Best Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams

The way we work is evolving. We are living in a time when technology empowers us to work from anywhere, any time. More companies are embracing remote work and tapping the global talent pool to strengthen their workforce. Remote work is no longer the future but is the norm. Companies are realizing that offering more flexible working arrangements allow them to attract and keep the best talent. But building a remote team is no easy feat. The best remote teams are defined by the strength

Lena Boiser2024-06-04T16:50:31-07:00February 18th, 2020|Tags: efficiency, productivity, remote teams, teamwork|

Lean Farming: Applying Lean Manufacturing Principles in Farming

While it’s true that Lean thinking started in the automotive manufacturing industry, it has worked its way through other industries over the decades. Whether it be knowledge-work or traditional production, Lean thinking has proven to help businesses make their process more efficient. It has since penetrated the agricultural sector. The concept of Lean farming is making waves in the agricultural sector, giving birth to progressive farms all over the world. With the challenges that come with climate change and overpopulation, farmers are pushed to rethink their

Lena Boiser2024-05-16T15:41:29-07:00December 26th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, kaizen, lean, productivity, visualization|

Visual Project Management with Kanban Linked Cards

Project Management is all about clear deliverables and the ability to track progress on these deliverables. One of the most important aspects of delivering successful projects is to set clear expectations and ensure great communication throughout the project. As Kanban experts, we believe that visualizing projects by connecting Kanban cards is the simplest and most effective way to manage projects. Let us explain by illustrating how to do this using Kanban for a single team or across multiple teams. Everything on a single board For

Dimitri Ponomareff2022-12-14T18:18:31-07:00December 13th, 2019|Tags: portfolio kanban, program management, project, project management|

Kanban Zone on full display at Agile Arizona 2019

This year we decided to take Kanban Zone on the road by teaching, speaking and sponsoring at Agile Arizona 2019. This regional Agile conference was full of great speakers and we were very happy to not only speak about Portfolio Kanban, but also set up a booth that showed how Kanban Zone works well on any display (mobile, tablet, laptop, and large touchscreen). This was also an opportunity to create some fun merchandise like the perfect way to relax by squeezing, bouncing or throwing the

Dimitri Ponomareff2024-04-13T23:35:37-07:00December 5th, 2019|Tags: kanban zone, speaker, speaking, sponsor|

The Positive Influence of Slack Time

Slack time is a term loved by many, dreaded by others. Usually, the ‘others’ are project managers who ‘don’t want anyone sitting idle’. And of course, we can't plan slack time because we don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen. But it happens when our flow becomes unbalanced, which sometimes means all the time. But how can something like this have a positive influence on the overall process flow? Are we actually losing value during this time or creating value? Well, that depends on

Ivana Sarandeska2024-05-16T17:20:23-07:00October 23rd, 2019|

How to Fight the Akrasia Effect and Follow Through

Your success rate is highly reliant on your preparation. Remember this. I’ll get back to this a bit later. The human mind is a curious thing. Most simply put, it consists of two main areas: one associated with emotions and another with abstract reasoning. And you guessed it, it’s the emotional part that prefers immediate rewards over future rewards. So when presented with a choice, it will typically choose the option that leads to instant gratification. Following this explanation, it’s no surprise that when

Ivana Sarandeska2024-04-15T04:06:21-07:00October 8th, 2019|Tags: efficiency, follow through, kanban, performance, procrastination, productivity|

Kanban Solutions for Sales: Close More Sales at a Faster Rate

Many people consider sales very unstable. Due to the variety of buyer personalities, salespeople need to be very creative and often change or adjust their sales techniques in order to get the desirable “It’s a deal!” from buyers. Even though it can be challenging, working in sales gives you a certain degree of freedom and flexibility. And it’s never boring. So how can something so unpredictable work under a structured plan? Well, we are going to show you how, despite all doubts, it is possible

Ivana Sarandeska2024-04-17T01:26:39-07:00June 26th, 2019|Tags: efficiency, increased productivity, kanban, kanban board, kanban for sales, kanban method, process flow, productivity, visualization|

