Originating in the Toyota Production System, the kanban is a visual management tool. Workflow management and optimization is a key part of the Lean and Agile manufacturing and software development methodologies.
Kanban can be used to represent the process flow in a Lean Six Sigma process improvement project, making it easier to spot bottlenecks and other problem areas. The visual depiction facilitates understanding of the process flow, which in turn helps the team to identify and prioritise areas for improvement.
Typical columns on a kanban board include “to do,” “in progress,” and “done” to indicate the various stages of a process. To track the status of various activities and features, cards are used and shuffled across different columns. By having the data laid out in this way, it is simple to evaluate where things stand with each task and where improvements may be made.
A critical analysis of Kanban reveals that while it is an excellent method for managing workflows, it is not always applicable to different operations. Processes with a lot of dependencies or that require a lot of sequential steps would not work well with this. Organizations should evaluate their processes to see if Kanban is a suitable match before implementing it.
A Kanban board could be used to monitor the progress of product development in a product management company, for instance. Different phases, such as “concept generation,” “feasibility evaluation,” and “development,” could be represented in the various columns on the board. The Kanban board would help the product management team see how their work flows and pinpoint any bottlenecks in the process. If they notice that the “feasibility assessment” phase is dragging on longer than intended, for instance, they can opt to dedicate more resources there in order to hasten things along.
Here, the product management group makes use of Kanban, a visual management technology, to fine-tune the product creation procedure. With the process laid out in front of them, the team can see where they can make changes and set their priorities accordingly. to illustrate the potential utility of Kanban boards in product management settings, consider the following scenario:
Several steps, including ideation, feasibility analysis, design, development, and finally, the product’s release, make up the product development process at a product management firm. The group’s goal is to increase productivity and transparency.
They did this by establishing a Kanban board with columns for each part of the procedure. As each product idea is developed, its card is added to the appropriate column and the process repeats.
When a new product concept is thought of, a card is made and filed under “idea generation,” for instance. The card is moved to the “feasibility evaluation” column once the idea’s viability has been evaluated. A product’s “launch” stage is reached after all the columns in the card have been progressed through to reflect the product’s design and development.
The product management group can observe where each product concept stands and where the process is lagging or becoming stuck thanks to the Kanban board. They may discover, for instance, that a number of product concepts are stalled in the “feasibility assessment” phase, in which case they will know they need to devote more resources there in order to avoid bottlenecks.
The product management group in this case can use the Kanban board to better understand the work flow and pinpoint problem areas. Better results can be achieved by making the process more transparent, which allows for optimization. here’s how a Kanban board might be used to keep track of stock:
In order to cut down on waste and make sure that products are constantly available, a retail corporation wishes to enhance its inventory management system. Many rows of shelving line the aisles of the company’s warehouse.
In order to accomplish this, a Kanban board was put up with individual columns for each aisle in the storage facility. Following this, they make cards for each item and position them in the appropriate aisle column.
When an item is moved to a shelf in aisle 1, a card is made and placed in the “aisle 1” column of the Kanban board to track its progress through the warehouse. A card is changed to the “replenish” column when the stock level in aisle 1 drops below a certain level, signalling the need to reorder the product.
The inventory management team can utilise the Kanban board to keep track of stock levels and immediately see which items need to be restocked. The board can also be used to monitor the movement of goods throughout the warehouse and pinpoint any bottlenecks in the system.
Here, the Kanban board plays an important role in improving the efficiency of the retail company’s inventory management. Making the procedure more transparent helps them cut costs, boost productivity, and keep inventory levels steady.
