Using a Kanban board can be confusing for new users. The last thing you want to be doing is constantly checking your email for replies and wondering whether you have left enough time for one task before moving onto the next.
So how do you make sure that you don’t run into any of these issues?
People are always looking for new ways to get more out of the time they have, and a lot of people have started using beautiful Kanban boards to manage their tasks. But what is a Kanban board? How do you start using a Kanban board for project management? And once everything is set up, how can you use it best?
Notion is packed with features that make project management a breeze. One of the biggest productivity tools is the ability to create Kanban boards and customize them to suit your project needs. Beautiful colors, lists, custom tags, and custom status are just a few of the highlight’s users can enjoy when working on a Notion board. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is a Kanban Board?
A Kanban board is a productivity tool designed to help visualize the workflow of a project. Greater efficiency, better collaboration, and increased flexibility are a few of the key benefits of using a Kanban board.
Thanks to this enhanced workflow you can identify problems earlier which allows projects big and small to run smoothly.
Digital Kanban boards, like those found on Notion, use common features to help teams visualize their workflows. Cards, columns, Kanban Swimlanes, and WIP Limits make each Kanban board by default an effective project management tool.
How To Create a Kanban Board in Notion
Thankfully creating your very own Kanban board in Notion is super easy. You won’t need to watch extensive code tutorials or understand content creation.
To get started simply click on ‘Add a page’ on the sidebar. You will now see a popup card, in the box with the flashing cursor it will say ‘Untitled’. Give your board a name here. For now, we’ll call it Kanban Board.
Next, click into the empty block underneath the title and type in /Board.
Select this popup, then click on ‘New database’ from the popup that appears on the right-hand side. In just a few steps you’ve got yourself a Kanban board! Neat, right?
There’s just a couple more steps to complete and you will be good to go. The first column on the default board with the title ‘No Status’ can be hidden. To do this hover your cursor over the block, a popup will appear giving you the option to hide the column.
You will be left with three columns that you can rename anything you like. Commonly, Kanban board columns are called To Do, Doing, and Done. To rename them simply click on the title, and in the popup type whatever name you would like to use. Once you’ve done this your Kanban board is ready to go.
The entire Kanban board can be customized according to your preference. You can choose from a bunch of colors to change the default color backgrounds.
A pop of colors can often enhance a Kanban board by making it easier to track things. For example, overdue tasks could be made red, completed tasks green, and so on. The ability to use custom colors is an underrated feature of Notion.
How Do I Show Properties in Kanban Board Notion?
Ok, you’ve created your first Kanban board in Notion. Now, what?
You need to add cards to the board for you and your team to work on. The first batch of cards will go under the To-Do list column.
As each task progresses the card can be moved to another column by dragging and dropping the block underneath either Doing or Done. Don’t forget that you can have as many columns as you like or name them anything you want to.
Start by clicking on ‘New’ to give the card a title.
Type in the title and hit the enter button. Now you can click on the title to open the card.
Once the card is created there are a ton of cool things you can do. Users can add comments, assign tasks, and add any relevant additional data such as files and images.
To add files, images, and more click on ‘Add a property’ to see the full property menu of rich content types you can add.
Does Notion Have Kanban boards?
Yes, Notion has Kanban boards. Existing users of Notion already know that Notion is a productivity tool packed with awesome features.
Teams and individuals often need tools that boost collaboration, project management, and note-taking.
Kanban boards are used by many as a key tool for managing projects big and small. You can either create your own Kanban board in a few clicks, or download one of the many beautiful Notion templates.
Many users have their favorite templates that they use constantly. Once you find that perfect Kanban-based template you will find it hard to give it up.
Does Microsoft Have a Kanban Board?
Microsoft users will be delighted to learn that Kanban boards are included with Microsoft 365.
Using Microsoft Planner and Teams means Kanban boards can be shared with other users. Files, labels, and checklists can all be added as needed making Microsoft Kanban boards rich in detail.
Benefits of Creating a Kanban Board in Notion
Notion is a popular tool for anyone seeking an all-in-one workspace. One of the best things about Notion is it’s highly customizable. Nearly everything can be changed to suit how you and your team work. Custom fields, custom properties, color scheme, and dark mode Kanban boards are a few of the hundreds of cool things you can customize in Notion.
Plus, you can add files, images, and links galore. That means one of the biggest benefits of creating a Kanban board in Notion is that the board can be as detailed as you need. Workflows can be tailored to each individual project. Teams in engineering, sales, HR, marketing, and more can create Kanban boards to suit them!
What Does a Kanban Board Show?
A Kanban board is a wonderfully simple concept. The goal of the board is to show at a glance each stage of a project.
Cards represent work items and columns cover each step of the project. The cards can be moved from left to right as progress is made. Typically, Kanban boards have three columns:
- To Do – planned tasks
- Doing – tasks that are currently being worked on
- Done – tasks that have been completed
You can name your columns anything you like. Sometimes you may stick with the traditional headers, or you may use custom headers for each project. You could also use more than 3 columns if the project calls for it. Just make sure every team member is informed of the plan to avoid possible confusion.
Arranging custom employee onboarding can help make sure new users understand how to use Notion and any Kanban boards.
When you need to move a card from one column to another, Notion allows you to simply drag and drop the block you want to move.
What Does a Traditional Kanban Board Look Like?
Traditional Kanban boards allow users to visualize work, track tasks, and boost efficiency. Cards and columns can be organized according to project needs.
Thanks to these features, traditional Kanban boards make agile working much easier. Teams can see at a glance how each step of a project is progressing, can collaborate in real-time, and use the board to organize daily tasks according to priority.
Though Kanban boards have been around for some time, they remain a powerful tool that can be a real asset to anyone seeking to manage their personal or professional life with greater efficiency.
Think of a Kanban board as a way to visualize your workflow and see where you are at with certain projects. You can move tasks around the board to reflect that they have been completed, reordered or reprioritized.
If you want to get more out of your Kanban board, I recommend using it as a collaboration tool, where you can quickly share your boards with other members on your team or organization. Simply send them an invite through Notion and they will have full access to the boards that they need in order to work efficiently.
A Kanban board is a wonderfully effective way of organizing your tasks and keeping you motivated. Today, Notion offers some of the best Kanban boards out there, and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. Head to Notion now to supercharge your workflow!