How Kanban Time Management Works & How to Make It Better

Japan isn’t just a global leader in motor vehicle manufacturing. It’s also the homeland of the Kanban time management system, which relies on the principle of continuous improvement.

In its essence, the Kanban system is a powerful visual tool that helps teams keep track of their tasks and projects to maximize efficiency. It allows team members to better manage workload and identify areas for improvement.

I like to think of Kanban一and Kanban boards一as a restaurant kitchen.

Menu orders come in from the front. Just like new tasks arrive on the Kanban board.

The order queue, or the backlog, is where the tasks are lined up, waiting to be worked on.

The kitchen stations, the Kanban columns, represent different stages of work, such as "Prep," "Cooking," and "Ready to serve," which correspond to: "To do," "In progress," and "Done" on the board.

The chefs move each dish through the kitchen, from one station to the next, as they prepare them. Just like your team members move each task from one column to another.

If a station gets overloaded, it creates a bottleneck; when too many orders are waiting to be cooked but there aren’t enough chefs available. Just like too many tasks in one Kanban stage affect progress.

Finally, when the dish is ready, it is sent to the customer who ordered it. Similarly, a task moves to the "Done" column, ready to be delivered or completed.

The above-mentioned metaphor was used to illustrate that Kanban involves breaking down projects into smaller chunks (tasks) and assigning them to team members. Each task is then tracked using a Kanban board and moves through different stages.

But Kanban is not a foolproof way to ensure your team avoids dealing with too much work and not enough time. It’s just a good starting point.

The cycle of inefficiency can continue if you and your team don't track time properly. You might not realize that some tasks (or team members) consistently consume more time than expected.

That's why we decided to do a deep dive into Kanban time management and provide you with solutions on how you can improve it, ensuring you don't pile up tasks, miss deadlines, and end up burnt out.

So, without further ado, let’s get started with the Kanban time management technique and how you get the most out of it.

The history behind the Kanban time management system

Kanban wasn’t always about whiteboards, columns, and post-its.

It originated from the Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota in the 1950s, when Toyota engineers wanted to find a method to reduce waste and increase efficiency in the manufacturing processes.

Back in the day, Toyota executive Taiichi Ohno saw that the company struggled to keep the manufacturing flow efficient. He got inspired by a supermarket chain that was able to stock just the right amount of product at any given time and decided to implement the just-in-time (JIT) system for monitoring inventory and increasing efficiency.

Ohno then used paper sign boards (“kanban” in Japanese) and attached them to every product and every material used to make the car.

Here’s how the system worked back then:

• A card was attached to each completed product.
• When a car was sold, the card would be returned to the start of the production line, signaling that more cars needed to be produced.
• Cards were also attached to the raw materials used in production. When materials were consumed, their cards would be sent to the front of the line, signaling that more materials needed to be ordered.

With such a system, the material wasn’t piling up in inventory, and Toyota was able to respond quickly to consumer demands, without over- or under-producing.

Using Kanban and JIT simultaneously helped Toyota reduce waste by streamlining its production process and inventory management.

How we use Kanban for project time management today

I am sure you know this, but Kanban is integral to project management.

It works so well because it’s a visual technique that uses a board and cards to provide an overview of project tasks from start to finish, so nothing gets lost. Kanban helps teams make sense of their workflows, practicing an iterative approach to each project and aligning efforts across teams.

Nowadays, all departments across companies use it.

Human resources use it for recruiting and hiring, sales teams use it for tracking their leads, and so on.

Basically, Kanban supports transparency and accountability, which lead to increased productivity. This is possible because teams:

• Know how tasks flow throughout the projects.
• Can identify where time is wasted in the project.
• Can identify opportunities to streamline the process.
• Understand how tasks and items are connected.
• Are aware of performance metrics related to projects.

