Kanban is a general project management method that is a transparent representation of the progression of tasks. It is a visual system that enables the flow of work without any obstructions. This system was first developed in the early 1940s in Japan by Taiichi Ohno for Toyota Automotive. It was developed to advance manufacturing productivity at an optimal pace. It is a method that is used in all fields of work and positively impacts productivity and efficiency. Kanban requires real-time communication and transparency in all steps of the work progress.
Kanban is a visual board that represents all stages of project management, and each work is represented by a card that is moved across the board as the workflow progresses. The aim of implementing Kanban in project management is to achieve a high quality of results. As time passes the Kanban is becoming an effective way to keep tasks managed properly in versatile fields. This method is usually efficient for the simple and least complicated tasks with a smaller number of team members.
Kanban is manufactured as a physical visual board, but it has come a long way, as it is now used in software as a digital board, which is why its application has expanded. In a form of physical boards, it is designed on a board with columns and sticky notes or cards are placed on the board. These cards move on the board through the workflow that shows the progress in tasks. The digital transformation of the Kanban board is a fast and simple way which can be easily managed by the team members. It is easy to share with all the team members, and these are customizable through the functionality of the process.
1-Visibility
2-Efficiency
3-Delegation of task
4-Productivity
5-Flexibility
6- Enhanced focus
7-Versatility
8-Enhanced collaboration
9-Eliminate distraction
10-Time efficiency.
1-Ineffective time frame
2-Absence of perspective structure
3-Timeliness
4-Overdependent on Discipline
5-Inconsistencies
6-Limited to simple tasks
7-Dependent on teamwork
8-Non-scalable method
9 Risk of complacency
10- Struggle with large-scale projects
The strengths of Kanban include:
The Kanban system provides visibility in tasks, and it’s the most identifiable feature of this method. It can be used for individual tasks and for the team. It is a simplistic visual presentation that shows every member of the team, about how the work is flowing at any time. It is most effective when the team is working on a remote project, as it increases the clarity of the tasks by providing insights into the work performed by other team members.
It improves the efficiency of work because the visualisation of a workflow identifies the drawbacks in the work. The identification of these progresses in solving the problems and making the process more effective by continuously giving space for improvement. It also contributes to accurate pricing for the products and effectively manages the cost of projects.
The Kanban is useful during the delegation of tasks by showing the status of the employees and their expertise. The manager can assign the task, and if a change occurs, then a change on the card is tagged in. When the tasks are openly assigned to the individual on board, it results in increasing the accountability of the individual towards tasks, which leads to effective results.
It increases productivity by consistently showing the time period that is taken to complete the task. If the task takes less time to complete, it shows an increase in productivity. It provides a visual representation of inefficiencies and areas of improvement, which helps in directly putting the focus on work. In this way, the time is safe and the individual can complete more work in a short period of time.
Kanban is a flexible approach, and it does not overly burden the person as it allows tasks to flow on the basis of current capacities. In this way, a person becomes more dynamic and open to changes and can easily make adaptable changes in tasks by changing the priorities on the basis of demands. It supports tasks that happen often, and in this way, an individual can adjust their work at any stage in a smooth way.
It increases the focus of an individual by splitting the task steps, so the focus of a person cannot be divided. In this way, a person can work fully on one thing by putting all focus and does not touch the other task until one task is completed.
The use of Kanban is versatile; it can be efficiently used for a variety of purposes, including the daily management of tasks, studying and in different industries like healthcare, human resources, and manufacturing. It can help in focusing on personal tasks along with tracking the progress of industries, and for all types of work.
The Kanban improves the collaboration between team members as it can involve all the details of the day, the allocation and progress of tasks. In this way, all the team members are being encouraged to work in collaboration and share innovative ideas through standout meetings.
Kanban improves the culture of the organisation by enhancing the collaboration between team members. The scheduling of tasks on time, focusing on tasks without distraction and monitoring the progress allows individuals to unfold their creativity.
