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Ghosts in the Machine

Teams don’t argue because they’re “bad” People argue because their systems are bad. Everyone has surprise dependencies, last-minute requests, and the endless slog of “bad exciting” work (the stuff that blows up your day). I’ve created another design to solve this. Let’s set you up to actually collaborate effectively.

What you see above is a KanbanZone board I built to solve for clarity. Every team member—Andy, Stuart, and Gordon—is working together but also pursuing their own tasks. There is a structure for this. Easy to use and easy to maintain. It’s detailed in the video.

The Structure

The individual work of team members are in their own swim lanes.

The columns:

Ready to Start starts the relationship with a promise of action, not a surprise.

Concept defines the work. It’s you figuring out what you are going to do. That is your own personal work.

One World is the three team members coming back together and saying “Yes, that concept is sound, run with it.”

In Progress is work that you do alone.

Synchronicity is work you do with others. Andy / Stuart pairing for example.

Invisible Sun is the column, like One World, where the team reviews the work.

Done is the completion of work that everyone agrees was both formulated and implemented well.

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Why This Solves Dependencies

Using this board, each member knows exactly what their role is and how ideas move from concept, through shared vetting, to done. This is a very real mechanism for eliminating dependency disasters, redirection, and comments being lost. When a ticket lands in a shared column, everyone knows it’s time to act. Nothing sneaks up on anyone. Work is shared. Planning is shared. The end result is shared.

This simplicity is intentional. The simplicity is professional. The fewer steps, the fewer bottlenecks. Building this board lets the team designing their heaven together.

Hell and Heaven are Both Collaborative Acts

Without a working system, if your system doesn’t let you know when and how to act, then teamwork feels like hell. When it’s clear, you move with purpose and even excitement. The right kind.

Call To Action Things

Personal Kanban teaches this kind of agency. At Modus Institute, our class delivers everything you need to quit guessing, start collaborating, and actually enjoy your work. KanbanZone is a platform for making it real (we enjoy it). visualizing teamwork so everyone knows what’s next and no ticket gets lost in the shuffle.

Ready to join a community that works smarter? Subscribe to HumaneWork and check out our Personal Kanban course. Heaven is a board away.

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