A comprehensive review of Backlog’s Kanban board

When you’re managing a project in the tech industry, you need tools that can keep pace with rapid development cycles, distributed teams, quick changes, and unexpected challenges. The right tools make everything clearer for everybody, including: 

• What tasks need to be done
• Who is responsible for what
• How far the team has progressed

Without that information, wires get crossed, and deadlines get missed.

Backlog by Nulab helps keep everything in order through flexible yet comprehensive task management. Backlog was designed especially for Agile project management in tech-heavy industries. In particular, its built-in Kanban boards make day-to-day task management and comprehensive project management seamless. 

Understanding Kanban boards

Kanban is a Japanese term meaning “signboard.” As an approach to project management, it originated in Toyota’s manufacturing processes. In essence, Kanban is a way to visualize work and optimize production flow in a simple and easy-to-comprehend way. 

It has since expanded to many different industries, including software development, where it helps teams manage work more effectively. 

At its core, Kanban is built on three fundamental principles:

1. Visualizing Work: Tasks are represented as cards on a board, providing a clear overview of the project’s status.
2. Limiting Work in Progress (WIP): By setting caps on the number of tasks in each stage, teams can focus on completing work before starting new tasks.
3. Enhancing Flow: Continuous monitoring and optimization of the workflow helps identify and remove bottlenecks.

These principles, plus several other foundational Kanban principles, translate into several benefits for project management:

• Improved Visibility: Teams can easily track task status and identify potential issues.
• Increased Efficiency: Limiting WIP reduces context-switching and improves focus.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Visual representation of work fosters a better understanding of roles and responsibilities.
• Flexibility: Kanban boards adapt easily to changing project scopes and priorities.

Want to learn more about Kanban boards? Check out our Kanban guide for a more comprehensive breakdown. 

Adopting Kanban boards to overcome workflow challenges

Because they’re simple, straightforward, and easy to adopt, Kanban boards can help alleviate workflow challenges for many different projects and industries. 

Here’s a hypothetical scenario to illustrate what that might look like: 

Let’s say you’re part of a development team facing significant project delivery delays. Unfortunately, tasks often pile up in the “In Progress” stage, leading to confusion and missed deadlines. This situation creates frustration among team members and stakeholders alike, as the lack of clarity on task status makes it difficult to understand priorities or the status of important initiatives. 

To tackle these challenges, you decide to implement a Kanban board. By visualizing the whole team’s workflow, everyone involved can see the current status of each task at a glance. 

You also establish WIP limits, allowing no more than three tasks to be in the “In Progress” column at any time. This practice encourages team members to complete tasks before taking on new ones, reducing bottlenecks, improving clarity on task status, and improving overall focus. 

As the team begins using the Kanban board, they notice that previously frequent delays have now been resolved. For example, tasks that previously stalled in “Code Review” are now moving more smoothly through the process since there are fewer things to focus on at any one time. And if something does get delayed, the team can quickly identify when a task is waiting for feedback and prompt the relevant team member for a review. 

All in all, clarity is vastly improved. Think of it as a production line for complex, technical projects, with clear stages that can only handle so much work at one time. Implementing Kanban enhances accountability and improves the team’s efficiency, ultimately leading to faster project delivery.

Features of Backlog’s Kanban board

Backlog’s Kanban board allows teams to create, view, and manage tasks efficiently via a user-friendly interface that aligns with Kanban principles.

The board itself is divided into columns representing different stages of the workflow, such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” As is typical of Kanban, tasks are represented by cards, which move through these columns as they progress through the workflow.

These cards provide at-a-glance information about the task, including:

• Task title
• Assignee
• Due date
• Priority level
• Issue type (represented by an icon)

While the card has a quick overview, team members often need more detailed information about a task. If you need to see more, all you have to do is click a card to expand it.

This reveals all the issue details, including:

• A detailed task description
• Comments and discussions
• Attached files
• Subtasks
• Related issues
• Associated milestones

This detailed view enables team members to access all relevant information without leaving the Kanban board interface, streamlining workflow and reducing the need to navigate between different sections of the project management tool.

Benefits of Backlog’s comprehensive workflow visualization

The true power of Backlog’s Kanban board lies in its ability to present your entire workflow in one easy-to-understand layout. 

