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Quickbase News

Simplicity & Power: Is the Best of Both Worlds Possible? 

Written By: Mariana St.Germain
July 24, 2018
3 min read

We’ve all been trained by past experiences with software applications that the more powerful a technology is, the harder, less intuitive and more complicated it is to use. But does it have to be that way?

Quickbase’s new Kanban Reports capability demonstrates just the opposite – that the best of both worlds is possible. Combining the simplicity of drag-and-drop card views with the power of the Quickbase platform (think customizable database, rich automation and integration capabilities, granular permissions model and flexible reporting) is a reality.

I’m thrilled to announce that with the July product release, all Quickbase customers can now create Kanban Reports in their apps. This capability demonstrates our continued massive investment in simplicity, enabling the creation of an engaging end-user experience.

Why Kanban?

Standard reports can be cumbersome when it comes to managing large teams or work across multiple stages and resources. Interpreting an extensive amount of data and updating progress can be inefficient leading to confusion and delayed action. That’s where drag-and-drop card views come in. The ability to instantly view, share, update and act on work in progress makes it easier than ever to keep your teams focused and productive. You can display work items as cards organized in columns, and instantly update progress by dragging cards. Calculated fields, color codes and filtering dynamically update in real time. You can view and edit cards even on the go, from mobile phones and tablets.

Behind the simplicity of Kanban Reports in Quickbase lies great power like the ability to:

  • Kick off an automated workflow by dragging a card
  • Drill down on the card to view all the related information you need
  • Summarize team members’ progress with custom reporting for managers and executives
  • Ensure that the right people can view and update the right information with a granular permissions model

This kind of power doesn’t typically come with light-weight task management tools. In fact, many businesses discover Quickbase when light-weight tools or stickies on a white board are no longer enough for managing their work, teams or projects.

Kanban Reports help organizations take how they manage work and process in Quickbase to a new level with the ability to instantly view, update and act on progress. You can organize cards by status, priority or assignment to a resource, and manage work progress, team or resource availability, and team performance.

The new capability helps app builders create a modern, intuitive end-user experience which improves satisfaction and app adoption.

How may I use Kanban?

Originally created by Toyota, Kanban boards are no longer reserved for moving parts through the manufacturing production line. You can visualize progress in any area of your organization. Examples include moving:

  • Project tasks through stages or priority
  • Opportunities through sales stages
  • Application features through development stages
  • Marketing assets through content creation stages,
  • IT trouble tickets through resolution stages or priority
  • Candidates through recruiting stages, and more

Datatrend Technologies uses Kanban Reports to manage large technology installation projects that involve several hundred field technicians and thousands of transactions every month. They display installation tasks across status (need to schedule, already scheduled, completed and invoice issued).

“The Kanban Reports are helping us transform how we work by giving our project managers and customers actionable views into progress and by highlighting the most pressing tasks,” says Darla Nutter, Senior Solutions Architect. “This means less confusion and more action which results in improved resource utilization, lower project cost and greater customer satisfaction.”

Is Kanban for me?

Any organization may benefit from managing work with drag-and-drop card views, especially those who are:

  • Moving at a fast pace: as they need to re-prioritize or assign work continuously
  • Managing large teams or work across multiple stages or resources: as they need real-time coordination & collaboration
  • Managing growing teams: as they need to bring new people up to speed fast

Kanban boards powered by Quickbase are here and your imagination is the limit of what you can manage with them. Are you ready?

Mariana is passionate about helping businesses and business professionals to leverage the power of technology to bring their dreams to life. In her current role, she leads product marketing for the platform capabilities focused on builder and end user success at Quickbase. Her past contributions include technology marketing at companies like Constant Contact, LogMeIn, and HP. Outside of work, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and two daughters, practicing yoga, and being active outdoors.
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