Kanban Boards

Kanban boards are the heart of Taskflame. They provide a visual way to organize work, track progress, and collaborate with your team using the proven kanban methodology.

What is Kanban?

Kanban is a visual project management method that originated from Toyota's manufacturing processes. In Taskflame, kanban helps you:

Visualize Work - See all tasks at a glance
Limit Work in Progress - Focus on completing tasks
Manage Flow - Optimize your workflow
Continuous Improvement - Iterate and improve processes

Board Anatomy

Columns (Lists)

Columns represent different stages of your workflow:

Basic Three-Column Setup:

To Do - Tasks ready to start
In Progress - Currently active work
Done - Completed tasks

Advanced Column Examples:

Backlog → Planning → To Do → In Progress → Review → Done
Ideas → Research → Writing → Editing → Published
New → Assigned → In Progress → Testing → Deployed

Cards (Tasks)

Cards contain your work items and include:

Task title and description
Due dates and deadlines
Priority indicators
Tags and labels
Assignees and comments
Attachments and links

Board Header

The board header contains:

Board title and description
Board settings and sharing options
Filter and search tools
Member avatars
Activity feed access

Creating Effective Boards

Board Types

Personal Boards:

Daily task management
Personal project tracking
Goal setting and habit tracking
Learning and skill development

Team Boards:

Sprint planning and execution
Marketing campaign management
Content creation workflows
Bug tracking and fixes

Organizational Boards:

High-level project tracking
Resource allocation
Strategic initiative monitoring
Cross-team coordination

Naming Conventions

Good Board Names:

✅ "Website Redesign - Q1 2025"
✅ "Marketing Team - Daily Operations"
✅ "Product Launch - Mobile App"

Poor Board Names:

❌ "Board 1"
❌ "Stuff to do"
❌ "Project"

Column Design Strategies

Workflow Mapping

Step 1: Identify Your Process Map out how work moves through your team:

Where does work start?
What stages does it go through?
When is work considered complete?

Step 2: Create Columns Create columns that match your process:

Use verbs for action states ("Reviewing", "Testing")
Keep column names short and clear
Limit to 3-7 columns for clarity

Step 3: Define Column Rules Establish clear criteria for each column:

When should a task move to this column?
What needs to happen before it moves to the next?
Who is responsible at this stage?

Common Column Patterns

Software Development:

Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Code Review → Testing → Done

Content Marketing:

Ideas → Research → Writing → Review → Approved → Published

Sales Process:

Leads → Qualified → Proposal → Negotiation → Closed → Follow-up

Event Planning:

Ideas → Planning → Booking → Promotion → Execution → Wrap-up

Work in Progress (WIP) Limits

Why Use WIP Limits?

WIP limits prevent overcommitment by:

Reducing multitasking
Highlighting bottlenecks
Improving focus and quality
Accelerating task completion

Setting WIP Limits

Guidelines for WIP Limits:

To Do Column: No limit (but don't overload)
In Progress: 1-3 tasks per person
Review/Testing: 2-4 tasks maximum
Done: No limit needed

Example WIP Limits:

Small team (2-3 people): 2-3 tasks in progress
Medium team (4-6 people): 4-6 tasks in progress
Large team (7+ people): Consider splitting into smaller boards

Monitoring WIP

Visual Indicators:

Column headers show current count vs limit
Columns turn red when limit is exceeded
Dashboard shows WIP metrics across boards

When to Adjust Limits:

Tasks consistently pile up in one column
Team members are frequently idle
Quality suffers due to rushing
Bottlenecks consistently occur

Board Customization

Visual Customization

Color Schemes:

Choose colors that match your brand
Use consistent colors across related boards
Consider accessibility for colorblind users

Background Options:

Solid colors for minimal distraction
Gradients for visual appeal
Custom images for inspiration
Dark mode for reduced eye strain

Column Customization

Column Properties:

Custom column colors
WIP limits and warnings
Automation rules
Sort orders and filters

Column Actions:

Archive completed columns
Reorder columns via drag & drop
Duplicate columns for templates
Export column data

