Four Steps Required for the Implementation of Kanban to Improve Productivity

Kanban which is a technique that ensures efficient management of software development process can be successfully implemented in any business. Software development teams and IT project managers widely make use of Kanban system. The Kanban system is also used by other project teams and business managers to conduct smart work and streamline the business procedure. The Kanban system if successfully implemented in any business result in improved productivity.

Procedures Involved in implementation of Kanban

The steps below are important for implementation of Kanban and if followed aid in the improvement of business productivity. These steps can be successfully implemented in any business process.

Step 1: visualize your work
In order to get a clear picture of what is happening, the first thing you need to do is to break down your workflow from the beginning of the project till when it will be completed. Break them down into clear and well-defined steps. Once you are done with that, all the tasks should be written down with each paper representing a task. For different fields of work, it is advised to use different colors. Put the papers on your whiteboard and gradually follow the tasks until the workflow ends.

Step 2: work in progress shouldn’t be too much.
If there are too many works going on at a particular time, then there is bound to be mistakes and confusion which will lead to the overall project being a failure. Kanban ensures that you minimize the amount of work you have in progress and eliminate waste in the process.

Step 3: don’t push your team, rather pull them.
Overlapping tasks and friction between teams is a common occurrence but you should try and minimize that. The successful team is encouraged to pull the other team along so that the project will be a resounding success at the end. The pull system should be applied in a workplace via the addition of a limited buffer in between the different teams.

Step 4: improve the team via monitoring and adaptation
In order to analyze Kanban, the best tool to use is the Cumulative Flow Chart. The number of tasks that are completed daily should be marked. The Cumulative Flow Chart will make the work look like an insight as you will be able to see the past performance and predict how the future results will be. It can also be used to improve upon the present results.

What most people don’t know is that the Kanban method introduces a kind of scientific approach to an organization and when the techniques are applied, it leads to rather incremental, continuous and evolutionary changes in the organization. These series of changes results in more productivity and better delivery of products or services to the customers. Kanban is not just a procedure, it is a technique that needs to be applied in order to achieve maximum results in the workplace.

What’s next?
To learn the Kanban 101 at team-level, enroll in the IBQMI® Approved Kanban Professional.
If you want to apply Kanban to any environment at an advanced coach level, you should enroll in the Certified Kanban Coach®.