Kanban reduces the wastage of time by managing the flow of work smoothly and eliminating distractions. It represents the clear timeline of the flow of work; in this way, it identifies in which step the work is stuck.
The limitations of Kanban include:
The Kanban method provides a time frame with simplicity and does not provide in-depth detailing of the time frame as compared to other work management methodologies. The estimation became a challenging thing in Kanban while tracking the progress of the team tasks.
Kanban does not provide a prescriptive structure, as it does not provide well-defined roles and iteration lengths that are fixed. The rigidity in the structure of Kanban can lead to misalignment that causes confusion.
The methodology of Kanban is designed in a way that it can work optimally when the individual keeps the data on board up to date after some intervals. If the daily updates are not made, then a utility of the board is lost because it is a tool for understanding the present status of the projects and identifying the areas for the optimisation of the process.
The effectiveness of the Kanban is mostly dependent on the disciplines and on the ability to control one's own thoughts. If the frameworks are not well-defined, that will lead to the reinforcement of roles that will impact the overall productivity of Kanban.
The flexibility in Kanban can sometimes lead to inconsistencies across the team members if they are not handled properly with complete guidance. The guidance of the methodology is limited to specific processes. The inconsistencies in Kanban arise because of the poorly managed workflow and the absence of clear guidelines, which causes inefficient decision-making.
The Kanban is a simple process, and it remains effective until it is not complex, or else it becomes overwhelming without the maintenance for the team to manage. The Kanban cannot provide long-term planning and cannot predict because it's focused on the continuous flow of work. If the task is complex, then the board gets cluttered and feels overwhelming to complete the tasks.
The projects that are based on Kanban have a continuous workflow that requires collaboration of the team and effective communication between the team members. It is heavily dependent on teamwork, and because the roles are not fixed so it becomes challenging to manage the collaboration.
The Kanban is not scalable because of the limited planning, which is why it becomes less capable of handling a project that has large tasks. It emphasises the continuous flow of work, which causes limitations in upfront planning. The Kanban is difficult to apply in projects that are interconnected with each other and require multiple teams to complete the projects, because it works more effectively for tasks that work within a single team.
The Kanban system has a risk of complacency, which results in less feedback and motivation. In this way, it became challenging for continuous improvement and resulted in inefficiencies om the tasks.
The Kanban does not define the roles, leading to a requirement of strict discipline in the execution of projects, which is why it struggles with the scaling of large projects. That’s why it became more difficult to adapt to changes and resulting in the difficulty of managing interdependencies.
This discussion shows that Kanban is not for complicated processes, but it is suited for simple projects. It is effective when the project is simple and easy to understand, and the project manager wants limited planning and meetings, and just focuses on the delivery. The Kanban provides an effective way to visualise the workflow, and Kanban can be used for fixing small problems.
The project with a detailed structure cannot use Kanban because managing projects becomes challenging, and upfront planning cannot happen. The complications in the Kanban are overcome by the implementation of guidelines that are clear and well-maintained. The effectiveness of Kanban is enhanced by fostering communication through meetings and implementing digital tools that emphasise the principles of Kanban. The projects that are fixed and repetitive do not have a need to implement Kanban because it just adds a complication.
In short, Kanban provides different advantages and disadvantages that can help in fulfilling the requirements of different project management. It is a framework that manages the tasks of the team and optimises the process of work. It is a powerful tool in managing the workflow by enhancing efficiency, transparency, and flexibility in work. The use of the Kanban approach required careful oversight because of the lack of prescriptive structures and unpredictability issues. It is effective for managing projects that require continuous improvement and helps in maintaining self-discipline.
The principles of Kanban are simple, which is why this is easy for large teams to understand and become adoptable. But unlike the other methodologies, Kanban does not have timeframes for tasks, which can be challenging for the projects that are complex. The project management field is continuously evolving, and the capacity of Kanban to streamline the process ensures that it is relevant in a versatile field. The Kanban is effective when it is implemented in project management with the proper understanding of its strengths and limitations.
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