A kanban board is used to visually represent a company's workflow or a specific project. All the team members can see the to-do tasks alongside the completed ones in one place. The Kanban board is vital in communication and helps improve coordination among the team members.
This article will discuss what these kanban boards are and their use cases alongside the best possible examples. We will also discuss how to create these kanban boards quickly to save valuable time.
In this article
What is Kanban?
Taiichi Ohno, an engineer working at Toyota, invented Kanban boards in the 1940s to improve production quality and reduce waste as much as possible. He derived this idea from the supermarket shelves restocking when they are out of products. He brought this idea to bring more productivity, where visual signs were used to indicate the shortage of parts in cars.
Although Kanban boards were first used by a car company, later on, they were used in different industries like software development companies and other companies based on their own needs.
The advancement in the digital era has brought good to these Kanban boards as they were easy to make and edit according to the company's workflow. These kanban boards are versatile and can be used in simple management tasks to complex multi-team tasks.
Free Examples of Kanban Boards
Kanban boards are being used in many companies and bigger industries for better performance and increased productivity.
Here are a few examples of the Kanban board that will help you get better ideas.
Kanban for Website Management
Here is an example of a kanban board created to manage content for a website. It includes all the parameters to produce better results in the online market. It consists of tasks ranging from researching trending topics to content uploading and compiling results for each article posted on the website.
The overall purpose of this Kanban board is to generate high-quality content for a website to get leads and find maximum reach.
Kanban for SEO Websites
This kanban board is made to maximize a website’s potential in the online market. It consists of tasks ranging from starting and buying the domain to its SEO and getting sales through the website.
Such a kanban board fulfills all the needs of a website designer and owner, offering them opportunities to complete tasks on time and assign those tasks to the right people.
Kankan for Team Collaboration and Communication
Kanban boards are useful in organizing mega events and seminars. They provide the best possible ways of communication and collaboration among the team.
The team manager adjusts his goals according to the employees working under him and assigns them their tasks. Event management is way better when it follows a special kanban board.
Kankan for Product Management and Launch
Here is another Kanban board for the product launch. When a company decides to launch a product, it has to go through different processes, which might include research, finding competitors, sales, margins, and reach.
A kanban board helps create different sections to manage tasks better with proper deadlines and work completion. This kanban board has covered all the aspects of the product launch, and now the company knows how to get through the tasks easily.
Kanban for Manufacturing
This kanban board is useful for manufacturing companies that cover tasks ranging from initial designs to production of the material needed to check the quality before launching the product in the market. Most of the renowned automobile companies use this methodology to manage deadlines and manufacture according to their needs.
These kanban boards give tasks to every team and signal them when they need to manufacture more products so that they avoid bulk manufacturing.
Benefits of the Kanban Board
There are multiple advantages of using kanban boards, which might include the following:
- Workflow efficiency: Kanban boards are useful for enhancing project efficiency to a certain degree. It divides specific tasks into different stages, and work is divided among team members.
- Visibility: Visibility of tasks through Kanban boards is enhanced. It makes it easier to understand what's more needed and what's already completed.
- Productivity: Kanban boards allow team members to work collectively, focus on the project goals, and enhance productivity. It helps teams to meet deadlines perfectly.
- Reduced Waste: Kanban boards help you focus on the necessary tasks, neglecting all the unnecessary work that doesn't need urgency.
- Better Planning: The Kanban board is a good option to have when it comes to accountability and performance checks. It will help managers plan better for future projects and set goals based on the employees' skills.
Best Practices for Using the Kanban Board
Here are a few of the best practices for using a Kanban board effectively.
- Define the stages of a project: You need to set up stages that help employees understand the workflow directions. For example, To-Do lists, work in progress, and tasks completed.
- Limit work in progress (WIP: Define tasks for each stage to manage the deadlines and help employees focus on the specific tasks first rather than moving to another without completing one.
- Task priorities: You need to prioritize tasks for each stage. Use different colors to make those tasks visually clear so that the team can focus on the tasks for better management.
- Make it Visually Appealing: Visual appeal enhances workflow and brings efficiency to it. You can use tags, labels, and different signs to make it Visually appealing.
- Update the Board Regularly: As an employer, you need to update the Kanban board regularly to keep your team updated, focus on the next tasks, and help them get a clearer picture.
How to Create Your Kanban on a Simple Tool?
EdrawMind is an easy-to-use mind map maker and task management tool. It can be used to make Kanban boards. Here are a few of its most prominent features.

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Multiple diagram types: EdrawMind is useful in making multiple diagrams, including concept maps, fishbone diagrams, timeline charts, kanban boards, and many more.
Template library: EdrawMind offers an extensive library of templates for users to use and get help drawing new ones through.
Customizable themes and colors: EdrawMind brings versatility by offering different themes and designs for the same project in a single click. You can change colors whenever you need them.
Formatting and layout options: Users can add or remove branches in the mind maps and adjust different elements in their diagrams to make their work visually appealing.
Now, it's time to learn how to make a kanban board with the help of EdrawMind.
Step 1
Open EdrawMind and click New “Mindmap."

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Step 2
Select Kanban and edit all the details needed to make your Kanban board.

Step 3
Add all the text and prioritize the tasks by changing the colors or by adding a Priority sign.

Step 4
When your Kanban board is ready, export the file.

The exported file will be saved in a mind map, so you need to shift to the Kanban mode and get screenshots from there.
Ending Notes
Kanban boards have made lives easier by providing a roadmap to the success of a project. Most companies follow these Kanban boards and try to fulfill tasks based on deadlines. In this article, we have discussed Kanban examples, which might help you better understand how they work and get beneficial results.
EdrawMind is helpful in generating those Kanban boards easily as it provides the preset interface on which to work. All you need to do is brainstorm tasks at the place and add them to the task list.
