Key Points

• Digital Kanban boards are an effective way of managing workflows for complex projects in any remote environment.
• Communication is vital when utilizing any software. You’ll want to take measures to ensure you’re team can grasp the functionality of your platform of choice through regular stand-ups.
• Make sure to establish strong policies and limit work in progress on your Kanban boards. This can help make the software function as intended while keeping your team members from getting overwhelmed by a never-ending workload.

Are you making use of digital Kanban boards?

Remote work is on the rise, and as such, there is a definite need to adapt and change workflows to better suit working conditions. You can’t readily pull out a physical Kanban board in a Zoom call, so what do you do?

Thankfully, there is a relatively simple solution: digital Kanban boards.

These pieces of software offer a flexible way to keep everyone on the same page with tasks while offering a great amount of versatility in how you manage workflows. So, with that in mind, we’re going to look at what you need in a software version, best practices in their use, and how to maximize your efforts with a remote team.

Picking the Right Software

There are plenty of software suites and platforms to utilize for digital Kanban boards. Trello is a popular example, offering quite a bit of functionality for free when used by smaller teams. As you might imagine from a popular methodology like Kanban, there is quite a bit of overlap in software suites.

As such, it becomes a matter of what you need out of the software, rather than looking for a one-size-fits-all scenario. Sure, you could opt for something built to scale, but is that going to be ideal for a team of less than a dozen people?

Initially, I’d say to go with something with a minimal learning curve. You can spend time later on investing in a different platform if it tickles your fancy. For the time being, however, opting for something quick to pick up and learn is going to be your best bet.

Features to Look For

There are a few core features I’d deem as necessary for any digital Kanban software. Customizable columns and swimlanes are a must. While there is quite a bit of commonality between organizations utilizing Kanban boards, everyone works differently.

Drag-and-drop functionality is also a must. I’m all for techy solutions, but you want something that the average person can readily pick up and make use of. Additionally, task cards should be able to have rich information within, meaning you can add descriptions, assign workers, add due dates, and so forth.

Finally, notifications distributed throughout the team is a great thing to have on hand. If you’re dealing with team members in a different timezone, this can be a handy way of alerting them of deadlines coming up. Asynchronous work is a common challenge in remote work, and we’ll discuss that a little later on.

Visualizing Your Workflow

Now that you’ve picked your digital Kanban software of choice, it’s time to get to work. Map out every single step of a given task, from the very beginning to completion. All organizations are going to have different terminology and nomenclature, but common stages are things like To Do, In Progress, and Finished.

Since its a flexible platform, you can customize these to better suit your team as time goes on. Early projects should be spent making sure your team is familiar with the software.

Policies and Definitions

One vital step you’ll need to take is outlining clear policies on how and when a card should move. On a physical Kanban board, this isn’t as much of a concern. However, if you’re dealing with people in other time zones, this is one way you can make sure there isn’t a chance for miscommunication or errors. Don’t worry about mistakes just yet, while you’re looking to implement harder policies, there is a learning curve with anything.

Practices to Implement for Remote Success

Implementing some good practices is going to be the difference between a mediocre and a successful adoption of digital Kanban software. Naturally, you should be aiming for continuous improvement as you get more adept at using the software, but that will come with time. Instead, your pilot projects should be focused on hammering out an ideal workflow. Improvements can come later.

Managing Flow

At least one person on your team, preferably a manager, should be tasked with monitoring the flow of work on the board. In pilot projects, this can be a boon as you can quickly identify any potential pain points or bottlenecks in how you’re conducting these processes. Make sure to document things as you go, as future improvements will go far more smoothly if you have clear targets.

Limit Work in Progress

This goes without saying, but you should set limits on each column. Digital platforms run the risk of overwhelming staff in short order. By limiting the number of cards available in each column, you’re allowing team members to get used to the software and the workflow without being inundated with endless tasks. Chunk things out in batches, and the work will get done either way.

Communication

One of the biggest things to keep in mind with any digital Kanban implementation is the need for communication. While most software platforms allow for messaging, that only goes so far. Having dedicated platforms and means of communication beyond the software is going to keep things moving in an orderly and tidy fashion.

Asynchronous

Asynchronous communication can be readily handled by any chat client your organization is using. Popular choices are things like Microsoft Teams or Slack. For remote work, this is vital. Not everyone is going to be working the same schedule, let alone the same time zone, if you’ve got international employees.

Virtual Stand-ups

You should be having regular stand-ups with your team on a weekly basis at a minimum. Preferably, you’ll be striving for daily stand-ups, especially in higher-pressure projects. During the start of this digital Kanban implementation, you’ll likely want to stick with daily meetings to make sure everyone is receiving adequate training for the platform.

This is a prime opportunity to discuss progress, receive feedback, and understand where issues are arising. Stand-ups are vital for team cohesion, and can help to build a team’s camaraderie.

Common Remote Challenges

It isn’t always smooth sailing when it comes to implementing new practices in a remote work environment. Teams need to trust in the ability of all members, so team-building activities might be to get everyone working in step. Additionally, remote work can be a lonesome activity in some organizations. Daily check-ins with team members to hear feedback and build rapport can be vital for maintaining cohesion.

Meetings can be a tough thing to stick to for any remote workforce. As such, you’ll want to ask early on what sort of timing works best for everyone involved in a given project. Meetings should be held at a reasonable hour for anyone on the team. Handover procedures will also need to be established when transferring work from one timezone to another.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for something to go with your cup of coffee? Network operations and Six Sigma go together like peanut butter and chocolate. See how you can revamp your IT department by taking on one of the most effective methodologies for defect-free service providing in our article here.

Additionally, you can be losing a princely sum if you’re neglecting to improve your processes. Processes can grow out of control fairly quickly, leading to waste and non-value-added activities. Thankfully, we’ve got some practical strategies to help you overcome these challenges, as seen in our article here.

Conclusion

Digital Kanban is a must for any team looking to tackle complex projects in a remote workforce. There’s never been a better time to start the transition. The tools available are easy to learn, and some packages can even scale as your team grows.