Kanban Methodology is a simple and straightforward approach to help teams manage their work more effectively. It encourages the team to visualize the workflow, limit WIP (work in progress), build quality in and make process policies explicit.
Kanban is a Japanese term, literally meaning "visual card" or "signboard". Kanban Methodology is an agile method that helps teams organize and optimize their workflow toward better performance and results while keeping up with demand of an ever-changing business environment.
Using Kanban Methodology you can start improving your processes by:
Getting rid of bottlenecks Keeping work in progress at a minimum Building quality into each task Releasing features on time and with quality limit WIP (Work In Progress) in a way that prevents bottlenecks. Kanban helps you keep up with demand of an ever-changing business environment by limiting the amount of work that is being worked on at any given moment to just what can be done in a specific time period, usually less than a day. Limiting WIP has proven to be helpful when adopted properly. By limiting work in progress, you allow your team more visibility into the workflow and eliminate the risk of people getting blocked. As soon as one task finishes, another member of the team is able to jump straight into it and continue working. This leads to more consistent velocity, happier customers and fewer defects which in turn reduces the amount of time that your team spends working on bug fixes and maintenance.
If you don't limit work in progress, then other problems start to pop up. When people are blocked by other tasks, they tend to waste time switching between different things because they constantly have to wait for someone else to finish their task before they can continue theirs. This prevents them from focusing on one thing at a time which typically decreases productivity (not to mention increases frustration). The truth is that while changing around what we're doing may seem like we're getting more done; we really aren't anything more than putting out fires as soon as they come up and every fire that you put out doesn't teach you how not to set yourself or your team on fire in the future. Instead of changing around what you're doing all of the time, keep everyone focused on one thing until it's completed before moving onto the next task.
It doesn't matter too much if this means that you have to set up recurring meetings with people, but try to get into a routine where each person is working through their assigned tasks without having to worry about being disrupted by other things. This way everyone can focus on one thing at a time and work towards getting everything finished in an organized manner. If your team members are always putting out fires before they have even had a chance to burn, they won't have time to think ahead about how best to prevent them from happening again which will only cause more problems down the line.
After that, it is up to everyone on the team to be responsible for checking their work and identifying potential issues before they get too far out of hand. This means you need to make sure each member of your team knows what is expected of them and works with a high level of quality control. For example, if one person can't create graphics for an infographic or video you might have someone else do the work instead or adjust your deadlines so that everything gets done when it needs to be.
If you feel like this isn't working then try setting more specific goals and deadlines with each team member in mind. Make sure you understand the pressure points in the production process and know how best to ensure they are pushed when necessary without making anyone feel stressed out.
Room for Improvement
Another important part will be to make sure each team member is aware of their room for improvement and understands what they must work on if they aren't currently meeting your expectations. If one person isn't working up to par then you might need to rethink the role you have assigned them or ask someone else to step in. Just make sure no one's feelings are getting hurt during this process; it's likely that some people will feel like others are being treated unfairly but you'll want to try and stick with your game plan through it all even if it means possibly upsetting someone else down the road.
If there isn't anyone actively falling behind then another option would be to offer more training or guidance if one person isn't hitting their goals. Try assigning that person to someone who has proven able to perform the task at hand well in order to give them a chance to model their work ethic after someone else.
If the issue is one of discipline then you'll want to take another approach altogether. Try sitting down with the individual privately and letting them know how they are coming across or what behaviors are causing problems for others in the workplace. Give this person an opportunity to change, but if it becomes apparent that there isn't much room for improvement then your best option may be terminating them from your team .