Generally, card linking is used to connect (link) several cards together.
It is a common rule to group cards that are related to one another in order to synchronize them on the whole (relative cards, mirror cards)
Another reason to start linking cards is to create a breakdown of a card/task, which incorporates hierarchical structure (parent/child cards).
The last is a precondition for the Portfolio Kanban Management scenario.
Type of Links
Relative Cards – these are similar cards with no hierarchy between them. For example - let’s assume that you’re coordinating a marketing campaign for customer “X”. Card 1 represents the work of the Designer and Card 2 represents the work of the Content Manager. It would be appropriate to link these two cards as relatives, because they compile two tasks that create a single product.
Parent/Child cards – this type of relationship enables you to breakdown a task (parent card) into smaller pieces of work (child cards) and track each child card’s metric separately. Note: A parent card may have a unlimited number of child cards. A child card can have only one parent card.
Mirror Cards – use this type of connection if you simply want to duplicate a card. Any change of the original card will be automatically reflected in the mirror one and vice versa.
Note: This kind of connection has a limitation – a card which already has a parent/child link cannot be mirrored.
Successor/Predecessor cards – this relationship creates rules of order in the breakdown of your work via dependencies between the cards. If this connection is established, the system will not allow you to start working on the card defined as a successor, before the completion of the predecessor card (it first has to be moved to Done). The system will prevent that by blocking the successor card and make it immobile.
How to link cards?
Linking of existing cards
There are two ways to link already existing cards in the system: from the Links tab of the card and by using the drag and drop function.
1) Link existing cards from the Links tab of the card
Open a card and go to the Links tab
The panel enables you to define the type of relation and link the current card to another existing card in your account. To achieve that, you have to:
1. Define the status of your current card by selecting the type of connection from the dropdown menu: child/parent/relative/predecessor or successor.
2. Enter the Card ID or the Title of the card that will be connected to the current card.
3. Create a link
2) Link existing cards by drag and drop
Press the Ctrl key and drag and drop the card on top of the card you wish to link it to -> select the type of connection from the dropdown menu: child/relative/predecessor/successor. The cards will be automatically linked to each other. Note: Using this option you cannot create a parent card.
3) Create a Parent Card by Drag & Drop
To create parent-child link between two cards ->Press the Ctrl. key and drag & drop the card you wish to convert into a parent to the card which will become its child. From the popup window, select the type of relation i.e. "Link as Parent" and the cards will be automatically linked to each other as Parent /Child cards.
Links visualization
Upon creation, all of the linked cards are displayed as a list in the panel. The Link Type is visible too.
To see the graphical representation of the cards’ connection, click on the Links-view icon to visualize it.
Linking of newly created cards
Open the context menu from the upper right corner of your card → select Link/Copy → choose the type of relationship for the new card that will be created and automatically connected to the original one.
You can also automatically copy some of the parameters of the original card -> Click on the sheet icon on the right side of the desired card type (this is optional).
A new panel (mini-map) pops up and the system prompts you to identify where to create and place the new card.
1. From the drop down list -> select the Board where you want the card to be located.
2. Define the section (column and swimlane) where the card is to be created. You can do that by clicking with your mouse on the desired section on the mini-map.
3. If you have selected to copy parameters from the original card, there is an additional step in which you can define which card details of the parent card to be copied. Click on Continue.
The system will open up a new card – input the card parameters -> click on Add card to create it and it will be located in the predefined position.
How to delete a link?
If you want to remove/delete a link -> go to the Links tab of the card -> hover with the mouse pointer over the card ID of the linked card to activate the delete icon -> click on it -> confirm the action.
