The board (Kanban)

The board is where the work on your project lives. It shows every task as a card, sorted into columns that stand for the stage the task is in. A Kanban board (named after a Japanese word for “signboard”) is just that: a visual to-do list where you slide cards from left to right as the work moves forward.

On a building or interior project this keeps everyone honest. The architect, the contractor, the client, and anyone you invite all look at the same board and see the same picture: what is still to start, what is being worked on right now, and what is finished.

What you can do here

• See all the tasks for a project (or for one space) laid out in columns.
• Drag a card from one column to another when its status changes.
• Add a new card straight onto a column in a few seconds.
• Open any card to see and edit its full details: description, who it is assigned to, priority, deadline, labels, checklists, files, and comments.
• Search and filter the board so you only see what matters to you.
• Watch the board update live as your teammates move things, without refreshing the page.

A card has a type so everyone knows what kind of item it is. On a project the types are Action, Problem, Decision, Optimization, and Documents. Each card also gets a short number (for example WYR-42) so you can refer to it in a conversation.

The board navigation

Across the top of the board you will find a few tabs. They are different views of the same set of cards:

• Backlog: a plain list of cards that are not on the board yet. New ideas and tasks that you are not ready to schedule live here until you move them onto a column.
• Kanban: the main board with the columns. This is the view this page describes.
• Completed: an archive of cards that are done. You can look back at them, and reopen one if it turns out the work is not finished after all.
• Board settings: where you set up the columns, labels, and epics for this project. This tab only appears if you are allowed to manage the project.

Tip: The same tabs work inside a single space. When you are looking at one space, the board shows only that space’s cards, and an extra link takes you back up to the whole-project board.

How to move a card across the board

1. Open the Kanban tab.
2. Find the card you want to move.
3. Click and hold the card, then drag it to the column that matches its new status.
4. Let go. The card stays where you dropped it, and everyone else sees it move too.

You can also drag a card up or down inside a column to change its order. If dragging is awkward, open the card’s menu (the three dots) and use Move to top, Move to bottom, or pick another column by name.

When you drag a card into a column that is marked as “closing” (often a Completed column), the card is completed and moves to the Completed view. Drag it back out, or use Move to backlog, to reopen it.

How to add a card quickly

1. Scroll to the bottom of the column where the card belongs.
2. Click New card.
3. Type a short title and press Enter.

The card appears at once. Open it later to fill in the details.

How to find a specific card

1. Use the search box above the columns. You can search by title, by card number, or by label.
2. Click the Filters button next to the search box. Here you can narrow the board by type, category, role, or by the meeting a card has been queued for: every meeting type of your project appears in the list, so just before a site meeting you can check in one click whether the agenda is complete. The button shows a count while filters are active.
3. Active filters appear as small chips inside the search box. Click the cross on a chip to remove that filter, or choose Clear all filters at the bottom of the filter menu.
4. Click a face in the row below the search box to see only that person’s cards.

Live updates

You do not need to refresh. When someone adds, moves, or changes a card, your board updates on its own within a moment. If a teammate moves a card to another column, you will see a small message such as “Ruud moved WYR-10 to In progress”, so it is clear who did what.

Tip: Because the board is shared and live, it works well as the single source of truth in a site meeting. Put it on screen and walk the columns from right to left.

To set up the columns and labels that make these views useful, see Board settings.