The Montessori School of the Berkshires: Kanban in Education and School Administration
In this case study, we will dive into how Kanban Zone empowered the administration of The Montessori School of the Berkshires to efficiently manage its daily operations as a school with 26 full-time staff composed of guides, lead teachers, assistants, and administrators educating 130+ students aged 15 months to eighth grade.
Find out how The Montessori School of the Berkshires revolutionized its system by incorporating Kanban Zone into its operational processes.
About The Montessori School of the Berkshires
The Montessori School of the Berkshires is the only Montessori school in the Berkshires, Western Massachusetts, catering to students from toddler to eighth grade. The school was founded in 2006 by Head of School, Todd Covert and his wife, Megan. Their campus sits on 25 acres of land in Lenox, Massachusetts.
They have 130+ students, taught and guided by a staff of 26 full-time employees such as school administrators, lead teachers, guides, and classroom assistants.
Problem Statement and Challenges
The Montessori School of the Berkshires follows the Association Montessori International (AMI) approach towards educating its students, which is already an established educational model and perspective. But with 26 employees to manage, all with different roles and responsibilities, The Montessori School of the Berkshires faces several challenges:
Workflow Visualization and Management: Keeping track of how ideas and plans are transitioned to tasks and completed goals.
Brainstorming and Process Mapping: Laying out process concepts and allowing everyone to share thoughts and ideas for process improvements.
Shared Leadership: Encouraging team members to take ownership of their roles.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Communication: Promoting effective communication and collaboration amongst team members from different departments.
Establish Trust Through Transparency: Strengthening the trust of parents and community towards the school faculty and administration by practicing process transparency.
The Solution – Kanban Zone
By incorporating Kanban Zone into its educational and organizational processes, The Montessori School of the Berkshires improved its operations, supporting their needs for shared leadership, better communication, and stronger collaboration. Through the leadership of its school head, Todd Covert, the school administration successfully aligned its actions with the goals and objectives of the organization. Here is how Kanban Zone impacted the school’s operation:
Streamlined Process Workflow: Enhanced workflow visualization through the successful integration of Kanban Zone into The Montessori School of the Berkshires’ administrative tools and processes.
Efficient Collaboration and Communication: Reinforced coordination between teachers and administrators by using Kanban Zone to collaborate, share task details, and track the progress of each project from ideation to completion.
Improved Decision-Making Process: Leveraged Kanban boards for better visualization of ideas, goals, and objectives, paving the way for better collaboration between teachers, administrators, and the board of trustees.
Stronger Organizational Performance: Better process documentation and management, resulting in optimized school operations.
Enhanced Transparency: Interactions with parents and stakeholders have been powered by Kanban Zone, enhancing communications through openness.
You can introduce Kanban Zone to your organization and streamline your workflow too, while improving project management and employee satisfaction. Sign up free and get started with Portfolio Kanban!
Final Conclusion
The Montessori School of the Berkshires’ administrative operations are much improved, after having integrated Kanban Zone. School Head, Todd Covert, shares some of his favorite features of Kanban Zone:
- Using cards as efficient containers of relevant documents and information on projects/tasks.
- Setting up and modifying card templates, making it easier to create new cards that will have similar purposes.
- Creating explicit agreements for each column, aiding clarity and setting clear expectations across all collaborators.
