Module Title: dgt_wrk09 – Task Management
Overview:
The “dgt_wrk09 – Task Management” module covers task management using Kanban methodologies. It focuses on the core principles of Kanban boards and how to use them to improve workflow, meet deadlines, and accurately estimate tasks.
Module Objectives:
– To introduce participants to the fundamentals of Kanban as a visual workflow management tool.
– To guide learners in describing to the machine, in natural language, the Kanban board they need, and in reviewing the board it sets up against Kanban principles.
– To teach strategies for optimizing task flow, prioritizing work, and reducing bottlenecks.
– To develop time management skills that enable participants to meet deadlines consistently.
– To enhance the ability to estimate tasks accurately based on complexity, priority, and resource availability, and to challenge estimates the machine derives from historical data.
Key Topics:
- Introduction to Kanban
- History and evolution of the Kanban methodology
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Key principles and benefits of using a Kanban board
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Setting Up Your Kanban Board
- Components of a Kanban board: columns, cards, swimlanes
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Customizing your board for different projects or teams
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Utilizing the Kanban Board Effectively
- Techniques for managing workflow and visualizing progress
- Implementing work-in-progress (WIP) limits to enhance productivity
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Strategies for prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance
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Meeting Deadlines with Kanban
- Tools and practices for tracking deadlines on a Kanban board
- Methods for adjusting workflows to ensure timely completion of tasks
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Handling unexpected changes or delays in project timelines
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Estimating Tasks Accurately
- Approaches to estimating task duration and complexity
- Techniques for refining estimates through continuous feedback
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Using historical data to improve future task estimations
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Advanced Kanban Practices
- Integrating Kanban with other agile methodologies
- Continuous improvement techniques (Kaizen) within a Kanban system
- Addressing common challenges and obstacles in using Kanban
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module, participants will be able to:
– Explain to the machine how a Kanban board should be organized for a given project or team, and verify that the result respects WIP limits and a clear workflow.
– Use Kanban principles to streamline workflows, reduce waste, and enhance productivity.
– Meet deadlines more consistently through better task prioritization and time management.
– Estimate tasks more accurately, asking the machine to analyse historical data and critically reviewing the figures it returns.
Module Format:
The module combines lectures, interactive workshops, natural-language exercises, and real-world case studies. After learning the theory, participants never build boards or reports by hand: they tell the machine, in plain language, which columns, swimlanes and WIP limits they want, ask it to analyse past cycle times, and then review its work, questioning a board that hides bottlenecks or an estimate that ignores the data.
Target Audience:
This module is intended for project managers, team leaders, individual contributors, and anyone who manages tasks using Kanban methodologies. No prior experience with Kanban is required.
The techniques covered apply both to personal projects and to complex team initiatives.
The students can push their exercises to the Academy DevOps & SRE Git project. For this module, create a folder with your username as its name in the following subfolder: https://github.com/Garanti-Del-Talento/gdt_academy