When a team has dozens of tasks, the questions "Who is doing that?" and "Is it finished?" can eat up hours. A task board answers them at a glance. Coordinator adverts ask for experience with project management tools, and a simple board is the easiest place to start.
The idea
A task board has columns for the stages of work and a card for each task. The simplest board has three columns:
- To do: tasks not yet started.
- Doing: tasks someone is working on now.
- Done: finished tasks.
As work moves, you move the card from left to right. Anyone who looks at the board sees where things stand. This style of working is often called Kanban, from a Japanese word for a visual card or signboard.
Each card should say:
- What the task is, starting with a verb.
- Who owns it.
- When it is due.
- Any notes, files or checklists needed.
A useful rule: limit work in progress
If the Doing column fills up with fifteen cards, people are juggling too much and little actually finishes. Many teams agree a limit, such as no more than three cards per person in Doing. Finishing one thing before starting another moves the project faster.