The elements of the Kanban time management system

The anatomy of the Kanban system is pretty simple:

• There’s a Kanban board, either in physical or digital form. The board visually represents work status for tasks (as cards) and workflow steps (columns).
• A Kanban card represents a task that needs to be completed. It might be a task, bug report, or any activity or work item that needs to be completed.
• Kanban cards are designed to pass from one column to another, from left to right.
• The simplest Kanban boards are divided into three categories: “To do”, “In progress” and “Done”. More complex projects can have more columns that reflect logical and chronological steps for such projects.
• The rule for the “In progress” column suggests you can have more than one task in it, but it’s best to keep these tasks to a minimum so your team can prioritize properly and stay focused.
• First, you add tasks to the "To do" column. Once team members start working on the tasks, drag them to the column "Doing”. When a task is completed, drag the task from the "Doing" column to "Done".
• Pull another task from "To do" to "Doing."
• Repeat the process until the project is completed.

📝 Looking for a fresh Kanban template? Look no further. Check out our extensive Kanban time management template.

Keep in mind this is a view-only file. If you wish to edit it, go to File → Make a copy to create your own copy of the template.

How to elevate your Kanban system using two tools

Everyone knows Kanban well, which is why most project management software uses it to support various projects and teams of all sizes.

And when you use such a project management app with an automatic time tracking tool, that’s when the magic happens.

Asana + Memtime

At Memtime, we are big fans of Asana. 

Asana and Memtime are designed with the same goal in mind: helping you and your team manage projects more effectively and work smarter, not harder.

Asana is created to keep your tasks, subtasks, and projects organized, while Memtime focuses on tracking time to ensure your team’s workload is balanced and productivity stays on point.

Together, these two tools can take your Kanban performance to the next level. Here’s how you can make the most of them.

Steps for improving your Kanban time management technique

First, let’s remember what Asana looks like.

I created this simple Kanban board for the Content calendar project. It lists all the tasks, along with their priorities and due dates.

Now, let me introduce to you how Memtime works.

Memtime is a time tracking app (for Windows, macOS, and Linux) used by software development companies, law firms, agencies, and freelancers.

But it's not just a regular timer-based app. It's more of a memory assistant that keeps track of your time while you work and gives you an overview of your day.

The image below shows how your automatic timeline (I call it a "diary") looks.

As soon as you turn on your computer, Memtime captures all your activity in apps and browsers, as long as your computer is turned on.

You also get a productivity tracker, as Memtime provides you with all your logged work and productivity insights for any period (under the Reporting section).

But Memtime doesn’t stop there:

• Once all activity is captured, you can create unlimited time entries.
• You can sync those time entries directly into Asana tasks in your Kanban board.

To connect Memtime and Asana, you need to ensure that Asana is visible within Memtime's Connected Apps section. This setup is quick as a snap. 🙂

But what does this all mean for you?

Using Asana and Memtime together is one of the greatest ways to leverage your Kanban boards.

Once you start using them together, you can move your tasks from one column to another, knowing how long it took you (or your team) to complete them.

When the two tools are combined, you will see the benefits of Kanban and automatic time tracking and what they can do for your current and future projects.

If you wish to test how Memtime and Asana work together, just click the button below and start with your “Connect” plan for free with our 14-day free trial. All you need to do is enter your email and download Memtime.

Final words on the Kanban time management system

In the end, I want to remind you of Kanban's origin story: it's a technique that allows you to focus on continuous delivery, whether you run a team of software engineers or are the Head of Production at Toyota.

The goal is to deliver small project chunks continuously to the client. This way, you can ensure clients get exactly what they want in an agreed period, with your entire team working as a well-oiled machine (pun intended).

Moreover, when tasks are correctly prioritized and communicated visually using a Kanban board, your team won't need to question what to work on next. Instead, they'll pull the next Kanban card from the top of the queue and start working on that card.

They will also know where work piles up, where it gets stuck, and where the project is turning into a problem. That's why it's often said that Kanban is a system that increases accountability, transparency, and collaboration across teams.

And with such a foolproof system, you only need to improve its time tracking aspect.

‍By integrating time tracking tools with Kanban tools, you can visualize task progress and see how long each task takes.

You can then use this insight to improve future estimates, balance workloads, and eliminate bottlenecks in your workflow.

With Kanban and time tracking together, you'll be able to develop a more efficient process where tasks are completed not only in the right order but also within the expected timeframe, ensuring your team delivers high-quality work consistently.

Stay organized, stay awesome, and may your "Done" column always overflow. 📝