This visual representation offers several tangible benefits:

• Improved Project Oversight: Project managers can see the distribution of tasks across different stages at a glance, identifying bottlenecks or imbalances in workload.
• Enhanced Team Collaboration: Team members can easily see what their colleagues are working on, fostering better coordination and reducing duplicate efforts.
• Efficient Resource Allocation: By visualizing the entire workflow, managers can make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring that no stage becomes overwhelmed.
• Quick Problem Identification: Bottlenecks or delays become immediately apparent when tasks start accumulating in a particular column, allowing for swift corrective action.
• Streamlined Communication: The board’s visual nature reduces the need for status update meetings, as the project’s current state is always visible to all team members.
• Improved Focus and Productivity: Team members can easily prioritize their work by focusing on the tasks in their assigned columns, reducing distractions and increasing productivity.

Setting up your Kanban board in Backlog

Creating an effective Kanban board in Backlog is straightforward. In fact, much of it happens automatically. Every project you create in Backlog is automatically assigned a Kanban board. You can find it by clicking “Board” in the left navigation. 

Here’s how to set it up:

First, create your new project. You can do this by selecting the + icon in your global navigation menu at the top of the page. 

Second, set up your workflow by customizing your issue statuses. Find this by selecting Status in the Project Settings menu in the toolbar on the left-hand side of your screen.

Here, you can create new task statuses, color code them, and click and drag to rearrange them into your preferred workflow. This will be the sequential order of your Kanban board columns.

Third, streamline task creation by customizing your issue types in the Issue Types menu under Project Settings. Here, you can define the different types of work that will need to be completed in your project and create task templates for each individual type. This ensures that each task includes all pertinent details, making it easier for team members to dive in.   

Finally, populate your Kanban board by creating new issues. (In Backlog, “issues” represent tasks.) Do this by selecting Add Issue in the left navigation. Then, select the appropriate task type using the drop-down menu and fill in all the information you need. 

Pro tip: Remember to associate each task with a start date, due date, and milestone. This will make it easier to analyze your work in progress down the line. 

Tips for managing a board that maximizes team productivity

Ultimately, your Kanban board has to work for your team. So it’s important to tailor your setup to accommodate your working style, preferences, and the nature of each individual project. Backlog was created with the flexibility to accommodate any project flow. 

Here are a few tips to help you set your team up for productivity:

• Document your processes and policies in the project wiki: Each Backlog project includes a wiki where you can share guidelines, information, and reference material. Create a wiki page outlining your expectations—for example, WIP limits—so everyone is on the same page. (Learn more about wikis in our Wiki Guide.)
• Set WIP limits: As mentioned in the previous bullet, set limits for each stage along your workflow—e.g., a maximum number of “in progress” or “under review” tasks—to prevent bottlenecks and maintain a smooth workflow. 
• Simplify through subtasking: Make collaboration easier by breaking up complex tasks into subtasks. This allows you to track task status more discretely and clearly establish ownership over complex issues requiring multiple hands. 
• Regularly review and adjust: Continuously monitor your board and make adjustments as needed to optimize the workflow. Schedule weekly reviews to assess the effectiveness of your Kanban setup and your overall project flow and use team feedback to improve.

Best practices for Kanban boards in Backlog

Integrating Backlog’s Kanban board into your overall project management strategy will help your team develop a more holistic understanding of the overall project flow and how each task contributes. 

To use this tool to its fullest potential, stay aligned with these best practices: 

Best practice #1: Keep a close eye on your team’s workflow

Your Kanban board is the central hub holding your project together and acts as the definitive resource for your team. As such, it needs to reflect the most up-to-the-minute version of your project, including any new task details, adjustments to your project flow, and status updates. 

To manage all this effectively, build processes into your day-to-day to keep you connected: 

• Hold daily stand-ups: Use the Kanban board as a visual aid during daily team meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps. This practice keeps the team aligned and focused on immediate goals.
• Update your board regularly: Encourage team members to move cards between columns as tasks progress to maintain an accurate project status. Additionally, make it a habit to review the board daily to catch any missing details or unexpected changes. This habit fosters accountability and transparency within the team.
• Focus on flow: Monitor the movement of cards across the board to identify and address any bottlenecks. If you notice tasks piling up in a particular column, investigate the cause and adjust your workflow accordingly.

Best practice #2: Monitor progress through analytics

If you want to manage your project well and report on it accurately to stakeholders, you need one thing: data. 

