Kanban Boards
What are Kanban Boards?
Kanban Boards give you a visual, column-based way to manage your tasks. Each column represents a stage of work, and you move tasks between columns by dragging and dropping. When a task moves to a new column, its status updates automatically - no extra clicks needed.
Board Types
All Tasks Board
Every user starts with a built-in "All Tasks" board that shows all your tasks organized into six columns:
- Todo - Tasks ready to start
- In Progress - Tasks you're actively working on
- Pending - Tasks waiting on something
- Stale - Tasks that haven't been touched recently
- Done - Completed tasks
- Archived - Tasks filed away
This board always appears first in your board selector and cannot be deleted.
Private Boards
Create custom boards for specific projects or workflows. Private boards are only visible to you and can show all your tasks filtered through custom column configurations.
Shared Boards
Share a board with a group for team collaboration. Shared boards only show tasks that belong to the board's group, making them ideal for team projects where everyone needs visibility into the work.
Creating a Board
- Open the board selector and click "Create Board"
- Give your board a name (like "Sprint 12" or "Home Renovation")
- Optionally set default tags that will be auto-applied to tasks created on this board
- Your board is created with default status-based columns
Working with Columns
How Columns Work
Each column has a filter condition that determines which tasks appear in it. For example, a "Todo" column filters for status = 'todo', so only tasks with that status show up there.
Customizing Columns
You can configure each column with:
- Name - The column header (like "Ready for Review" or "Blocked")
- Filter condition - A query that determines which tasks belong in this column
- Automatic actions - What happens when a task enters or leaves the column
Automatic Actions
This is where kanban boards become powerful. When you drag a task into a column, the board can automatically:
- Set the status - Moving to the "Done" column marks the task as done
- Add tags - Moving to a column can auto-tag the task
- Update custom fields - Change any custom field value based on column placement
Actions are auto-generated from your column's filter condition, so they stay in sync. You can also add manual actions for more complex workflows.
Drag and Drop
Moving tasks between columns is as simple as dragging a card:
- Click and hold a task card
- Drag it to the target column
- Drop it - the task's status, tags, or custom fields update automatically
- The change happens instantly in your task list too
Drag and drop works with both mouse and keyboard for full accessibility.
Creating Tasks on a Board
You can create tasks directly from a kanban board:
- Click the add button on any column
- Enter the task details
- The task is automatically assigned to the board's group (for shared boards) and gets any default tags
Filtering Within a Board
Even within a board, you can narrow down what you see:
- Tag filter - Show only cards with specific tags
- Search - Filter cards by title text
Sharing a Board
To collaborate with others:
- Open the board settings
- Click "Share"
- Select the group to share with
- Group members can now see the board and interact with task cards
When you share a board, only tasks belonging to the board's group are visible. Team members can view and move cards based on their permissions.
Tips for Success
- Start with the All Tasks board - Get familiar with the kanban view before creating custom boards
- Design columns around your workflow - Not every board needs status columns; try columns like "This Week", "Next Week", "Backlog"
- Use shared boards for teams - They keep everyone aligned on project status without extra meetings
- Keep columns manageable - Too many cards in one column means it's time to break things down or archive completed work
- Let actions do the work - Configure column actions so dragging a card handles all the bookkeeping automatically
How Kanban Boards Work with Other Features
With Tasks
Kanban cards are your tasks - the board is a visual layer on top of the task system. Any change you make on the board is reflected in your task list, and vice versa.
With Collaboration
Shared boards use the group system for access control. The board creator acts as the group admin, and group members can view and interact with the board.
With Tags and Custom Fields
Columns can filter on tags and custom fields, and automatic actions can modify them. This lets you build sophisticated workflows that go beyond simple status tracking.
Getting Started
- Open the All Tasks board - See your existing tasks laid out in kanban columns
- Drag a task - Move a task from "Todo" to "In Progress" and watch the status update
- Create a custom board - Set up a board for a specific project with columns that match your workflow
- Share with your team - Invite collaborators by sharing the board with a group