Category Archives: Kanban & Lean

Posts related to Kanban and Lean methodology.

Making sure you catch up on all unread updates

Kanban & Lean, Usability, , , ,

If your board has a lot of tasks (and we know of people whose boards have nearly 2,000 tasks!), you may not notice immediately if a task that’s out of your current view has been updated.  Our latest version makes sure you don’t miss anything:

In the example shown above, the two columns have tasks with unread updates that are out of view because the columns are long (and the viewport is short).  Whenever this happens, Kerika will show you an orange arrow: clicking on the arrow will bring the next unread update into view.

This makes sure you always know when something has changed, even when that isn’t within your view!

At Kerika we are obsessed about usability…

A more detailed view of Task History

Kanban & Lean, Kerika, Usability, , , ,

It’s not often you need to look at the detailed history of a task (card) but sometimes you need to know exactly what happened, when, and who did what.

Our latest version has a much improved Task History, as you can see from these examples:

Every change made to a task is logged and the HISTORY tab of the task details dialog shows you not just who made a change and when, but also what the change was.

Where attachments were added, these are shown as links so you can quickly view it by clicking on the link.

Status changes show the old and new values for the status.

Due date changes also show the old and new due dates.

When it comes to sub-tasks (checklist items), the new history view is greatly improved:

You can see every instance of a checklist item changing, including renaming (editing), changing the assignments, and changing the due dates.

Enjoy Kerika!

Kerika has a free Template for Daily Tasks Planner

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, ,
The best way to organize your work and stay on top of your tasks.
This powerful template helps you stay organized and on top of your tasks. With its clear overview of daily tasks, you can prioritize your work and track your progress to ensure that you meet your goals effectively.
Whether you’re managing a project or working independently, this template helps you streamline your workflow and achieve your objectives with ease.
How to use this template:
  1. Resources: This column is for listing any resources you need to complete your tasks. You can create new cards for each resource or use existing ones. This helps you keep everything in one place and ensures you have what you need to get your work done.
  2. Daily Personal Plan: Use this column to create cards for your daily personal tasks. Set priority levels and add category tags like “errands” or “meetings” to help you stay organized. This will ensure that you don’t forget anything important and can manage your time effectively.
  3. Daily Work Task: This column is for your daily work-related tasks. Create a card for each task, set priority levels, and add category tags. This will help you prioritize your work and ensure that you focus on the most important tasks.
  4. In Progress: Move tasks to this column when you start working on them. Use TASK STATUS options like “In progress,” “On hold,” “Blocked,” or “Needs Review” to track your progress. This helps you know what tasks are actively being worked on and what their current status is.
  5. Done: Move tasks to this column when they are completed, or mark them as “Done” using the TASK STATUS options. This helps you keep track of what tasks have been completed and what still needs to be done.

Kerika has a free Template for Remote Team Meetings

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , , ,
Click on the image to view the Template

This template can help organize and schedule your remote team meetings. 

With this template, you can effectively organize and schedule your remote team meetings, ensuring that all the meetings go successfully!

How to use this template:

  1. Use Resources: Use this column to gather useful tools and content that will help you manage your remote team meetings. You can use the existing resources as a starting point, and start adding your resources down the line.
  2. Upcoming Meetings and Agendas: Create a card in this column for all the upcoming meetings and agendas
  3. In Progress/Due Today: Create a card or move the card from the previous column to this column to ensure that everything knows which meetings are currently in progress or due today.
  4. Notes From The Past Meetings: Once the meeting is completed, create a card in this column to keep the notes from those meetings. This will help you and your teammates keep track of everything discussed in the meetings.
  5. On Hold: For meetings that need to be temporarily paused or canceled, you can move their cards to this column. This might be because the team is waiting on additional information or resources, or because the task is a lower priority compared to other meetings
  6. Done: After a card has completed all the stages of your project, simply mark it as ‘Done’ or move the card to this column.

Kerika has a free Template for a Mise-En-Place Personal Productivity System

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , ,
Click on the image to view this Template.

This template can help increase your personal productivity each week:

This personal productivity template is designed to help you organize your daily and weekly schedules in a way that maximizes your efficiency and suits your needs.

How to use this template:

  1. Resources: Use this column to gather useful tools and content that will help you manage your daily and weekly routine. This can include existing resources as a starting point, as well as any new ones you come across down the line.
  2. Inbox: Start by creating cards in this column for all the tasks that you must complete in the future. Be sure to include the due date, estimated time required, any dependencies, and any notes or comments.
  3. Today: Move cards from the Inbox column to this column for the tasks that are due today. Make sure to prioritize them based on their urgency and importance.
  4. Tomorrow: Move cards from the Inbox column to this column for the tasks that are due tomorrow. This will help you plan ahead and stay organized.
  5. Next Week: Move cards from the Inbox column to this column for the tasks that are due next week. This will help you stay on track and make progress towards your goals.
  6. Pending: Move cards from other columns to this column for the tasks that are pending. Make sure to prioritize them based on their importance and deadlines. This will help you keep track of outstanding work and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
  7. Done: Move cards that have completed all the stages of your project to this column. This will help you track your progress and celebrate your accomplishments.
Remember to update your cards regularly as you complete tasks or as new tasks come up. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you’re always working on the most important tasks at any given time.