Backlog offers two powerful analytics tools to help teams track progress and manage projects effectively.

First, Backlog’s Gantt chart provides a visual timeline of your project, allowing you to:

• Visualize task dependencies and project milestones
• Identify potential scheduling conflicts
• Adjust timelines easily with drag-and-drop functionality

Use it alongside your Kanban board to plan your project timeline and identify and resolve delays.

To enable Gantt charts, have a Project Administrator select Enable Charts under Project Settings. This allows you to input issue start and due dates and estimate the hours each task will take for more detailed scheduling.

Next, the burndown chart helps teams track progress and predict project completion:

• Visualize remaining work versus time
• Identify if the project is on track or falling behind
• Facilitate sprint planning for Agile teams

To set up your burndown chart:

1. Go to the General tab in the Project Settings menu and select Enable priorities, version, and milestones and Enable charts.
   
2. Set up your project milestones in the Versions/Milestones menu.
   
3. Update each task to include a milestone, due date, and estimated completion hours. This will allow the task to be included on your burndown chart.
   

Regularly updating your issues’ status and estimated hours ensures your burndown chart remains accurate and useful.

Best practice #3: Prioritize continuous improvement

Adopt the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement by:

• Holding Regular Retrospectives: Discuss what’s working well and what can be improved in your Kanban process.
• Experimenting with WIP Limits: Adjust limits to find the optimal balance between flexibility and focus.
• Collecting and Analyzing Metrics: Use Backlog’s reporting features to track key performance indicators, such as cycle time and throughput.

Best practice #4: Learn from others’ successes

There’s always more to learn, whether you’re taking your first steps into Agile or Kanban or are setting up your hundredth project. Here are a few success stories from Backlog users that you can learn from: 

• Droisys: This technology solutions provider used Backlog’s Kanban board to improve productivity by visualizing tasks and tracking progress in real time. As a result, they enhanced collaboration across their distributed team.
• HelloLeads: This customer relationship management software company tailored the Kanban board to their specific Agile development process, resulting in improved efficiency and better project outcomes.
• Codewave: This software development firm leveraged Backlog’s Kanban board to manage their tasks visually, optimize their workflow management, prioritize and collaborate more effectively.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Implementing a Kanban system can present challenges, particularly for teams new to the methodology. 

Here’s how to address some common issues:

Issue 1: Lack of standardization

Kanban is inherently flexible and can adapt to almost any situation, project, or industry. That’s especially true in Backlog, where you can set up unique task statuses for every project. The flip side of that is its lack of standardization. 

Avoid this issue by establishing clear guidelines up front for how your team will use Kanban. Then, create clear documentation and train your team so everyone understands. Finally, lead by example by consistently following these guidelines.

Issue 2: Resistance to change

Anyone who has managed a team knows that people struggle with change. It’s practically a universal truth. And when you’re working on a team that grapples with fast iterations, shifting expectations, and tight deadlines, that resistance to change compounds. 

Address this issue proactively by clearly communicating the benefits of your new Kanban process and how it will impact your team’s workflow. Do this in advance and create a forum for questions, concerns and feedback pre- and post-launch. This will help to encourage buy-in from your team.

Issue 3: Overcomplicating the board

When it comes to project tasks, more details are often better. But those details need to be both pertinent and helpful to avoid overwhelming the team.

To avoid overcomplicating things, start simple, with fewer task statuses and issue types and a simpler overall workflow. Then, schedule retrospectives to review the effectiveness of your current board, and add new elements as they become necessary.

Issue 4: Inconsistent updates

For your Kanban board to be helpful, it needs to be up-to-date. Set clear expectations for your update cadence. For example, should individual tasks be updated at the end of each day, or weekly?  

Include task updates in your daily stand-up meetings. This will help unearth task updates that might have fallen through the cracks. Then, after each meeting, assign somebody to make the necessary board adjustments.

Streamline your projects with Backolg’s Kanban board

Backlog’s Kanban board is a simple yet powerful way to optimize workflows and enhance team collaboration. With its visual representation of tasks, project timelines, and real-time updates, Backlog empowers teams to work more efficiently and deliver projects more effectively.

Ready to transform your project management? Start your free trial of Backlog today and experience the benefits of a well-designed Kanban system for yourself.