Card Customization

Card Templates:

Pre-filled task templates
Standard field layouts
Default tags and labels
Automated assignments

Custom Fields:

Priority levels
Effort estimates
Custom categories
Progress indicators

Board Views and Filters

View Options

List View:

Compact task display
Quick scanning of many tasks
Bulk editing capabilities
Sortable columns

Card View (Default):

Rich visual representation
Drag and drop functionality
Detailed task previews
Visual status indicators

Calendar View:

Due date visualization
Time-based planning
Deadline management
Schedule coordination

Timeline View:

Project timeline visualization
Dependency tracking
Resource allocation
Milestone planning

Filtering and Search

Quick Filters:

Show only my tasks
Filter by due date
Filter by priority
Filter by tags

Advanced Filters:

Multiple criteria combinations
Date range selections
Custom field filters
Saved filter presets

Search Functionality:

Full-text search across tasks
Search by specific fields
Regular expression support
Cross-board searching

Collaboration Features

Real-time Updates

Live Collaboration:

See team members' cursors and actions
Real-time task updates
Instant notifications
Conflict resolution

Activity Tracking:

Task movement history
Comment and edit logs
Member activity indicators
Change notifications

Board Sharing

Permission Levels:

Owner - Full control and admin rights
Editor - Can edit tasks and board structure
Commenter - Can add comments but not edit
Viewer - Read-only access

Sharing Options:

Email invitations
Shareable links
Public board access
Team workspace integration

Communication

Task Comments:

@mentions for notifications
Rich text formatting
File attachments
Comment threading

Board-level Communication:

Activity feed for board updates
Announcement capabilities
Integration with chat tools
Email digest options

Advanced Board Features

Automation

Automated Actions:

Move tasks based on due dates
Auto-assign tasks to team members
Update tags based on column movement
Send notifications for specific events

Rules and Triggers:

When a task moves to "Done", archive after 7 days
When due date approaches, move to priority column
When tagged "urgent", notify team lead
When assigned to user, send email notification

Templates

Board Templates:

Save board structure as template
Share templates with team
Use community templates
Customize templates for specific needs

Common Templates:

Agile Scrum Board
Getting Things Done (GTD)
Content Calendar
Bug Tracking
Event Planning

Analytics and Reporting

Board Metrics:

Task completion rates
Average time in each column
Team productivity metrics
Bottleneck identification

Custom Reports:

Burndown charts
Velocity tracking
Team performance reports
Project progress summaries

Best Practices

Board Organization

Start Simple:

Begin with basic three-column layout
Add complexity as team grows comfortable
Test changes with small groups first
Gather feedback and iterate

Keep it Visual:

Use colors meaningfully
Add images to cards when helpful
Keep card titles concise
Use consistent formatting

Team Adoption

Training and Onboarding:

Provide clear guidelines for board usage
Train team members on kanban principles
Create board usage documentation
Regular check-ins and adjustments

Continuous Improvement:

Regular retrospectives on board effectiveness
Experiment with different column structures
Gather feedback from team members
Measure and track improvements

Performance Optimization

Large Boards:

Archive old tasks regularly
Use filters to reduce visual clutter
Split large projects into multiple boards
Implement board governance policies

Team Scaling:

Create role-specific boards
Use board templates for consistency
Implement standardized processes
Regular board health reviews

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Board Loading Slowly:

Too many tasks on the board
Large file attachments
Poor internet connection
Browser performance issues

Tasks Not Moving:

Check permission levels
Verify WIP limit constraints
Look for automation conflicts
Clear browser cache

Sync Issues:

Refresh the browser
Check internet connectivity
Log out and back in
Contact support if persistent

Performance Tips

Keep Boards Manageable:

Archive completed tasks monthly
Limit active tasks to current work
Use multiple boards for large projects
Regular cleanup and maintenance

Next Steps

Now that you understand kanban boards:

Learn advanced task management - Master task details and organization
Explore collaboration features - Work effectively with your team
Discover automation options - Streamline your workflows

Start building your perfect kanban workflow today! 🚀