Understanding Task Lists

Overview

Lists represent the different stages of work within a Task Board.

As work progresses, Tasks are simply moved from one List to the next, giving everyone an instant visual indication of what's happening.

Unlike many traditional task systems, Lists are completely customisable, allowing each Board to have its own unique workflow.

Every Board Has Its Own Lists

Each Task Board contains one or more Lists.

For example, a simple Board might contain:

To Do
Doing
Done

While another Board might contain:

Quote Sent
First Follow Up
Second Follow Up
Third Follow Up
Won
Lost

A warehouse Board might instead contain:

Materials to Order
Ordered
Received
Ready for Installation

Every Board can have a completely different workflow depending on the type of work being managed.

Moving Tasks Between Lists

As work progresses, Tasks can easily be moved from one List to another.

This is typically done by simply dragging and dropping the Task to its new List.

For example:

To Do

↓

Doing

↓

Done

Or for a sales workflow:

Quote Sent

↓

First Follow Up

↓

Second Follow Up

↓

Won

Moving a Task updates its current stage without needing to recreate or duplicate the Task.

Designing Your Workflow

Lists should represent the natural progression of work.

Rather than creating dozens of unnecessary Lists, keep your workflow simple and easy to understand.

Ask yourself:

"What stages does this type of work normally pass through?"

Those stages usually become your Lists.

This makes it easy for everyone on the Board to understand what each Task requires next.

Who Can Create Lists?

Only the Owner of a Task Board can create, remove or rename Lists.

This helps ensure everyone using the Board follows the same workflow and prevents accidental changes to the team's process.

Why Managers Love Lists

Lists provide an instant visual overview of workload.

Without opening individual Tasks, managers can quickly see:

What still needs to be started.
What is currently being worked on.
What has been completed.
Where work is getting stuck.

This makes it much easier to identify bottlenecks and keep work moving.

Best Practice

Create Lists that reflect your actual business process.
Keep workflows simple and easy to follow.
Move Tasks regularly so the Board always reflects the current status of work.
Avoid creating unnecessary Lists that add complexity without improving visibility.

Understanding Tasks
Understanding Task Boards
Creating a Task
Moving Tasks Between Lists
Understanding the Filter View