Using Kanban to Create a Hybrid Agile Waterfall Methodology

Different organizations use different project management [and software development] approaches. Interestingly enough, there’s always a sense of rivalry between proponents of the Waterfall, Agile and Kanban methodologies. Truth is each approach has its pros and cons. But with Agile becoming the new industry standard, many companies are considering dropping the Waterfall approach and moving to Agile. Transitioning to Agile Waterfall Methodology Moving from Waterfall to Agile can be rough. It creates a disruption in the process and can lead to serious clashes within the

Ivana Sarandeska2024-05-10T11:51:30-07:00June 13th, 2019|Tags: agile, agile waterfall, continuous improvement, efficiency, increased productivity, kanban, performance, visualization, waterfall|

Six Rules of Kanban: How to Better Implement Kanban

Managing business processes using Kanban can only be effective if it’s implemented properly. An effective Kanban system is more than just sticking post-its on a board. It is a mindset - a move towards productivity, organization, and eliminating waste through a steady flow of work. This is where the six rules of Kanban can come in handy. A strong level of trust between leadership and staff is important to establish a steady flow of work. But in order to achieve a high level of trust

Lena Boiser2025-01-10T14:49:42-07:00May 28th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, efficiency, genba, kanban, kanban team, lean, muda, productivity, visualization|

Applying the 5S Methodology in Personal Kanban

Personal kanban is a great tool that individuals can leverage to manage tasks. When implemented correctly, it can be a productivity gamechanger. But as with any productivity method, it doesn’t work on its own. It is dependent on the consistency and discipline of the person that uses it. Starting personal Kanban can be challenging. The transition from being disorganized to proper planning and control can be hard to pull off. Let’s face it. When no one’s watching, it can be easy to slide back to

Lena Boiser2024-04-17T01:35:00-07:00May 16th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, efficiency, genba, increased productivity, kanban, kanban board, kanban team, lean, muda, personal kanban, productivity, visualization|

Startup Program

Startup Program Because the intent of a startup is to grow into a larger more successful company, it is important to design an organization with the ability to scale. To create the ideal model, it’s critical to focus on identifying the key processes that will be needed to operate your organization. This is where using Kanban can help, to visualize your processes and flow work efficiently across your organization. Identify your key processes As

Dimitri Ponomareff2024-10-25T11:29:04-07:00May 8th, 2019|

Poka-Yoke in Real Life Through Examples

Introduction to Poka-Yoke Poka-yoke is a lean manufacturing method for eliminating mistakes. The Japanese engineer Shiego Shingo developed it in the 1960s. Soon after, it was implemented as part of the Toyota Production System(TPS). The name poka-yoke comes from Japanese, and it translates as “to avoid errors”. This simple, yet effective method uses effective tools and signals to prevent errors from happening. Including quality or safety defects in processes where the output can be physical products and services. The method is applicable in both cases.

Ivana Sarandeska2023-03-26T16:13:31-07:00May 7th, 2019|Tags: error-prevention, error-proofing, improvements, lean, poka yoke, poka yoke examples, process flow|

Kanban Visual Management Board for Better Team Productivity

We are living in a fast-paced world where time is invaluable since we always have a lack of it. In business though, time translates into money. The competition is fierce. Only companies that are able to adapt, optimize their processes and use their main resource – time – wisely, have a competitive edge over their rivals on the market. Therefore, companies are given a choice – continue doing things the old way or change and adapt to the times. The companies that wish to thrive

Ivana Sarandeska2024-04-17T17:27:28-07:00April 11th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, efficiency, improvements, increased productivity, kanban, kanban board, kanban for productivity, kanban practice, kanban system, project management, visual board, visualization|

