Accelerating Brand-Oriented Vehicle Development with KanBo
Brand-Centric Innovation
In a strategic response to declining sales and evolving consumer expectations, a leading automotive manufacturer launched a brand-focused development initiative. To drive speed, precision, and alignment in vehicle creation, the company adopted KanBo—a unified digital ecosystem for cross-functional coordination, visibility, and continuous iteration throughout the development lifecycle.
Company’s Overview
Industry:
Automotive Manufacturing & Innovation
Key Focus Areas:
Brand-centric vehicle development
Size:
Deliver emotionally resonant products at speed and scale
Challenges:
Streamline collaboration across design, engineering, and production
Stakeholder Perspective
CChief Product Officer
Customers now seek vehicles that resonate on a personal and emotional level. To remain competitive, we had to reengineer our workflows for greater speed and precision. KanBo provided a flexible yet organized digital ecosystem that allowed us to bridge high-level strategy with day-to-day execution, giving our teams full visibility and alignment.
How the Organization Uses KanBo
KanBo acts as the operational backbone for brand-driven innovation—supporting every phase from concept to launch with clarity and coordination.
I. Strategic Planning & Portfolio Structuring
- Workspaces: Organized by vehicle platform or brand initiative.
- Card Hierarchies: Define strategy-to-task flow from goals to execution.
- Roadmapping Templates: Standardize pre-launch phases across product lines.
II. Design & Concept Development
- Mind Map View: Capture initial design themes and concept relationships.
- Gantt Charts: Visualize progress through design gates and prototype iterations.
- Comment Threads: Enable real-time dialogue during visual reviews and design lock phases.
III. Engineering & Validation Synchronization
- Linked Cards: Represent interdependencies between system components.
- Blocker Flags: Highlight risks in performance testing or regulatory compliance.
- Task Lists: Drive test plan execution and documentation workflows.
IV. Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Kanban Swimlanes: Separate design, engineering, and supplier activities for clarity.
- Timeline Planning: Synchronize campaign readiness with launch targets.
- Shared Documents: Store compliance checklists, supplier files, and test data inside Cards.
V. Resource Allocation & Operational Visibility
- Resource Management: Track specialist availability across teams and locations.
- MySpace Dashboards: Give leads visibility into individual and team priorities.
- Forecast Charts: Identify timeline pressures and reallocation opportunities.
VI. Feedback & Brand Alignment
- Analytics Dashboards: Track brand alignment metrics and consumer feedback loops.
- Localization Spaces: Manage regional adaptation and regulatory readiness.
- Activity Streams: Maintain traceability for stakeholder reviews and product decisions.
Roadmap for Implementation
Planning and Setup
Pilot Phase
Pilot Evaluation
Full Rollout
Project Highlights
Pilot Duration:
6 months
Systems Integrated:
PLM, ERP, Microsoft 365
Efficiency Gains:
20% faster sprint cycle execution, 30% fewer approval delays
Real-World Applications in KanBo
Vehicle Program Management
Spaces tracked design milestones, safety documentation, and validation testing, each represented by structured Cards with custom fields and linked dependencies.
Interdisciplinary Review
Mind Map views enabled brand leads and design teams to co-create early concepts, while Gantt charts tracked feasibility alignment and readiness dates.
Feedback Loop Automation
Dashboards visualized consumer sentiment and field feedback, feeding directly into iterative improvement cycles through structured workflows.
Benefits of Using KanBo for Automotive Development
Faster Time-to-Market
Development cycle compression through agile coordination
Stronger Brand-Design Alignment
Vehicle designs reflect brand promise and user needs
Smarter Cross-Team Collaboration
Reduced duplication and silos across functions
Real-Time Operational Clarity
Forecast tools and dashboards support early course correction
Security and Installation Options
On-Premises & Government Cloud Deployment
Ensures compliance with national security regulations.
Role-Based Access Controls
Restrict sensitive investment data to authorized personnel.
Data Encryption & Audit Logging
Protects against cyber threats and ensures transparency.
KanBo – Work Coordination Platform
KanBo is a work coordination software designed to help self-organizing teams work smarter and faster. You can see KanBo in action by accessing our demonstration environment.