Configuring board columns

Add columns to the board to indicate the workflow stages or issue statuses and move cards between them. There are two ways you can set up columns on a board:

• By status: Issues on the board are only placed in the columns corresponding to their statuses. If you move an issue to a different column, the issue status changes.

• Custom: You can add any columns and move issues between them regardless of their status.

For any column type, you can set a limit on the maximum number of issues per column or add notes to columns.

Setting up columns by status

By default, a new board contains columns with the following headers: Open, In progress, and Closed. You can delete these columns and add other ones to see relevant statuses and move issues between them.

To set up columns by status:

1. On the sidebar, click → Boards and select a board.

2. Click Columns → Columns by statuses in the top panel of the board.

How to add a column

To add a column by status to the issue board:

1. On the board page, click Add column.

2. In the Column statuses field, specify one or more statuses to be linked to the column.

3. Enter a name for the column.

4. Set the maximum number of issues per column: How to limit the number of issues in a column.

5. Click Add.

How to find unused statuses

To view a list of statuses that aren't used on the board:

1. Click next to the rightmost column.

2. Add relevant statuses to the board: in the status card, click and then select Create column or Add to column.

Setting up custom columns

If you use custom columns, the board always has a column with unsorted issues — the first one on the left. You can create, move, or delete other columns as you wish. In addition, you can create issues inside custom columns and move them both within and across the columns. The issue parameters won't change in this case.

To set up custom columns:

1. On the sidebar, click → Boards and select a board.

2. Click Columns → Custom columns in the top panel of the board.

To add a custom column to the issue board:

1. On the board page, click Add column.

2. Name the column.

3. Set the maximum number of issues per column: How to limit the number of issues in a column.

4. Click Add.

How to limit the number of issues in a column

You can limit the number of issues for any column by setting the WIP (work in progress) limit. The limit helps you monitor the issue flow so that the workload doesn't exceed the team's capacity.

If the number of issues in the column exceeds the limit, you can still add more issues to it, but the column's background will turn yellow. This can help you pinpoint at what stage of the workflow your team is more prone to delays and slowdowns.

1. Hover over a column and click → Edit.

2. Set the maximum number of issues in the column.

3. Click Save.

How to add notes to columns

You can add your notes or comments to the board's columns to explain them to other users. Such notes are not protected from editing: any user can change them.

To add a note to a column:

1. Open the board page.

2. Click at the top of the column and then select Add note.

3. Enter the text of your note. Use buttons on the panel to format the text if needed.

4. Save your changes.

You can only add one note per column. It will be shown to all users at the top of the column.

Editing a column

You can change the column's parameters and its position on the board.

• To rename the column, change the maximum number of issues per column, or update statuses, hover over the column and click →  Edit.

• To reposition the column on the board, drag it around the board.

• To edit the note with the text shown under the column name, hover over the column, then click → Edit note.

Deleting a column

To delete a column from the board, hover over the column, then click → Delete.

If the deleted column contained issues:

• On the board with columns by status, the issues will be moved to Unused statuses. To view such issues, next to the rightmost column, click , then click the status name.

• On the board with custom columns, the issues will be moved to Unsorted issues.