Improve Your Information Flow with Kanban Cadences

Everything around us seems to happen at a certain time. A rhythm that defines the pace and order of activities. It is present in nature. And it is present in organizations of all sizes. Especially those who have a well-aligned system of information flow and feedback loops. But many organizations often underestimate the importance of feedback loops outside the team-level Kanban. This often leads to teams working in detachment from business priorities. After a while, instead of delivering value at the organizational level, the isolated

Ivana Sarandeska2024-05-16T17:48:28-07:00March 21st, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, kanban, kanban board, kanban cadences, kanban meetings, kanban system, metrics, performance, productivity, visualization|

What is a Kanban Card: Use and Purpose

The Kanban methodology greatly relies on the proper use of two tools: Kanban Board [IS1] and Kanban cards. If the Kanban board is the main workspace where the whole project and its processes are laid out, the cards are the visual representation of all the work necessary for successful project completion, broken down in individual tasks or ideas. Kanban Cards: Origins The name Kanban in Japanese means “visual signal” or “card”, so when we say “Kanban card” we say “visual signalization card”. Kanban cards, and

Ivana Sarandeska2024-05-16T16:00:34-07:00March 16th, 2019|Tags: kanban, kanban board, kanban card|

The Anatomy of a Kanban Board

A Kanban board is a tool for work visualization. To make the most of this work visualization tool, it's important that you understand the anatomy of a Kanban board. “Kanban” in Japanese means “visual signal”. This project management method uses visual signals for improving resource utilization, bottlenecks identification, and problem resolution. The main tools in the Kanban method are the Kanban board and the Kanban cards. Find out more about the anatomy of a Kanban board to understand how you can utilize them better. What

Ivana Sarandeska2024-12-18T05:13:46-07:00March 14th, 2019|Tags: kanban, kanban board, performance, productivity, visualization|

Kanban for Improved Office Productivity

It’s hard to keep focused these days what with all the things that are battling for our attention. It’s a challenge to be productive, especially in the office. Just imagine what happens daily at work. Endless meetings and your trip to the pantry for a water refill suddenly becomes a catch-up with your teammate. Your work inbox never seems to rest with incoming emails and you can’t fight the urge to read them all. Your office seatmate decides to chit chat on the latest episode

Lena Boiser2023-01-02T14:46:41-07:00March 11th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, efficiency, kanban, lean, multitasking, personal kanban, pomodoro, productivity, task-switching, visualization, WiP Limits|

Kanban vs Scrum: Which One is Better?

Kanban has been pitted against Scrum and vice-versa for the longest time. The debate is still on and each camp is ready to face the arguments. While we don’t aim to arrive at a winner in this article, we want to help you understand more about Kanban and Scrum. We’ve outlined the key areas that will guide you in deriving which is a better methodology for you and your team. What are Kanban and Scrum? Kanban and Scrum are different methodologies that embrace the values

Lena Boiser2024-11-26T17:27:48-07:00February 28th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, kaizen, kanban, lean, productivity, scrum, scrumban, WiP Limits|

Personal Kanban to Get Things Done in 2019

Are you like most people who feel pumped and energized when ringing in a new year? A new year usually brings a different kind of energy to start something new or change bad habits. New Years is almost synonymous to - yes you guessed it right - RESOLUTIONS. But how often do we follow through with our resolutions? Studies have shown that only 25% of people stay committed to their resolutions for 30 days. What’s more surprising is that only 8% of people actually do

Lena Boiser2023-01-02T15:00:27-07:00February 12th, 2019|Tags: continuous improvement, kanban, personal kanban, Visualize Workflow, WiP Limits|

Andon

Andon What is Andon? Andon is a Japanese term meaning “light” or “lamp.” In Lean manufacturing, an andon refers to a tool that is used to inform and alarm workers of problems within their production process. It is an integral part of applying Jidoka in the workplace. Jidoka means “automation with a human touch.” To implement Jidoka, teams must have the ability to spot an abnormal condition in the assembly line and stop production as needed. Toyota has used andon cords to help workers quickly

Dimitri Ponomareff2024-10-21T17:34:14-07:00December 26th, 2018|