What Are the Perks of Running a Kanban Meeting?

Team meetings can be a waste of time. Yet, if you keep them short and focused, your business can achieve more, increase revenue and boost workflow efficiencies. This is where the Kanban meetings come into play. If you’re ready to complete more projects on time, you must learn how the Kanban meetings work and what they can do for your business. 

What Is a Kanban Meeting and How Does it Work?

A Kanban meeting is a group meeting where teams get together to manage their work. In a Kanban meeting, everyone sees a board that shows all the tasks the team is working on. This board is typically divided into sections like ‘To Do,’ ‘Doing’ and ‘Done.’ Team members review their tasks and move them from one category to another as they work on them. 

This makes it easy for everyone to learn what’s happening and what needs to be done next. The meeting is usually short and focuses on updating the board and solving any problems. This way, the team stays organized and works better together. 

Why Should Your Small Business Run These Styles of Meetings?

Small businesses use Kanban meetings because they can provide various benefits to their workflow. 

Gain a Better Understanding of Workflows and Progress

Firstly, they’re great for providing a clear view of workflows and how everything is coming along. Kanban meetings require you to use a visual board so team members can see the status of each task. With this level of transparency, everyone understands how work flows through certain processes and where things might be slowing down. This makes it easier to spot issues early and keep the business agile and efficient. 

Promote Visibility Into Each Person’s Tasks

Kanban meetings help you understand who is responsible for what through a board. With this increased visibility, business leaders can have employees stay on task and avoid confusion or overlapping work. It also allows teams to keep some aspect of accountability and teamwork. Therefore, you ensure everyone works efficiently towards common goals.

Helps Avoid an Overload of Tasks

Kanban meetings use visual boards that provide all tasks. With this display, it becomes easier to see how much work each person has. This prevents team members from taking on too many jobs at once. If the ‘Doing’ section gets too full, it’s a clear sign to stop adding new tasks and focus on completing current ones. This approach maintains a balanced workload, reducing stress and burnout, and ensures tasks are completed on time. 

Foster Continuous Improvement

This style of meetings also boosts workflow improvement. Within these meetings, your team can review their work process and learn what’s going well and what could be better. This ongoing evaluation helps team members find bottlenecks and where they can streamline. Because the team is constantly looking at their progress and discussing improvements, they naturally evolve and enhance their workflows. As such, you create a more productive business environment.

Increase Engagement Among Team Members

Another benefit of Kanban meetings is they boost team engagement. These meetings involve every team member planning and reviewing tasks, making everyone feel included. As tasks move across the board, team members see the difference they’re making, increasing their satisfaction and motivation. 

Regular discussions about tasks and challenges also promote collaboration and open communication. This active participation in the workflow creates an engaging work environment where each member is invested in the team’s success. 

When Should Small Businesses Use Kanban Meetings?

Small businesses should use Kanban meetings in several situations. Firstly, it should be when you need better organization and clarity in managing tasks. If projects seem chaotic or it’s hard to track progress, Kanban meetings can bring much-needed structure. 

Secondly, they’re ideal when a business is growing or changing rapidly. These meetings help teams adapt quickly by making updating and reprioritizing tasks easy. Yet, most importantly, they are beneficial when a business is striving to enhance productivity and efficiency. By enabling teams to streamline processes, Kanban meetings become valuable tools for your business. 

Tips for Running a Kanban Meeting

Before implementing your first Kanban meeting, you must understand what it takes to make the most of it. After all, the whole purpose of a Kanban meeting is to help make improvements. Therefore, you want to make sure you’re conducting the style of meetings the right way. 

1. Define the Objective of Your Meeting

When running a Kanban meeting, it’s crucial to define the goal of your session. This way, you understand what you want to accomplish. Start by determining the main objective. Is it to update the task board or solve a specific problem? Whatever the goal is, make sure everyone knows the purpose of this meeting. This ensures everyone comes prepared and stays focused. Plus, it keeps your discussions on track. 

2. Use a Kanban Board

Kanban boards are key and should be the central focus. Consider separating your tasks into categories of ‘To Do,’ ‘In Progress’ and ‘Done.’ Make sure it’s updated before the meeting so you can reflect the status of all tasks. During the session, use the board to guide discussions, track progress and assign new tasks. You can also use this time to plan for future work and improve processes.

3. Set a Time Box for the Meeting

A time box is essential for running a Kanban meeting effectively. Decide on a specific duration for your session — typically, these are short 15-30-minute increments. Keeping your gatherings short keeps them more focused and encourages team members to discuss what’s most important. Plus, it respects everyone’s schedule and reinforces the meeting’s purpose. 

4. Start Meetings With a Check-In

Provide more value to your Kanban meetings by giving each team member a moment to share their current state. Doing so sets the conference’s tone and builds supportive team members. Check-ins allow members to express concerns or needs that may affect their tasks. So, ensure you ask your team members what’s going on to come to a mutual understanding from the start.

5. Document Action Items and Next Steps

At the end of your meetings, summarize any decisions made and tasks assigned. Assign a person responsible for each action item to ensure accountability. Also, establish clear deadlines for these tasks. You can do this by updating the Kanban board or noting it in a shared document. Make sure this information is accessible to all team members after the meeting. This way, everyone knows their responsibilities and tracks progress until the next meeting. 

Achieve More With Kanban Meetings

Kanban meetings are a great way for teams to get together and discuss ongoing tasks. They provide numerous opportunities to improve workflows and keep everyone on track. However, it takes the right steps to make them highly effective. Implement the tactics to maximize these styles of meetings so you can continue to achieve your business goals.