Trello draws directly on Kanban, a method born in Toyota factories to make the flow of work visible and avoid bottlenecks.

The principle

Work is represented as cards that move forward, column after column, until they are complete. The goal: to see the work rather than keep it in your head or buried in an unreadable list.

Three key ideas

• Visualise — every task is visible to everyone.
• Limit work in progress — do not start everything at once.
• Keep things flowing — spot where work is stuck and unblock it.

The great advantage: the method adapts to anything, from a house move to a product launch, with no jargon and no lengthy training.

Key takeaway: Kanban is about making work visible so it moves forward more smoothly.