Integrating timekeeping and Kanban workflow tracking is a smart way to establish an efficient work management process. Kanban systems have proven to be helpful in project management, especially where Lean methodology and Agile / Scrum techniques are used. actiTIME is an integral solution for that purpose: this is a convenient tool for tracking work time and managing work with Kanban boards.
Where to Use actiTIME Kanban System?
actiTIME is widely used by businesses in various industries where timekeeping is a must. Among them, many fields are increasingly adopting Lean methodology and Agile & Scrum techniques to manage projects. In them, Kanban is a commonly used addition for workflow visualization and visual work management. Here are some of the fields where both timekeeping and Kanban workflow management are essential:
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Consulting
- Architecture
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Software development
These industries have several features in common that make Kanban a helpful tool for managing work processes:
- First, a complex, multi-step project workflow requires advanced visualization as a way to monitor current progress and identify possible bottlenecks.
- Then, client-oriented nature of businesses in these fields makes priority changes and adjustments imminent – and Kanban helps handle them faster.
- And, finally, focus on getting more done (as opposed to handling more tasks) is where Kanban is especially helpful with its “stop starting, start finishing” philosophy.
How to Set Up and Use Kanban System in actiTIME?
Kanban is meant to be intuitive, but the configuration of a Kanban system can be tricky. The goal is creating a workflow that would be convenient for all involved employees and provide managers with an informative picture of current work progress. A step-by-step guide is always a time-saver for configuration of a new work process – so here’s how to set up Kanban in actiTIME.
First, define task statuses used in your work process. Usually, they depend on workflow steps used in your company of project. For example, in software development it can be analysis, design, development, QA, release. Or, say, planning, copywriting, design, approval, release in advertising.
actiTIME divides workflow statuses in two groups: open (for tasks in progress) and completed (for accomplished tasks). In both groups, you can have as many specific statuses as you need.
Then, create your project with all tasks included in it (or take an existing one), and distribute the tasks by statuses, depending on where they are in the entire workflow. You can start managing a project in Kanban from scratch, or implement this technique for projects that are already in progress.
Open your Kanban board and track work progress visually. actiTIME also allows you to manage project workflow directly from the board – you can do that by just dragging and dropping tasks between statuses as you need.
To review specific steps of work process, filter tasks by statuses. For example, you can see what tasks are at the planning step, monitor what tasks are currently in progress, or review the list of completed tasks. Monitor whether works accumulates on any steps to prevent bottlenecks and handle them if they have already appeared.
Why Is actiTIME Helpful?
The ability to use Kanban technique in actiTIME is a helpful additional feature to timekeeping and work management functionality contained in the product. If Kanban technique fits into your workflow processes, you can make more use of your team’s workflow data and manage work more efficiently. How exactly does Kanban help team and project managers?
- Fast evaluation of current work progress: visual representation of the big picture and the ability to filter the data provide managers with a bird’s eye view of project progress.
- Identification of possible or already appeared bottlenecks: being one of the major values of Kanban technique, this ability helps prevent delays and improve change management.
- Handy way to implement Lean/ Agile/ Scrum: Kanban works as an addition to it – it is often compared with a lens that allows to focus on what’s relevant and reveal important trends.
- Productivity increase: Kanban offers a perfect way to get more work finished instead of taking on more new tasks.
To sum up, actiTIME Kanban simplifies work management process and saves managers’ time. Making workflow clearer, it helps stay informed on current results, shows where urgent action or closer attention is required, and aligns work processes with modern project management techniques.