Kerika has a free Template for Go To Market Strategy

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , , ,
Click on the image to view the Template

This template helps you create your marketing and optimize your marketing efforts to its maximum potential.

Designing and executing marketing strategies can be difficult, but this template can help you simplify the process and manage your marketing team effectively.

With this template, you can organize and optimize your marketing efforts, maintain team alignment, and achieve better results.

How to use this template:
  1. Use Resources: Use this column to gather useful tools and content that will help with your marketing campaign. You can use the existing resources as a starting point, and start adding your resources down the line.
  2. Ideas & Launch Plans: List your project-related ideas in this column. Collaborate and discuss ideas with your teammates, and decide which idea is the best to work on.
  3. In Progress: Once you decide which idea to work on, create a card or move the card you already created to this column. Update the card regularly so other teammates know what’s going on.
  4. Measurement and Optimization:  When the task is completed, move the card from the ‘In Progress’ column to this column. In this column, you can measure your campaign’s performance and analyze the data to optimize your marketing strategy.
  5. Done: After a card has completed all the stages of your marketing campaign, simply mark it as ‘Done’ or move the card to this column.

Kerika has a free Template for Work From Home Daily Planner

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , ,
Click on the image to view the template

This template will help you increase your productivity while working from home:

Transform your chaotic and disorganized work from home routine into a more structured and efficient one by using this template. Use it to stay focused, organized, and increase your productivity while working from home.

Here’s how to use this template:

  1. Resources: Take advantage of the existing resources or create new cards for any resources that will support your work from home.
  2. Task for This Week: Start your week by moving the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column or creating new cards for each task that’s due on Monday.
  3. Monday: Move the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column, or create cards for each task that’s due on Monday.
  4. Tuesday: Move the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column, or create cards for each task that’s due on Tuesday.
  5. Wednesday: Move the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column, or create cards for each task that’s due on Wednesday.
  6. Thursday: Move the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column, or create cards for each task that’s due on Thursday.
  7. Friday: Move the cards from the ‘Task for This Week’ column to this column, or create cards for each task that’s due on Friday
Remember to update your cards regularly as you complete tasks or as new tasks come up. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you’re always working on the most important tasks at any given time.

Kerika has a free Template for Writing a Business Plan

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , ,
Click on the image to view this Template

Plan, track, and execute your business plans using this template:

It allows you to visualize and track the various components of your business plan in a single, easy-to-use dashboard. This means that you can easily keep track of progress, identify areas that need attention, and collaborate with your team in real-time.

By breaking down your business plan into smaller, manageable tasks, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and stay on track towards achieving your objectives.

How to use this template:

  1. Resources: Start by gathering important resources in this column. You can also use the existing resources.
  2. Company Overview: Next, provide stakeholders of your company a quick snapshot of the company’s current state and its goals.
  3. Product/Service Description: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive view of the company’s products or services.
  4. Industry/Market Analysis: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive understanding of the market size, trends, competitors, and potential opportunities and challenges.
  5. Marketing Strategy: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive understanding of the company’s marketing strategy and goals.
  6. Operations: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive understanding of the company’s operational processes and procedures.
  7. Development: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive understanding of the development activities of the company.
  8. Financial Summary: Use this column to provide the stakeholders of your company a comprehensive understanding of the company’s financial performance.

Kerika has a free Template for your Blog Content Calendar

Best Practices, Kanban & Lean, Tutorials, , , ,
Click on the image to view this Template
The most effective way to organize and schedule your blogs: with this template, you can generate new blog content ideas and collaborate seamlessly with your team.
The different columns allow you to track progress and prioritize content, so you can easily see which tasks require attention and which are ready to be published.
This streamlined approach will not only make the content creation process more efficient, but it will also ensure that your blog posts are high-quality and published on schedule.
How to use columns:
  1. Resources: In this column, you can list all the resources that can assist you with your blogging process. Whether it’s a useful tool or a reference guide, you can create new cards or use existing ones to keep track of them.
  2. Ideas: Brainstorm your content ideas and add them to this column. Use it as a collaborative space to discuss with your team and to seek feedback to refine your ideas.
  3. Draft: Once you’ve chosen a solid idea, it’s time to move the card to the Draft column. Assign the card to the appropriate team member and add any necessary notes or attachments to help them get started.
  4. Scheduled: January, February, and beyond: As you and your team work on your drafts, move them to the appropriate month’s column to indicate when they are scheduled for publication. This will help you keep track of your publishing schedule and ensure that all content is timely.
  5. Done: When a blog post has been published, move the card from the Scheduled column to the Done column to indicate that it’s finished. Alternatively, you can use the “Done” option in the Task Status to mark it as complete. This column provides a great overview of all your finished blog posts, making it easy to track your progress and celebrate your accomplishments.

