There is no doubt about Kanban systems’ effectiveness, but you simply cannot stress it enough.
If you think that Kanban is all about using the fancy features on a digital board, you are entirely wrong. Instead, we can say that Kanban is a type of mindset aiming to minimize waste while improving productivity with better organization. However, if you are implementing the Kanban system just because you have heard about the benefits it offers, you might be making a mistake.
It would be best if you keep in mind several things while implementing the Kanban system. To make things easier for you, we have some guidelines you can adhere to for an effective Kanban system.
Steady flow of work
Flow is basically used to measure how seamlessly each type of work is moving through the whole system. If you want to be sure that your system is working correctly, you will need to measure the flow as this will give you an idea about the scope of improvements.
To measure the flow, you will have to develop the efficiency percentage of the entire team impeccably instead of analyzing the efficiency of every task that is moving through the Kanban board. You can then get ideas about bottlenecks and even get a visual representation of your project’s efficiency.
Avoid passing defective products
If you have an upstream process in place, you should make sure that this process is never passing those products that could not match the quality standards and other checks. If you remove defective products from your production line, you can ensure that only the quality products reach your customers, resulting in minimal waste.
For this, you will have to develop policies that will ensure the quality of the products. You can take the example of an app development process in which the app goes through several tests before being finally launched.
Match the standard quantity
It would be best not to overproduce because you will need to find a solution to deal with the extra inventory when you start overproducing, which will further lead to more wastage and extra effort. You will also need to consider the opportunity cost, time, and effort spent on all the resources used.
If you do not stop overproducing, you will have to deal with obsolete products, and this will add up to your list of wastage. The only thing that you will need to do here is to have a Minimum Viable Product mindset. This means that if a customer is looking to use one feature, you should make sure that you satisfy their basic need first and add additional functionalities only if there is a request for them. You will always need to narrow down your entire focus on minimal requirements.
Limit work in progress
Laying down the basic foundations of work in progress is one of the Kanban system’s essential aspects. When you have too much on your plate, stepping onto the journey of efficiency is comparatively easy. You will have to keep as much inventory in stock as it is currently required, and when this inventory gets over, you will know precisely when you need to re-stock.
Similarly, if you work on limiting work in progress, you will start working on a single item quickly, and it will help your teamwork on a single task instead of getting deviated because of wearing too many hats at a time.
If you follow these basic rules of the Kanban system, you will streamline your activities better; otherwise, even after using the most fruitful workflow management system, you will not achieve the desired efficiency.
