to excellence and quality will boost agility
Stop starting, start finishing.
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The Agile Method can be empowering and avoids the paralysis of micromanagement.
The "Agile Method" was developed in contrast to traditional or waterfall development methods which are important to use when the cost of moving forward with incorrect information is too high. Its used in judicial systems, drug development...can you think of others? A traditional Gantt chart illustrates the waterfall process well.
While Agile is used primarily in software development, you can use aspects of it in your day-to-day work processes.
How can you use the Agile Mindset?
If you coordinate a group, instead of assigning tasks, allow people to self-organize and talk to each other about what they're working on. "Self-organized teams produce the best results."
Work at a constant pace to deliver at a constant pace. Producing predictable deliverables is better than working sporadically and delivering nothing.
Learn from the challenges you encounter - adapt and change through group reflection and brainstorming.
You can use Kanban to apply Agile methods to your own productivity system.
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Now - let's talk Kanban.
Kanban has 3 basic principles.
- Visualize what you need to do today.
- Limit the number of "works-in-progress".
- Enhance flow by prioritizing.
By visualizing your workflow, you can see your task list in context of other items, allowing you to prioritize and select works-in-progress, move and archive, and muck through your backlog.
"Kanban requires that some process is already in place so that Kanban can be applied to incrementally change the underlying process." - David J. Anderson, Kanban developer
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How to Build Your First Personal Kanban (from Facile Things)
1. Define your "value stream" - the state of your work flow. Examples include Ready, Doing, Done or Backlog, Doing, Done.
2. Prep your backlog (aka "to do list"). Write individual tasks separately. Break down big items to small tasks that you can move across the board.
3. Establish your work-in-progress limit. If your limit is 3, that means you can only have 3 things in your "work-in-progress" value stream at a time. You can't move a task from backlog into doing until you move one out to done.
4. Prioritize backlog tasks - you can use the "ready" stream to hold backlog tasks that are high priority. You can also notate backlog items by priority and skip the "ready" stream.
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The visual and the physical aspect of Kanban is key. "Stand-up" meetings at the start of the day get all team members together, and if you're all standing the meeting goes by quickly! Being able to check-in with one another avoids duplication, and visually seeing who's doing what shows when one team member is overloaded.
"Traditionally, people don't really share what they're working on and people might not know how they can help each other. Things take longer that way." [source]
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If you work in a team, a central whiteboard or corkboard works well for a Kanban tool. Each person can be a different color sticky note. There are also online project management tools that can work for Kanban and allow file sharing and up-to-the-second updates.
If you're interested in a personal Kanban tool (hello, Academia!) the options are nearly endless.
- Use a whiteboard or corkboard with dividers for each value stream.
- Use a separate sheet of paper for each value stream and stick on your cubicle wall.
- Use an online tool (Trello, Monday, Kanbantool.com) for a virtual Kanban you can access anywhere.
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Hang a piece of posterboard somewhere everyone can see it, and organize the team by colored sticky notes.
You could also use different color stickies for different tasks:
Classes, Research, Personal or even Analysis, Writing, Review.
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Nothing fancy needed!
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Customizing your value streams is one of the most helpful parts of Kanban. If much of your work is dependent on others, you can have a "requested" or "waiting" lane. If you think about your workflow in terms of time, think about "scheduled -> soon, tomorrow, today", "in progress", and "done".
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Resources
"What is Kanban?": link
"Build Your 1st Personal Kanban": link
"Applying Agile Practice to Non-Tech Teams": link
The Agile Method: link
Free Google Sheets Template for Kanban: link
Trello Project Management: link
Monday Project Management: link
KanbanTool.com: link
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Since researching for this post last week, I've been using the free option from KanbanTool.com and am loving it. I added a bookmark to my browser toolbar, and can add details, checklists, and color coding. It's pretty satisfying moving a task to the "done!" column.
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Quote of the Day:
“Speed is most useful if it is in the correct direction.”
– David J. Anderson
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