Learning Center: Lean and Kanban
Knock Out Waste in Your MSP- the 7 Kanban Wastes
Get ready to knock out waste in your MSP! For a long time manufacturers using Kanban have used the 7 Kanban Wastes to identify and eliminate waste in their processes. Did you know MSPs can use the same framework to eliminate waste in their processes? Waste is the...
Project Management with Kanban- for MSPs
Ever been frustrated with project management in ConnectWise or Autotask? Yeah- we were too. We built some simple methods and tools you can use to take back control of project work- so you can complete projects more quickly, reduce stress in your engineering team, and...
MS Planner doesn’t work with ConnectWise, but this Kanban board does
More and more project-focused MSPs are using Microsoft Planner. Planner is a visual tool for arranging work items in columns, showing how work is progressing through a pipeline of work in the team. It's a form of Kanban board and very similar to Trello. MSPs love...
Service Delivery webinar- How one MSP stopped wasting time managing service delivery
https://youtu.be/CJObz3qERSk Click here for the slides You can rescue service delivery at your MSP- relieving overworked dispatchers, guiding unfocused engineers, and saving neglected customers. As an MSP, you need efficient dispatch and engineer workflows. Structured...
Project boards available in TopLeft Kanban
TopLeft is very pleased to announce Kanban boards for projects. Now you can visualize your projects (not just project tickets and tasks) as they progress through your team workflows! What project boards are useful for: Getting an overview of all your projects, whether...
Make your MSP’s PSA project module usable with this tool – Webinar July 30
https://youtu.be/UAeIdcQDsrU As an MSP, have you avoided using the project management module in your PSA because it makes things harder, not easier? Many MSPs avoid managing projects in ConnectWise or Autotask because they make it hard to plan, assign, and monitor...
How Much Neglect is OK? Tips for MSP Service Managers
Neglected tickets can be a major problem for MSPs. Tickets that sit without any work being done are frustrating for both your customers and your team. We've already mentioned some causes of neglected work and how it impacts MSPs. So you want to address neglected work...
Neglected Tickets Impact Your MSP Customers and Team in These 5 Ways
All MSPs suffer from neglected work from time to time. At some MSPs it's temporary and quickly brought under control. At some MSPs it's endemic- there's always numerous tickets that haven't had any work done recently, even though there's nothing blocking the ticket...
3 Problems That Cause Neglected Tickets in MSPs
One challenge faced by every MSP is ensuring that service and project tickets are started, worked, and completed in a reasonable amount of time. Some MSPs have mastered this; others not so much. It's common for MSPs to have a lot of neglected tickets- tickets that...
MSP Project Management with Kanban – Webinar June 30
https://youtu.be/aDEyQJZNbBI What's the worst part about managing projects in ConnectWise or Autotask? Is it the lack of visibility into a project's tasks as they progress through the project workflow? The inability to manage your whole portfolio of projects? Or the...
Accelerate MSP Service Delivery with Kanban Boards for Dispatchers & Engineers – Webinar May 2020
https://youtu.be/ROGgczK3mbQ This webinar was hosted on May 27, 2020. Learn how you can rescue service delivery at your MSP- relieving overworked dispatchers, guiding unfocused engineers, and saving neglected customers. As an MSP, you need efficient dispatch and...
MSP Project Management with Kanban – Webinar
Where’s the Recording? Missed the webinar or want to review again? The recording is available online. What's the worst part about managing projects in ConnectWise or Autotask? Is it the lack of visibility into a project's tasks? The inability to manage your...
Getting Ready to Accelerate Out of The Hairpin Curve
Business won't be the same even when the crisis is over. Wim Kerkhoff, founder of TopLeft and the MSP Kerkhoff Technologies, shares thoughts on remote work and four things you can do to prepare your MSP to be better than ever during the Covid-19 crisis and after it...
Economic Storm Business Survival Guide
Our good friend, entrepreneur and business coach Manuel Palachuk, is delivering a webinar on March 31 to help you understand the economic implications of what’s happening- and how to survive it. There is an immense amount of uncertainty to navigate in this economic...
Remote Work Partner Roundtable
Wim Kerkhoff- CEO and founder of Kerkhoff Technologies, a Vancouver MSP, and TopLeft Kanban Boards for MSPs I’m setting up our first Partner Roundtable session. Primary goal is to brainstorm how we can best support our MSPs’ service/project engineers that are now...
Taking control of Service Delivery – Webinar
Where’s the Recording? Missed the webinar or want to review again? The recording is available online. Original Post… Many MSPs struggle to strike the right balance between flexibility and structure when managing service work. It's even more difficult when your team...
Ticket and Task Assignments and Time Entries in Autotask
Autotask users can now use Kanban for two common cases: Set a ticket or task primary assignment- great for service managers, project managers, or for technicians who fetch work from a team queue and need to assign themselves. Enter time on a ticket or task- very...
Streamline Project Management in Autotask and ConnectWise – Webinar
Where's the Recording? Missed the webinar or want to review again? The recording is available online. Original Post... Does managing your projects in ConnectWise or Autotask get you down? Tired of clicking, clicking, clicking, to see the most basic info about a...
Webinar January 30- 2 types of boards, recent updates, Q&A time
We're introducing a recurring webinar for everyone who wants to know more about Kanban- both Kanban methods as they apply to MSPs, and Kanban the board application from TopLeft. In the first webinar we'll discuss: The two types of Kanban boards- everyone has tried one...
Introducing Calendar Dispatch and Schedule Indicators
We've introduced a few powerful new features in TopLeft boards that help you and your team keep track of work in calendars. These are very useful if you manage work by assigning to calendars. Dispatch to Calendars in Kanban You can now dispatch work to a member's...
Announcing TopLeft
CW Kanban, the maker of Kanban boards for ConnectWise and Autotask, is now TopLeft! Over the past 3 years, CW Kanban has built web-based Kanban boards that help MSPs take back control of their work. Today we're pleased to announce the launch of a new corporate brand...
Webinar – Autotask December Update December 20
We've been working very hard on Kanban boards for Autotask and want you to know the latest news! Join the webinar to hear: From an Autotask MSP early adopter- how Kanban has already helped, in their own words What's available in the application right now What's in the...
ConnectWise Activities available in CW Kanban
It's finally here! You can now create Kanban boards that show ConnectWise Activities. Activities are used in ConnectWise for a couple of purposes: to track discrete steps in pursuing sales opportunities- such as meeting the client at their office, writing a proposal,...
ConnectWise + Zapier for Kanban board integration
Does this sound familiar? Your company uses ConnectWise ManageData about literally everything that happens in your company is in ConnectWise - tickets, projects, opportunities, everythingYou want to see the data in a useful way, not just in tables of data buried 10...
Lean CEO – Redefining work and respecting IT workers
This blog post is based on both my experience and learnings from The Lean CEO book by Jacob Stoller, looking closely at what organizations like Toyota were doing in Japan several decades ago. I (Wim) hope to blog more on my learnings from this book, especially as they...