Introduction to using matter-management boards

Matter-management boards provide "at a glance" understanding of what the work is, who is doing it, and what has to happen next

A matter-management board is a highly visual tool that can be used to manage work. It serves as both a device to track status and progress, and a hub of other important information. It is a Lean technique originating from the "kanban" methodology developed by Toyota.

How does it work?

Tasks are represented as cards which are moved left to right through columns representing the different phases of a process.

You can build one on a wall or use an online tool. At its simplest, the board is divided into just three columns:

• To Do: represents the backlog: it reflects all upcoming work.
• Doing: represents your work-in-progress all the things you’re currently working on.
• Done: is where you move a card once the task has been finished

This board works really well for managing both simple tasks and entire projects at a high level.

Benefits

The boards improves everyone's access to real-time information by providing a quick visual status update about the work in progress and its allocation.