Project Management Tool 'Lychee Redmine' Releases 'Neo Kanban', a New Feature for Agile Development Teams Focused on Goals

Agileware Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Osaka, Representative Director and CEO: Mitsuyoshi Kawabata) announced the release of "Neo Kanban," a new feature supporting sprint execution in agile development, starting Tuesday, May 19, 2026, for its project management tool "Lychee Redmine," which has been adopted by over 7,000 companies.

Neo Kanban is a kanban board feature specifically designed for sprint execution in agile development, intended to be used in conjunction with the "Neo Backlog" released in March 2026. After determining sprint goals and priorities in Neo Backlog, Neo Kanban visualizes "what we are facing now and how far we have progressed" on a single screen. Designed to allow for agile ticket movement via drag-and-drop while keeping the sprint goal constantly displayed at the top of the screen, the feature makes it easier for development teams to focus on "what to move to achieve the goal" and "how the team should remove risks and obstacles."

■ Background of Neo Kanban Development

In recent years, an increasing number of companies are trying to improve team performance to achieve sustainable results as organizations. While the adoption of agile development has expanded amidst this trend, many front-line teams are still struggling to visualize the entire team's progress regarding how to proceed with the planned content and who is currently handling what.

With Neo Backlog, released in March 2026, it became possible to determine sprint goals and priorities on a single screen. However, planning is only the stage of deciding "what to deliver next." Once a sprint actually begins, teams need features that support them in progressing towards their goals.

Focusing on the execution phase, "Neo Kanban" prioritized usability for the developers who interact with it daily. The goal is to create time for teams to concentrate entirely on achieving their sprint goals during a sprint.

■ Key Features of the New "Neo Kanban"

Neo Kanban features a simple UI and comfortable operability, allowing users to quickly update status. Task conditions and bottlenecks during a sprint can be grasped at a glance, smoothing out status sharing and consultation within the team.

1. Constantly Displays Sprint Goals, Keeping Focus on Value

The sprint goal set in Neo Backlog is constantly displayed at the top of the screen. Because the sprint goal describes the value the team wants to deliver during the sprint, it helps align the team on "what to prioritize" in their daily work. With the goal visibly on screen, the entire team can proceed while confirming how their current tasks contribute to that value.

2. Groups Sub-tasks by PBI for a Single-Screen Overview of the Sprint

Sub-tasks linked to each PBI (Product Backlog Item) are displayed in groups. Teams can grasp "how far a PBI has advanced" on a single screen, allowing everyone to align their understanding of the situation while looking at the same screen during Daily Scrums. Sub-tasks deemed necessary during a sprint can be added directly from Neo Kanban, allowing teams to instantly reflect discoveries made during development.

3. Intuitive Progress Updates via Drag-and-Drop, Easy Information Editing on the Same Screen

Status updates are completed simply by dragging and dropping tasks. Opening a task allows users to check and edit titles, assignees, tags, descriptions, checklists, and comments smoothly on the same screen, meaning teams can proceed while retaining necessary information without having to switch screens. Furthermore, even if multiple people open the board simultaneously, updates made by others are reflected automatically, ensuring the team always shares the latest status.

4. Filter Kanban Display by Team

Even in multi-team development environments, teams can check only the content they are responsible for at a glance. Teams can balance focus on their own work with inter-team connectivity by switching to an overall view as needed.

■ About Agile Support Services

In practicing agile, it is important not only to introduce tools but also to implement operations and continuous improvements tailored to the different situations and challenges of each front-line team.

With the release of Neo Backlog and Neo Kanban in Lychee Redmine, Agileware is offering coaching services that comprehensively support the introduction and establishment of agile methodologies in companies.

Details of Agile Support Services
https://lychee-redmine.jp/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/agile-coach-document.pdf