Workflow management has been an essential part of the overall business management process right from the beginning of time. Without a proper workflow management system, none of the projects will be completed on time, and the business will fail to meet the quality standards. Thus it will lead to the end of the complete business operation. But the way workflow is managed has changed from the traditional task management concept to Kanban board software; it has revolutionized managing tasks in the business.
Kanban is a type of workflow management that firms use to manage, define, and improve all those services that deliver knowledge work. The basic concept of visualization allows the employees to keep tabs on the different aspects of a project better. Because of the better outcomes, businesses have been flocking to the Kanban method at a much faster pace.
Modern workflow management methods like Kanban might be instrumental, but implementing purely agile methods without thriving on the advantages of traditional task management never works. So, let’s understand the difference between pure agile methods like Kanban and traditional task management.
A glimpse of pure agile methods like Kanban
When it comes to project management, Kanban is considered one of those agile project management tools that have its root in software development. Both incremental approaches and iterative approaches are the main characteristics of any agile project management.
Here, the word iterative means the project is not taken as a whole; instead, it is split into different parts or stages. And at the end of every stage, a fully functional intermediate product is made. The product is then sent to the specific client for inspection, and the project continues by taking feedback from the clients.
So, we can say that the entire agile method is based on the future vision of the product, which is not entirely planned. This type of approach leaves room for changes in the product without producing the final product in large batches.
While using an agile approach like the Kanban board software, making changes in the product is a breeze, even when the project is still running. Such flexibility is not offered in other workflow management approaches.
A glimpse of traditional task management
The waterfall method is the base of the traditional task management process. In this method, the entire project is split into successive stages, and every partial result is built on one another. So, the main drawback of such a type of approach is that if the company fails to complete even a single milestone, there will be a delay in all the milestones. This mainly happens because of the dependent nature of every phase in the traditional task management process.
Because of the limited scope of changes available in the traditional task management process, flexibility is highly confined, and therefore, adapting to the changes is a herculean task.
These types of issues make the project an arduous journey, especially in those cases where the projects have a long timescale, and throughout the project, the general framework keeps on changing. In addition to this, the task of documenting the results and process adds up to the workload. This is what increases the cost and time of the project.
What is being preferred by companies?
Because of the long list of limitations linked to the traditional task management approach, businesses accept pure agile methods like Kanban with alacrity. With agile project management approaches, companies can thrive on short product development cycles, better focus on current customers, easy adaptation, and risk-free changes. All these have become a necessity rather than an option because currently, we are living in a rapidly changing environment.
But this doesn’t mean that you can make a pure agile project management process without any documentation, planning, and checks. You have to scour the internet for every bit of information you can gather about agile project management processes like Kanban, get in touch with experts and analyze the changes the new process will bring along.
So, it is always a better approach to let the team decide which project management process works for them. Adopting a pure agile project management approach just because it is trending is not the right approach.
You also have the option of using a hybrid model where two project management systems are used. In this type of approach, the different aspects of the traditional task management process are combined with agile project management.
Workflow management processes like Kanban indeed have the advantage of the traditional task management approaches, but you should always be prepared for agile project management tools with better planning, documentation, and training.