Kanban Boards Online
Use an Online Kanban Board For Better Logistical Control
An Introduction to Kanban Boards
Perhaps you have considered using a kanban board online recently? This type of tool has gained increasingly widespread acceptance because of its utility. Kanban concepts work well with lean management systems to promote greater efficiency and to offer managers better logistical control.
Kanban Moves From Factories to the Internet
Kanban was invented for Toyota several decades ago by . He reportedly developed this enhanced system of logistical control by studying supermarket shoppers as they selected products from the shelves of grocery stores. Kanban allows managers to maintain greater logistical control over production, because they can track the status of all parts of an assembly so that backlogs do not develop at any point in the process. The usefulness of kanban as a lean management tool promoting efficiency soon caused this idea to spread; today, numerous manufacturers use kanban tools.
Kanban ideas greatly enhance the process of software development. Many software companies adopted the idea of using an online kanban board to permit groups to report the completion of work assignments in a single convenient forum, where everyone could be kept apprised of progress. Managers found that this tool helped them avoid the development of backlogs because they could shift personnel as necessary. The board also allowed them to assign resources in the most effective way to keep all of the teams involved in development on track seamlessly.
A Collaborative Tool
Recently, kanban tools have also found their way into other venues. The expansion of the Internet means more long distance collaboration occurs today than during previous eras. In former years, people working together in different locations usually had to arrange meetings or conference calls periodically; today, managers can simply use software which permits them to communicate and share information using an online kanban board.