Kanban is one of the most effective methods for visual task management. Instead of long lists and confusing spreadsheets, you see all work on a single board divided into status columns. It is simple, visual, and scales from a small team to an entire department.

What Is Kanban

Kanban (a Japanese word meaning "signboard") was developed at Toyota to optimize manufacturing. Today the method is used widely in project management and software development.

Core principles:

  • Visualize work — every task is a card, every stage is a column.
  • Limit work in progress — do not take on more than you can finish.
  • Manage flow — watch how tasks move across the board.
  • Improve continuously — analyze bottlenecks and optimize the process.

The Kanban Board in FlowEra

The Kanban widget in FlowEra is a full-featured board integrated into your team's workspace. Data is automatically tied to your org structure: a manager sees tasks from all their teams.

Columns and Statuses

By default the board is created with "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done" columns. You can add custom columns, rename existing ones, and set the order.

Drag a card from one column to another to update its status. This is the primary interaction with the board.

Task Cards

Each card displays key information:

  • Task title
  • Assignee (avatar)
  • Priority (color label)
  • Due date
  • Custom fields

Click a card to view details and edit fields.

Swimlanes

Swimlanes add a second dimension to the board. Group tasks by assignee, priority, or any other field. This helps visualize workload distribution across the team.

Custom Fields

Each card can contain arbitrary fields defined in the schema. Text, numbers, dates, select lists, URLs — whatever your workflow needs.

Fields are configured at the task type level. All tasks of one type share the same field set, but different types can have different schemas.

Automations

FlowEra lets you automate routine board actions:

  • Auto-move — when a field changes, the card automatically moves to the right column.
  • Notifications — when a task enters a certain status, a message is sent.
  • Assignment — when a task of a certain type is created, an assignee is automatically set.

Filters and Views

The board supports filtering by any field: assignee, priority, due date, labels. Save frequently used filters as named views.

Use the search bar to quickly find a task by title.

Best Practices

  • Start simple — three to four columns are enough to begin. Add complexity as needed.
  • Limit WIP — if the "In Progress" column has 20 tasks, that is not Kanban; it is unmanaged chaos.
  • Update regularly — the board is useful only when it is current. Update statuses daily.
  • Analyze bottlenecks — if tasks pile up in one column, the process needs optimization.
  • Use labels — color labels help quickly distinguish task types visually.