Trello Migration: 6 Reasons to Migrate from Trello to Kanban Zone

Are you considering a Trello migration to Kanban Zone? Trello is an easy-to-use tool that everyone knows and loves, but when it comes to scalability, Trello might not be your best option. In this article, we’ll talk about seven reasons why you have to consider migrating from Trello to another tool like Kanban Zone.  

Kanban Zone offers more customization options, better organization, better task management, better collaboration, better reporting, and more features. Having all of these features makes Kanban Zone a more efficient project management tool.

1. Much More Customization

This feature alone makes your migration from Trello worth it. With Kanban Zone, you can design your board as if drawing it on a physical whiteboard. Instead of forcing you to work with grids like most tools do, Kanban Zone allows you to customize swimlanes and columns, making it possible to create any board you can imagine. Kanban Zone has three types of containers: 

• Card containers: columns that can hold cards
• Horizontal containers: columns that can nest multiple card containers shown horizontally
• Vertical containers: columns that can nest multiple card containers shown vertically

To create nested columns, add a container that displays columns or rows first, until you get the design that you want. Then, add a container that holds cards inside the previous container. You will get a column with cards inside another column.

Another form of customization that we offer is the additional text below the column title. We call them explicit agreements, and they are a short description of what it means to enter or exit a column. It’s optional to include explicit agreements when building a board, but we recommend you add them because they’re really helpful to have for a smoother workflow. Unfortunately, Trello doesn’t offer this feature.

2. Robust Reporting and Analytics

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether your workflow works or not, unless you see the statistics of your board. Compared to Trello, Kanban Zone offers an extensive list of metrics in its reports, most of them being Kanban metrics. Optimize your workflow by taking these metrics into account and eliminating the bottlenecks accordingly. 

In Kanban Zone, just click on the Metrics icon in the top-right corner. It will open an overview of the available metrics. To see a full report on the metrics, click on them.

Some of the metrics you can find in Kanban Zone are: 

• Flow Efficiency: Kanban Zone will track every column that a card touches, depending on the state of the column. Flow Efficiency is calculated using this formula: (In Progress Time / (In Progress Time + Buffer Time)) x 100%.
• Cycle Time: A card’s cycle time is calculated from the time it enters a Work-in-Progress (WIP) column to when it enters the Done column. It might stay in the Backlog or To-Do column for a few days, but those days won’t be counted towards the Cycle Time. The team can refer to this metric to set expectations about the actual time needed to deliver the work. 
• Arrival Rate: This report tracks new work added to your Kanban board. You can monitor how much work you receive within a specific time period. It can then be used to predict your upcoming workload and set better expectations for stakeholders and customers. 
• Throughput: This report allows you to monitor the amount of work that’s being done by your team or your process. Just like the Arrival Rate, it will help you set better expectations for stakeholders and customers. If you have an average of the work produced by your Kanban board, you can expect to produce the same number of work if nothing significant changes. 

3. Work-in-Progress (WIP) Limit

One of the critical aspects of efficient workflow management is controlling the work in progress (WIP). Kanban Zone excels in this area by offering robust Work in Progress (WIP) limit functionality, which can be another reason why you need to do your Trello migration soon. WIP limit helps to maintain a healthy balance between the number of tasks in progress and the total number of tasks to be completed. It prevents overwork and also helps to maintain a steady workflow.

Setting WIP Limits: In Kanban Zone, you can easily set WIP limits for each column on your board. This means you can specify the maximum number of cards allowed in a particular column at any given time. This feature helps prevent overloading team members with too much work and ensures that work flows smoothly through your process.

Visualizing WIP: With the WIP limits clearly defined, Kanban Zone provides visual cues to help you understand your team’s capacity. When a column reaches its WIP limit, it turns red, signaling that it’s time to address the current workload before adding more tasks. This visual indication is important for preventing bottlenecks and maintaining a steady workflow.

Balancing Work: WIP limits encourage teams to focus on completing tasks before starting new ones. This reduces multitasking and context switching, leading to increased productivity and faster task completion times. Teams can prioritize their work more effectively, ensuring that high-priority tasks receive the necessary attention.

4. Mirror Cards

Mirror Cards in Kanban Zone serve as a powerful tool for ensuring synchronization and collaboration across multiple boards. These special cards act as “mirrors” of a task or project on one board and are displayed on other boards simultaneously. This feature is particularly useful when you have interconnected tasks or projects that need to be managed in different contexts or by different teams.

Let’s say you have a critical task or project that appears on multiple boards in your organization. Instead of duplicating the task and managing it separately on each board, you can create a Mirror Card. This Mirror Card is linked to the original task, ensuring that any changes made to the Mirror Card are reflected in real-time on the original card and vice versa.

5. Portfolio System

The Portfolio System in Kanban Zone acts as a centralized hub for managing and monitoring multiple projects simultaneously. It’s designed to address the challenges faced when handling complex, interconnected projects across diverse teams and departments.

Resource Allocation: Managing resources effectively is paramount for project success. The Portfolio System allows you to allocate resources efficiently across various projects, ensuring that teams are appropriately staffed and workloads are balanced.

Dependency Tracking: Complex projects often involve interdependencies between tasks or projects. The Portfolio System enables you to identify and track these dependencies, helping you anticipate potential bottlenecks and mitigate risks proactively.

Real-Time Updates: Like other Kanban Zone features, the Portfolio System provides real-time updates. Changes made to individual projects or tasks are instantly reflected, ensuring that you’re always working with the most current information.

6. Consult with Experts

In addition to the powerful features we’ve mentioned above, consider leveraging our expert consultation services.

Tailored Guidance: Each organization has its unique challenges and requirements. Expert consultants can assess your specific needs and tailor Kanban Zone’s features to align with your goals.

Efficiency Maximization: Experts understand the intricacies of the Kanban methodology and how to apply them effectively. They can help you set up boards, workflows, and reporting systems that maximize efficiency and productivity.

Customization Mastery: Kanban Zone offers a range of customization options. Expert consultants can guide you in creating custom board structures, workflows, and card types that match your organization’s workflow precisely.

Best Practices: Consultants bring a wealth of experience and knowledge about best practices in project management and Kanban. They can introduce you to proven techniques and strategies for optimizing your processes.

Migrate Your Projects from Trello to Kanban Zone Easily

In summary, if you’re contemplating a Trello migration for your project management needs, Kanban Zone is the ideal choice. Its advanced customization options, robust reporting, and WIP limit features, combined with enhanced collaboration capabilities, make it a powerhouse for scalable and efficient project management. Make the smart move and transition to Kanban Zone for a more streamlined and productive workflow.

Have we mentioned that it’ll only take you a few clicks to migrate from Trello to Kanban Zone? See this Knowledge Base article to learn how.