Physical vs. electronic Kanban boards - or both?
A physical or a purely electronic Kanban board, or perhaps both? Many agile projects ask themselves this question at the start of the project.
Electronic Kanban boards are appealing due to their location-independent availability. However, in everyday work, electronic Kanban boards also have their pitfalls; these are the challenges that need to be solved:
Our certified Enterprise Kanban Coaches are happy to help you create and optimize existing Kanban boards:
The meetings usually take place in front of a television screen or projection screen that is too small
The prioritization and status of user stories are not as easily visualized as on a physical board
If it's a board with a complex workflow, it will quickly become cluttered
Too small screen meets too many meeting participants
Scrolling back and forth on the board led to a loss of overview
Establishing a physical Kanban board can solve some of these problems:
There is enough space available for meetings
For complex workflows, it usually offers a better overview of the status of work and priorities
It usually offers more transparency about the life cycle of work, coupled with the current status
There is better interaction within the team by focusing on the essential aspects instead of on a tool
But is the physical board really the only way to go? Unfortunately not; even a physical board has its downsides:
The administrative effort is significantly higher due to the printing and cutting of Kanban cards
If those affected are not located at the physical Kanban board, they lose track of things and cannot keep the board up to date
One possible solution is to maintain both a physical and an electronic Kanban board redundantly. Jira's automatic board synchronization allows the electronic board to be automatically updated based on the physical board. This is technically very easy to implement
- Add QR codes to stories and tasks
- Attach splitter to the physical board
- Photograph the physical board and upload it to Jira
And just like that, the dream of automatic board synchronization comes true! You live happily ever after until you realize…
The technology works… but the update process doesn't, if…
- Elements are updated in Jira instead of on the physical board
- Elements on the physical board cannot be updated
Running both boards simultaneously requires a high level of discipline from team members. Establishing ground rules is essential and indispensable.
In conclusion, it's fair to say that neither a physical Kanban board is always the right choice, nor vice versa. Depending on the situation, you choose a physical or an electronic Kanban board and either live with its advantages and disadvantages or try to optimize them. Ultimately, the tool itself isn't what matters, but rather that Kanban can significantly simplify daily work, create transparency, limit the workload within the system, and above all: be fun!
An article by Gabriela Meier
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Our certified Enterprise Kanban Coaches are happy to help you create and optimize existing Kanban boards:
