Maximizing Efficiency in Metal Additive Manufacturing: The Role of KanBo in Enhancing Team Collaboration and Communication

Introduction

Introduction:

In the cutting-edge realm of Additive Manufacturing (AM), especially within the metal sector, efficient collaboration and communication are not just beneficial—they are foundational to the success of projects and innovations. An AM Engineer specializing in metals thrives on the meticulous interplay between technological expertise and collective strategic engagement. As part of the Whole Vehicle Engineering team located within the research and development department, an AM Engineer is charged with driving the advancement of our product progress while actively contributing to shaping the long-term goals of the organization.

Within this role, an AM Engineer works hand-in-hand with the Functional Manager for DCP/VoWa & Concerns Management as well as with interdisciplinary teams throughout the business. This collaboration extends to managing the integration of Metal AM across the entire spectrum of Whole Vehicle Engineering workflows, from concept to production. The engineer's responsibilities branch into three distinct, yet interconnected areas: providing R&D Workshop Technical Support, overseeing the manufacturing and validation of Physical Mock-Ups (PMU), and continually developing a state-of-the-art Additive Manufacturing facility. The synthesization of these roles necessitates not only technical savvy but also exceptional skills in teamwork and communication to fortify the creation of sophisticated metal components and to support the complex processes behind them.

KanBo: When, Why and Where to deploy as a Collaboration and Communication tool

What is KanBo?

KanBo is an integrated work coordination platform that facilitates real-time visualization of workflows, task management, and seamless communication for teams and organizations. It operates within a multi-tier hierarchy system including workspaces, folders, spaces, and cards, designed to streamline project tracking and team collaboration.

Why KanBo?

In a business context, KanBo offers a suite of features critical for efficient collaboration and communication. It enables teams to customize their workflow, track the progress of tasks, easily share documents, and communicate through comments and @mentions. This ensures that everyone in the team remains aligned and informed, which is essential for meeting project deadlines and maintaining high-quality work output.

For an Additive Engineer (Metal), reasons to use KanBo might include:

- Managing complex projects that involve multiple stakeholders, steps, and processes.

- Keeping track of various print jobs, materials, and design iterations.

- Coordilingating between design, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams.

- Documenting revisions and design updates for parts and components.

- Communicating updates and changes in real-time to avoid redundancies and ensure project timelines are adhered to.

When to Use KanBo?

KanBo can be deployed at all stages of a project's lifecycle. For an Additive Engineer (Metal), it would be particularly valuable during:

- Conceptualization and design phase, to brainstorm and develop initial models.

- Prototyping phase, to track the development and iterations of prototypes.

- Production planning and execution phase, to coordinate the manufacturing schedules and machine availability.

- Quality control and testing phase, to record tests, feedback, and necessary adjustments.

- Final review and delivery phase, to ensure that the final product meets all specifications and is delivered on time.

Where is KanBo used?

KanBo is used within a digital environment, accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection. Its versatility lends itself to both on-premises and cloud-based applications, offering adaptable solutions for teams whether they are working in-office, remotely, or in a hybrid setup.

Should Additive Engineers (Metal) Use KanBo for Collaboration and Communication?

Absolutely. Additive Engineers (Metal) often deal with intricate design processes that require close collaboration with different teams, such as designers, production staff, and quality control. By using KanBo, they can:

- Manage projects from an easy-to-use dashboard that visualizes every phase of design and production.

- Collaborate in real-time, with instant communication mitigating the risks of errors or miscommunications.

- Track all changes and ensure that modifications to models or processes are accurately recorded and reflected across all teams.

- Securely store and share sensitive designs and documentation, facilitating intellectual property protection while promoting collaboration.

- Streamline handoffs between the design phase and production, ensuring a smooth transition and clear communication of specifications.

In the context of additive manufacturing, where precision, timing, and iterative communication are key, KanBo serves as a powerful tool to align all moving parts of the project, ensuring that end results are delivered to specification and standards.

How to work with KanBo as a Collaboration and Communication tool

How to Work with KanBo as an Additive Engineer (Metal) for Collaboration and Communication in a Business Context

Step 1: Set Up a Dedicated Workspace for Engineering Projects

- Purpose: Centralize all metal additive engineering projects and related activities for easy access and visibility across the team.

- Why: Creates a single source of truth for the team's work, making it simpler to manage projects, share documents, and communicate progress or changes.

Step 2: Establish Sub-Folders for Project Categories

- Purpose: Organize different engineering projects into specific categories such as Research & Development, Production, and Quality Assurance.

- Why: Helps maintain a clear structure, making it easier for team members to locate and engage with relevant project spaces and tasks.

Step 3: Create Project Spaces with Custom Workflows

- Purpose: Develop project spaces that reflect the unique stages of metal additive processes, including design, printing, heat treatment, and post-processing.

- Why: Tailoring spaces to the additive workflow allows for accurate tracking of each project's lifecycle and streamlines communication at each stage.

