Trello’s Kanban Boards for Beginners: Managing Projects for Developers
On this article, I will Take You through the Concept of Creating and Managing a Kanban Board using Trello.
For Developers, one can argue that Mastering to Manage Workflows, Project Deliverables and Timelines is as equally important as Actually Having the Technical Ability to create and Run Software.
Trello is A Popular Workflow Management Tool. It’s Unique Design that Helps Support Agile Project Management is What Makes It such an Indispensable Tool for Developers Across all Skill Levels. Its Offering on a Freemium Basis Helps Too!
The Kanban Agile Approach
Kanban Boards Are Based on the Kanban Agile Approach.
Kanban’s Fundamental Approach is different from any other Agile Approaches in that it focuses on Steady Continuous flow of Work. The Kanban Agile Approach offers flexibility, predictability and focus as only a set number of tasks can be in progress at any given time.
The Kanban Board
The Kanban Board is made up of Columns (Dubbed Lists in Trello) and Cards. Columns in the Board Represent States of Work for any Deliverables. Cards in Kanban Boards represent Deliverables for a Project.
Deliverables are usually Sub-divided Tasks Cascaded from the Whole Project Deliverable.
The Most basic Kanban Board in Trello has three Lists: “Backlog”, “Work in Progress (WIP)”, and “Done”. Each Card –Representing a Single Deliverable- Moves through the Board’s Tables sequentially as its status Change.
Trello’s simple and Intuitive User Interface makes it easy for a User to Create a Board. In a New Workspace — a User can create several boards to manage different sub-project workflows. A User can invite other users in a workspace for collaboration.
Several existing board templates — including Kanban Templates — make it easy for user to create a Kanban board on the platform.
Creating a Kanban Board’s Table in Trello.
Once the Board has been set-up, it’s intuitively easy to set up Tables. Assuming a standard Kanban board for a start, we have Three tables: “Backlog”, “WIP”, and “Done”.
Creative Tip: Adding the Confetti Emoji as the first Character in a Board Name; e. g “🎉Done” Instead of “Done” Makes the Table Come to Life and Shoot Confetti in Celebration Style Once a Card Has Been Moved to That Table.
In Kanban Approaches, there is a need to limit the Number of Cards in Certain Boards. For Example, for the “Work in Progress” table, we might need to limit the Number of Cards in the Board to Streamline Workflow and enhance focus. We Could Add Power-ups in Our Boards such as the ___ Power-Up to give us ability to limit the number of cards on any of our boards. Incase this limit is breached in a table; the table will be highlighted to Notify Collaborating Members on the Board.
Creating a Kanban Board’s Card in Trello
Trello Provides an “Add Card” Option at the Bottom of each Table for creation of a New Card. Important to Note, A User must have objective definitions of their tasks and sub-tasks before trying to schedule and manage them using Trello.
A Standard Sample Card in Trello has the following options.
· Add Members — In collaboration settings, Assign Specific Members of Your Team to perform the task described on the card.
· Checklist — Further Breakdown your sub-task using checklists for smaller deliverables for easier standardized progress tracking.
· Labels — One Can Add Different Labels in a Board to Further Group Cards. In Software Development Projects, Labels such as “Design”, “Implementation”, or “Integration” will come in handy to further group cards as they are created and move through the tables. A User Can Add Labels that will Appear Globally for any card in the board via Any Card on the Board.
· Attachment — The Option to upload other Resources that Will Aid You or Team members with completing the task described on the card.
· Dates — For Hybrid Kanban Approach that will also focus on time management, the option to Assign Start or Due Dates for Card Deliverables.
· Automation — Options to automate some Card Actions such as moving cards to other tables, transforming cards into templates, and Joining Cards by Adding Buttons to the Cards.
· Adding Power-Ups — Options to Also Add Power-Ups not only to tables, but also to cards. Power-Ups in Trello Facilitate Integration with other software products, Data Analytics and Progress tracking, Cool features as well as Advanced Board Customization.
The Journey of a Kanban Card: Managing a Trello Kanban Board or Workspace
By Default, A Card Can Be Created by Any Team Member on the Workspace. A Newly Created Card will Begin on the first Table — in a standard board, the “Backlog” Table.
Once:
1. A project Manager in the Workspace — or a user in a personal project — is satisfied that all deliverables in the card are fleshed out and defined objectively,
2. A Project Manager in the Workspace — in cases of a team project — has assigned the card to available Member(s) in the workspace,
3. The Optional Delivery Timeline — Start and End Date — is Underway,
4. The Card Limit on the Next Board is Satisfactory to warrant a new Card Entry,
Then A Card can be moved on to the next table. This process can be automated in Trello Cards for Advanced Workflow Control in a Project Using the Automation Options on Card Creation and Customization View.
True to the Kanban Agile tenet — Cards that have Already Completed the Workflow could be Re-configured, and their deliverables altered and can start the workflow again. This Iterative process makes Trello Workspaces and Boards Evolving Project Management Tools that can be transformed to meet any project management needs.
In a Nutshell, Trello is an Amazing Freemium Tool for anyone who wants to manage their projects in a Kanban System Approach; all within the tenets of the Agile Manifesto.
