How Users See Kanban
What do you know about Kanban? Have you ever worked with this methodology of software development? Most specialists will answer that this is one of the Agile methods. Of course, this is a correct answer. However…
However, Kanban deserves to be described in greater detail. This article is dedicated to Kanban user stories. But it would be incorrect to speak about them without finding the general definition for Kanban and describing its main features.
Kanban is a popular Agile method of project management. It can also be called a project management tool because there are special applications named Kanban that are used to manage the software development projects. Hence, Kanban is more than a tool or a method. It is a philosophy of software development.
Its main principles were invented back in the 1940s when there was no software development industry at all. At that time the Japanese corporation Toyota has decided to implement a new project management tool. It was called Kanban. This word can be translated from Japanese as a “billboard”, or a “task board”. The main idea of the method was to deliver the final product to the customer just in time. The system of work organization was based on the principles of workflow continuity and its visualization.
The Kanban method of software development is also based on these principles. Its idea is quite simple – to deliver the product to the customer within the shortest amount of time. To achieve this goal Kanban uses a number of particular means that are typical only for this methodology. By the way, be sure you understand the difference between Scrum and Kanban.
Does Kanban use Sprints?
When it comes to Kanban, most people remember the iterative cycles that are typical for all Agile methodologies. Some of them associate these cycles with sprints that are used in Scrum. It is no wonder because Scrum is the most popular Agile methodology. However, it is wrong to associate Kanban work cycles with sprints. Sprints are short iterative cycles that have fixed length and strict plan.
In Kanban, the term “Work cycle” has a different meaning. It means the period that is required for one task to pass all stages of work from “to do” to “done”. Hence, Kanban is focused on certain tasks, but not on stages of work with independent plans. Kanban is a flowing method of software development. The Kanban teams develop the product step by step. They may also make the project performance faster or slower by analyzing their workflow. Kanban project management software provides lots of abilities to do that.
Does Kanban use user stories?
After describing the main features of the Kanban software development methodology, we can answer the main question of this article. Yes, Kanban uses user stories. Of course, it uses them in a particular way, unlike other Agile methodologies. User stories constitute the basis of the project’s tasks in Kanban.
At first, they should be gathered and prioritized in the product backlog. Gathering and prioritization of user stories in all Kanban projects are tasks of the Product Owner. This person can be defined as a representative of the customer. Kanban projects require strong customer involvement to perform them quickly, so the Product Owner must participate at the team’s work constantly.
Unlike other Agile methodologies (like Scrum), in Kanban the developers cannot prioritize the product backlog according to their opinion. Only the Product Owner as a representative of the customer can do that. Moreover, he can reprioritize the product backlog even during the workflow. In Kanban that is possible because this methodology is focused on certain tasks, but not on segments of work. It means that if the Product Owner wants to reprioritize tasks in the product backlog while the team is working on one of them, he can do that without ruining the workflow. It makes Kanban user stories backlog the most flexible among all software development methodologies.
How to use Kanban?
Implementation of Kanban is a quite simple process. However, your employees must be ready to work in new conditions. Like any other Agile methodology, Kanban requires effective communication between the team members. It is also very important to teach your developers to meet the deadlines.
How to do Kanban with Hygger software? It’s an easy and pleasant process!
- Create a project and a board
- Set and manage activities in the workflow. Choose online Kanban boards with cards to communicate statuses, progress, and issues
- Add tasks, bugs, or user stories to the backlog
- Prioritize the backlog, using 4 prioritization frameworks
- Use Swimlanes and WIP limits options.
- Select work from the backlog.
- Hold team meetings.
- Use a Push Tasks option and develop!
Why is it necessary to use Kanban?
The use of Kanban methodology and software can make the work of your team much more efficient. It allows them to perform the largest amount of tasks within the shortest amount of time.
What do you personally think of Kanban?