Step 4: Utilize Cards for Task Management

- Purpose: Breakdown projects into cards representing individual tasks, such as material selection, 3D modeling, or equipment maintenance.

- Why: Allows engineers to focus on specific tasks while enabling the team to monitor progress, responsibilities, and deadlines, fostering accountability.

Step 5: Engage in Real-Time Communication Using Comments and Mentions

- Purpose: Enable ongoing discussion directly tied to relevant tasks or projects through card comments, and ensure specific attention using mentions.

- Why: Facilitates immediate and contextualized communication, ensuring that feedback and decisions are quickly disseminated to the right team members.

Step 6: Monitor Activity Stream for Updates

- Purpose: Stay informed of all activity in your engineering workspace, including task completions, document updates, and changes in project status.

- Why: Provides a comprehensive overview of the team's actions, helping to catch up quickly and reducing the need for status update meetings.

Step 7: Share Documents and Collaborate in Real-Time

- Purpose: Use KanBo to share design files, technical specifications, and progress reports for collaborative review and editing.

- Why: Enables the team to work on the latest version of documents, thereby minimizing errors and ensuring consistency across the project.

Step 8: Conduct Regular Virtual Meetings Through Integrated Tools

- Purpose: Schedule and hold virtual meetings within KanBo to discuss project milestones, challenges, and align on next steps.

- Why: Provides a structured environment for collective brainstorming, decision-making, and maintaining personal connections, crucial for remote teams.

Step 9: Utilize Notifications and Reminders

- Purpose: Set up notifications for important updates in projects and reminders for critical deadlines.

- Why: Keeps everyone on track with important deliverables and ensures that no task or feedback is overlooked, enabling timely actions and decisions.

Step 10: Implement Search Filters for Efficient Information Retrieval

- Purpose: Use search filters to quickly find specific discussions, documents, or tasks within the KanBo space.

- Why: Saves time and enhances productivity by allowing engineers to swiftly locate the information they need without sifting through irrelevant data.

Conclusion

By effectively leveraging KanBo's tools tailored to the additive engineering context, such as workspaces, folders, spaces, cards, comments, and notifications, additive engineers can ensure efficient teamwork and clear communication. This leads to optimal project execution, better knowledge sharing, and ultimately, higher innovation and success in the field of metal additive manufacturing.

Glossary and terms

Workspace: In the context of a project management or collaboration tool, a workspace usually refers to a virtual area where team members collaborate. It organizes all relevant projects or “spaces” in one place making it easier for team members to find resources, communicate, and understand their tasks.

Space: Within a workspace, a space is often a dedicated section that contains a collection of tasks, resources, or information. It may represent a specific project, a phase of work, or a particular area of focus, and is used to categorize and structure the workflow within the workspace.

Card: A card is a digital representation of a task, idea, note, or item that needs to be managed or tracked. Cards can contain various details, such as descriptions, checklists, comments, attachments, and due dates. They are typically organized within spaces and can be moved or updated as work progresses.

Comment: A comment is a text entry added by a user to provide more information, feedback, or communicate with other team members within the context of a card, space, or specific item.

Mention: A mention is a feature that allows a user to directly tag another user (often using the "@" symbol followed by the user's name) within a comment or update. This is used to draw the tagged user's attention to a specific message, task, or discussion.

Activity Stream: An activity stream is a sequential and real-time list of updates that showcases actions taken by users within the system. It provides visibility into the work being done, changes made to tasks or projects, and serves as a historical record of interactions and progress.

Card Presence Indicator: This is a visual signal that indicates whether a user is actively viewing a card or when they last interacted with it. This often helps team members know if their colleagues are currently working on a task or have seen recent updates.

User Presence Indicator: This indicates the current online status or availability of a user. It is commonly depicted by a color-coded dot or icon near the user's avatar or name, signaling whether the user is online, busy, or away.

Responsible Person: This refers to an individual assigned to oversee and ensure the completion of a task or card. This person is typically accountable for the task's progress and may delegate work to others but ultimately owns the responsibility for its delivery.

Co-Worker: A co-worker in the context of a task or project is a team member who collaborates on or contributes to the performance of the task. This is someone who may be jointly responsible for the task's outcomes with the responsible person.

Card Relation: It is a functional connection between cards that establishes a dependency or relationship, such as parent-child or predecessor-successor. This relationship helps users understand the interconnectedness of tasks and may impact the order or timing in which tasks are completed.

Dates in Cards: These are time-related elements associated with a card, such as start dates, due dates, or custom date fields. They serve to set and track key timeframes and deadlines for tasks within a space.

Notification: A notification is an alert to inform a user about an important activity or update within the system. It keeps users informed about relevant changes or actions needed on tasks they are involved with or interested in.

Reminder: This is a feature that allows users to set personal alerts for specific cards or tasks. Reminders prompt users about upcoming deadlines or actions that need attention, and they can often be customized in terms of timing and recurrence.

Search Filters: These are tools within a search function that help users refine and narrow down the results by applying certain criteria. They make it easier to find specific tasks, documents, or information within a larger dataset or collection of items.