Is that bunch of names already starting to make your brain hurt?
Does it seem like there are people competing in your company to dig up strange new words, just to leave you with the impression that you’re outdated?
Calm down! This can stop!
This mania of using agile methodologies, in some cases, is so exaggerated that even one of the authors of the Agile Manifesto criticized it.
Check out our blog: One of the authors of the manifesto criticizes Agile and Scrum methodologies
What about understanding in a simple and didactic way what types of kanban are there?
The types of Kanban
Currently, several companies have adopted the kanban technique to enhance the efficiency of their activities.
There are numerous advantages:
- Work fluency;
- Increased productivity;
- Elimination of bottlenecks;
- Performance monitoring;
- Optimization of time;
- Better use of resources, etc.
At a very low cost, kanban proves to be an adequate tool for managing, communicating and disseminating information within companies.
It allows activities to be performed on time, through visual and intuitive controls.
But do you know what kanban is? And also: do you know what types of kanban there are? Come find out!
What is kanban?
Kanban is a Japanese visual management technique used to record actions and tasks. The method was invented by Toyota in the 1960s and initially incorporated into its inventory management and parts flow control practices.
Here’s an example of Kanban below:
The main goals of kanban are:
- Promote productivity and more efficient production;
- Optimize movement, production, task execution and demand delivery processes.
Kanban is based on visual references, usually colored cards (post-its are very popular). These cards are placed on murals or boards, describing the activities that need to be done (to do), the ones being done and those which are finished.
Kanban functions as a control system that assists in the organization of tasks within a process. In this way, you perform and deliver activities in a similar way to that observed in production lines.
Get to know the types of kanban now and see how they can improve the productivity of your business.
Also see: 6 best practice suggestions for improving the Kanban method
What are the types of kanban?
Production kanban
In this type, we usually divide kanban murals into three sections: to do, in progress and done. Depending on the degree of complexity of the process in question, you can add other sections to the board.
Each card should contain minimal information on each task that you need to perform:
- What you need to do;
- Its deadline;
- The person responsible for carrying out the activity.
The different colors can serve to indicate the progress of the activity or the sector responsible, for example.
From the moment you perform the tasks, the cards move to to the next step until everything is complete.
In this way, the column that has a vacancy open alerts you that you can receive a new task by “pulling” the production line. This allows you to have more control over a particular process, from beginning to end.
Movement kanban
To understand how this mode works, follow the example below.
Imagine that Toyota, the creator of Kanban, was producing a batch of 100 cars. However, the production processes only advance every 10 cars.
Suppose there are three stages of producing a car: assembly, painting and finishing.
Once the 10th unit completes the first step, somebody attaches a sticker to it, which authorizes the release of another 10 units. All subsequent sectors of the production line should proceed in this way.
Thus, production will be directly proportional to the rate of consumption and the turnover of goods. The greater the consumption and turnover, the greater the production.
This may seem like a slow method, but in fact it’s quite efficient.
This is because human and financial resources are used responsibly and sustainably.
E-kanban
With the constant advancement of technology, it wasn’t long before companies adapted this visual management method to electronic forms.
Many people don’t consider e-kanban as one of the kanban types, as it’s just a conversion from the Japanese technique to the digital environment.
Either way, e-kanban ensures greater agility and efficiency in organizations’ internal communication processes.
You can do it in a simple software spreadsheet or in programs and applications available for tablets and smartphones in a collaborative way.
When is it good to use Kanban software?
Kanban solutions are excellent for cutting down the “tall weeds”.
In other words…
Stopping that mountain of emails that destroy team management and productivity.
But it’s worth reflecting:
Do all of your demands and problems fit onto a single board?
If the answer is “Yes”, then move on. There are several tools on the market that can “solve” the problem:
Mas if the answer is “No” then you need to move to the next level.
Kanban tools don’t allow you to escalate the demand. The lack of rigid rules allows you to handle demands without much criteria.
Some types of Kanban tools even allow you to set constraints, and often call themselves “BPM tools.”
But don’t let them deceive you:
BPM concepts and tools are much more complete and dense than a simple Kanban.
What’s your opinion on Kanban?
And if you already use Kanban in your company, tell us in the comments how you use it, if you use software and what results you achieve.
Do you like it? Does it solve your problems? Do you have any difficulties?