Project Manager Katherine Pryor Test Drives Kanban
May 15, 2018Earlier this year we introduced ARG's use of Kanban as an organizational model--and tool, as many team members employed a virtual or actual (as in on the wall!) board. Today we are checking in with Project Manager Katherine Pryor, who has not only been receptive with respect to Kanban adoption, but also gracious with her time in terms of sharing her experiences.
Katherine:
This month, I will provide a brief method adoption progress update for me and more excitingly, I will return later in 2018 to introduce the boards of three of my colleagues who have recently created and begun using Kanban.
Kanban and Me
My board is set up and ready to rock-n-roll. I have colorful sticky notes as well as decorative tape to segment my board. I have run into a couple of challenges in using mine though.
- Location, location, location – mine is not in the best location. I chose to use a paper-board because of my love of sticky notes and writing out my “to-do” list. For me, pen to paper feels more real. However, the only location that seemed appropriate is situated behind me therefore I have created an “out of sight, out of mind” type situation which is counter-productive to having a visual tool such as the Kanban board.
- Who, What, When, Where, and How – which tasks to capture and follow on the board is another early challenge I’m experiencing. There are a lot of little things that I do throughout the day that moves other tasks along – is it helpful to me to capture those or does that decrease efficiency in some ways? I’m looking for the balance there.
I will continue working with my board design and which tasks are best for me to capture but in the meantime, I have created a Kanban-inspired to-do list that lives on a clipboard and is always a hand reach away. This has helped me keep focused and feel a sense of accomplishment when I check off a completed task.
(Photo by G. Crescoli)