Digital Workplace: Essential Tools to Optimize Workflows

Agile & Scrum, Kanban & Lean, Team Collaboration, Technology, , ,

The transition to remote work has been swift, and digital tools have become the backbone of modern workplaces. However, the landscape of remote work is still fairly new and many teams are still far from their greatest potential. Still, if they polish their processes, remote teams can be as productive as they would on-site, and even more. This article will present digital tools essential to optimize digital workplace workflows and productivity.

Project Management Tools

Project management tools are the backbone of any team’s workflow. Project management tools centralize your team’s tasks and projects, enabling employees to manage tasks, deadlines, and resources.

Use a project manager to track progress and identify any bottlenecks. Likewise, logging tasks and project information adds a layer of transparency and accountability to project management tools.

In any case, your workflow can only be as good as the project management software you use allows you to. Some of the most popular project management tools available include Asana, Trello, and Basecamp. However, Kerika stands out from the rest by its own merits.

Kerika: The Ultimate Management Tool for Remote Teams

Kerika is a powerful project management tool that helps teams work efficiently and collaboratively. It offers a variety of features to meet the requirements of the most demanding users. Here are some of the features that make Kerika a must-have tool for any digital workplace:

  • Visual Boards. Whiteboards and task boards from which users can see the big picture of a project. Visualize the workflow and identify any bottlenecks at a glance.
  • Integrated Chat. This feature eliminates the need for external communication tools to collaborate since team members can communicate in real-time without leaving the platform.
  • Task Assignments. Easily assign tasks to team members and track their progress in a complex yet intuitive tasks board. Ensure that everyone is aware of their responsibilities and deadlines, making it easier to complete projects on time.
  • Customizable Templates. Kerika offers customizable project board templates that can be used for different types of projects. Save time and ensure that all team members are on the same page. Plus, templates are handy for onboarding new employees into your workflow.
  • User-Friendly Interface. Kerika’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and use, so everyone on the team can use the tool without any training or technical expertise.

File Sharing and Collaboration Software

File-sharing software enables employees to store and work with files no matter where they are located and from multiple devices. Such flexibility reduces the time and effort needed to search for documents or to track down the latest version of a file, something methodic and disorganized employees enjoy alike.

File-sharing tools such as Google Drive also enable multiple people to collaborate on the same document simultaneously, opening the possibility of real-time feedback and faster completion of tasks. In like manner, users can easily leave comments and make suggestions.

Administrators can easily control who has access to specific files or folders, ensuring that confidential information is kept secure. Permissions can be set to allow different levels of access to different users, making it easy to share files with only those who need to see them.

Communication Platforms

Effective communication is key to a successful digital workplace. With communication platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, team members can stay connected and work together seamlessly through video and audio calls, and screen and file sharing.

On the other hand, video conferencing tools with virtual reality (VR) technology are a more cutting-edge option. VRth finds industrial applications in industries such as architecture and engineering by allowing teams to visualize and interact with 3D models Yet, VR can also work as a space for brainstorming, meetings, and events. To know more about VR meeting platforms, check Virbela and NextMeet.

Cybersecurity Tools

Cybersecurity tools such as firewalls, and intrusion detection systems help businesses to protect their data from cyber threats. On the other hand, these tools also help businesses to comply with data protection regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Additionally, virtual private networks (VPNs) are essential for any business that values data privacy and security. VPNs create a secure and encrypted connection between a business’s network and the internet, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. VPNs are especially important for remote workers who need to access company resources from outside the office. Here is a list of some of the cheapest VPNs.

Process Automation Software

Business process management software can help businesses streamline their operations by automating repetitive tasks and workflows, including data entry, invoice processing, and customer service.

Besides, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is increasingly being used to improve productivity in the digital workplace, taking care of complex tasks and clearing humans from them. AI-powered productivity tools can help automate tasks, provide personalized insights and recommendations, and analyze data to identify opportunities for improvement. Tools of this kind include beautiful.ai, for coming up with presentations, and Mem made to organize information.

Mind Mapping Software

Mind mapping software can help teams visualize and organize complex ideas and concepts through brainstorming, planning, and collaborating. Among popular mind-mapping tools, we find MindMeister, MindManager, and XMind.

On the other hand, digital whiteboards can help teams collaborate and brainstorm more effectively, especially in remote settings: Visualize ideas by drawing or writing them, or share them with others and receive feedback. Popular digital whiteboard tools include Miro, Google Jamboard, and Microsoft Whiteboard.

Guest post from Cybernews.com