{"id":160780,"date":"2018-01-31T08:47:44","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T07:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/blog\/dive-into-better-task-management-with-kanban-swimlanes\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T04:22:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T02:22:22","slug":"dive-into-better-task-management-with-kanban-swimlanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/ja\/blog\/dive-into-better-task-management-with-kanban-swimlanes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dive into Better Task Management with Kanban Swimlanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"What<\/p>\n

What swimlanes are to a Kanban board<\/a> is the same as what guacamole is to a burrito. Burritos are scrumptious on their own, but adding guac to the mix gives it that added oomph. Using a Kanban board sans swimlanes is still going to get you organized, but really, would you pass up a chance for guac?<\/p>\n

\"Swimming<\/figure>\n

Kanban swimlanes belong to the world of Agile, so before splashing into what the Kanban swimlane definition is, I thought to dip into Agile Project Management for a little background info.<\/p>\n

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Agile Project Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Created as a response to the glitches in the traditional, linear waterfall approach<\/a>, the Agile methodology<\/a> is key for any team who is looking to continuously improve their development process. It places a large emphasis on flexibility, collaboration, and high-quality results.<\/p>\n

The Agile method aims to be clear and measurable. It does this by using six main deliverables<\/a> to produce content and track progress and includes seven recurring events for product\/service development. This type of process provides developers and their team the chance to improve their product\/service before the final cut, making them less prone to client dissatisfaction and wasted effort. Kanban is an extended benefit of Agile development.<\/p>\n

That all being said, Kanban can be used by anyone<\/a> for any project they\u2019re working on, not just for software development!<\/p>\n

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What Is a Kanban Swimlane?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With the objective to help the development of a product or service run as smoothly as possible, a Kanban board<\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200ajust for a quick refresher\u200a\u2014\u200ais a visual management tool that provides you with visualization of a work process<\/a>. They can be used in a physical format (think post-it notes and a whiteboard) or digitally (like Zenkit\u2019s project management tool).<\/p>\n

The basic three-column structure, \u2018To-Do, Doing, Done\u2019, is a great tool to use when working in teams. Illustrating the work stream, using this shared visual management tool keeps everyone involved in the activity in the loop, allows them to track progress, and provides transparency. All necessary components of a quality organization.<\/p>\n

Using Kanban swimlanes gives you that extra organization boost as it enables you to further distinguish tasks\/items within the work process. A Kanban swimlane<\/a> can be best described as the visual element on the board that categorizes tasks\/matters. Flowing horizontally, its purpose is to offer distinction, and the group said tasks\/items, throughout the stages in the process that require more flexibility. This provides a better overview of the tasks and the work process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n

There are various things that a Kanban swimlane can represent. But before you go dividing tasks, do keep in mind that swimlanes must represent parts of the process that run in parallel.<\/p>\n

Examples of how swimlanes may be categorized are:<\/p>\n