The BN-K is a useful project management technique that aims to manage work by prioritizing tasks and balancing requirements according to available capacity. It helps us see our pain points at a glance and ensure that we are making the best use of our resources. One of the oldest and most popular techniques, the BN-K can be used in a wide range of industries thanks to its simple structure and flexibility!
In Japan, Ken-Ban is used not only in the technology and manufacturing industries, but also in schools to manage student projects. Students use Ken-Ban boards to track academic assignments, group projects, and even extracurricular activities, helping them develop time management and organizational skills.
Add a nested view to the board
To add the nested view to your board, click the option
At the top of your board (it will say “Add View” when you hover over it) and select “Ken-Ban”.
You can also add a new view by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of your screen. Select “Board Extensions”, “Board Views” and select “Ken-Ban” from the Views Center:
Set up your nesting display
Configure your Ken-Ben view using the settings menu. Click the gear icon in the top right corner of your view to open it.
- Nesting columns
To get started, select the status columns you want to display in your Q&A view in the “Q&A Columns” section of Settings . In the example board below, we’ve selected a status column that represents the vehicles being used for deliveries.
You can also choose to hide certain columns from your Ken-Ben view, to show only the information you need. Click the “Hide” button in the top panel of the view. From there, you can select or deselect columns by clicking the blue checkbox next to the column name.
- Cover columns
Select file columns to display as an overlay on your Ken-Ben cards in the “Overlay Columns” section. Choose “Crop” or “Fit” as you prefer as the overlay display mode!
- Card columns
Then, select the information from your board columns that you want to display directly on your Ken-Ben cards so you can see that information at a glance. You can even select a column from your sub-databases to display on the card.
- Part by
You can also choose to split your Ken-Ben cards by different values from your board columns, such as board groups, status, or connected columns. Simply click the “Split by” box at the bottom of your settings menu and select the value you want!
- Ken-Ben Review and Setup Widget
The Management Overview widget displays the distribution of cards in the Ken-Ben view, showing you in battery form which cards have the most items. You can also use the widget to jump to the relevant column by clicking on the color associated with that column. The Management Overview widget is located on the top right of the panel above your Ken-Ben cards.
Add new cards
No need to switch between Nested View and your main board view—you can create new items directly from Nested View! Hover your mouse over the top right edge of your card’s label and click the “+” that appears.
You can also create a new item by clicking “New Item” at the top left of your screen.
Edit tickets
Edit columns directly from your cards
You can edit the columns displayed on your cards without opening the pop-up window! Simply click on any of the displayed pages to edit the information displayed.
In medical organizations, Ken-Ben is used to manage work processes in clinics and hospitals. Ken-Ben boards help medical teams track treatment processes, manage appointments, and ensure the availability of necessary medical equipment, which leads to improved efficiency and quality of care.
The Card Actions menu allows you to perform important actions and edit your items directly from the grid view! To access the menu, click the three dots in the upper right corner of your card. From there, you can add subitems, group, delete, move, or duplicate items, and more!
Move cards and columns
- Arrange the columns
You can change the position of your nested columns by dragging and dropping, so you can arrange the order any way you like!
- Organize the cards
You can change the order of specific items by dragging and dropping within your content or between columns! This is a great way to visually assess and manage your resources:
Subitems in the nest
Now you have the ability to see all the information related to your items with our subitems feature in Ken-Ban! You can easily see detailed subitem details at a glance without switching between the main board view and Ken-Ban!
Add sub-items from the main board view or directly from the nested view! Simply click on the nested card to add a sub-item and customize it to your liking in the sub-item pop-up window!
Task and column limits
You can choose a task limit per column to ensure that the total number of tasks doesn’t spread out and your team can focus on progress without getting bogged down with too many tasks.
Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the task card, select Set Column Limit , and select the maximum number of tasks you want to include in the specific card.
