Content:
1. The Kanban card definition
2. Overview of the card properties
3. How to configure your card view?
4. Description of the card tabs
1. The Definition of a Kanban Card
Тhe Kanban card and the Kanban board are the two main components of Kanbanize.
The Kanban card is a representation of a work item. It carries information about the task itself - who is responsible for the task (assignee); title and description of the task; how big the task is; what is the task priority, etc.
When moving cards on the Kanban board users indicate their work progress through the workflow.
2. An Overview of the Kanban card properties
When you create your first Kanban card, you are supposed to input task-related data in the corresponding card fields.
The minimum you can start with is a card title and an assignee and you can click the 'Add card' button on the bottom right corner of the card in order to create it.
Note: Whenever you click inside the description field, a rich-text editor becomes available. It also supports markdown for simple text formatting.
You can add a description that is relevant to the task.
* Right-click to open the card in a new tab for a better overview.
The card "dissection" below shows the card structure and the location of all pertinent card properties and functionalities.
Top Right Side
The following card details (left to right 1,2,3,4,5) are positioned on the top right side of the card header:
(1) Card color: Using colors is an easy and quick way to make a card stand out and to categorize and group your work for further reporting.
(2) Card Priority: The priority indicates how urgent a task is. There are 4 stages of priority in Kanbanize: Low, Average, High, and Critical indicated by different colors.
(3) Template: you can design a card and set up predefined properties that will be constant for the cards for which that template is applied. This will cut the time it takes to set up all the properties every time when a new card is created. Just apply the template and the card will convert to the desired complex structure.
(4) Card Settings - provides a shortcut to a lot of useful functionalities.
(5) Close the card.
Right to the description field
The right side of the Card has four menus (1, 2, 3, 4):
- Card Fields
- Custom Fields (in case that you have created your own custom field)
- Attachments
- Links Overview
(1) In the Card Fields menu, users can define:
Assignee: This is the user who is working on the task.
Deadline: Select a date from the Calendar picker to set up a deadline for the task.
Size: You can use different values to indicate how big a task is.
External link: Enter a link to refer to an external source of information that is somehow connected to the task.
Tags: Using tags allows you to organize your cards and search easily for a card later through filters.
Use the plus icon (+) if you want to add (img.1):
- Extra Card Fields: Watchers and Custom ID
Watcher: Watching cards allows users to receive notifications for any changes that have been made on a certain card, even if you are not subscribed to get notifications from the board where the card is located.
Custom ID: Select it to make the field available on the card and fill in the custom ID number.
Update the card and the value you entered will replace the internal card ID, which is visible at the top left corner of the card.
(2) Custom fields that you have created for the board.
The Custom Fields allow you to extend the properties (fields) of your Kanban card without limitations. You can also manage custom fields directly from your Board.
Important: Note that if you create custom fields to extend the card default properties, they will be made available in the additional panel (click the PLUS icon to open it).
You have to select the Custom field to add it to the card (2). Then input its value.
If the field is marked as mandatory, it will instantly appear on the card.
Note: If no custom fields were added, the custom field-related data will not be displayed here.
(3) The attachments menu displays all files attached to the card. Use the plus icon (+) to upload a file from your computer; Dropbox; Box; Google Drive or OneDrive.
(4) The Links Overview menu displays all card relations in the system and their type of links. Click on any of the links to open the related card.
Use the plus icon (+) to link the current card to new and existing cards in the system and to instantly establish their type of relation.
Left Card Side
Use card types to categorize your tasks by using predefined categories. Types are added at the project level and are customizable to meet your requirements.
You can attach a type to your card from the dedicated Card Type filed at the top left side of the card. Click on the default Type icon to open a drop-down menu and select one of the available card type options.
At the bottom of each card, you will find the Position Control View that helps you to easily move the card to the next stage on the board (img.1).
Img.1
The Position control mirrors the workflow stages of the board where the selected card is currently located. All stages that cards have already passed through are colored in grey. Users can easily identify the current position of the card - it is marked with an icon matching the color of the stage.
You can click on any of the stages ahead -> just update your card and it will be immediately moved to the desired position.
Click on the ADD CARD button and the card will be created at your Kanban Board.
The default closed card view of the card displays the information that you have filled in the fields prior to the card creation. Just click on any of the fields to modify the task information, without opening the card.
When you add the card -> it will be created on the Board and the following properties will be displayed by default: Card ID, Title, Assignee, Deadline, Priority, Tag, Subtasks, Attachments (on hover).
Please, check Img. 2 below.
Img.2
- Card ID: Every card in Kanbanize has a unique card ID which is like the serial number of the card. The card ID is the easiest way to refer to a card in the system. It is displayed at the top left side of the card. You can replace the internal card ID with a custom ID number to match your company numeral system.
- Cycle Time of the card is outlined in red. It indicates the time a card has spent on the board. Kanbanize automatically records the time each card has spent along the process: from the initial phase until delivery.
- Context Menu - it provides a shortcut to many functionalities in the Software. This is the icon at the top right corner of the card.
- Subtasks - are small action items which are part of a bigger task; like a checklist that needs to be completed in order for the task to be completed.
3. How to configure your card view?
То display more card properties at the closed card view, you have to configure the Card settings.
Go to the Board Sidebar to the right of your board and select Configure Card View.
There you can switch on and off the card properties that you want to display or hide.
Note: The card ID, the Assignee, and the Title of the card cannot be switched off.
To learn more, please check out our dedicated article.
4. Description of the Kanban card tabs
The Kanban card has six main tabs that appear once the card is being created. Open the card and review the tabs as follows: Details, Subtasks, Comments, History, Metrics, and Links.
(1) Details: Provide a description of the task in the dedicated text box.
A rich-text format is available. The Details tab gives you access to all card properties and to the Position Control view of the card.
(2) Subtasks: In the second tab of the card, you can create and visualize the subtasks of the card.
The subtask is an element of completing a larger and more complex task. It has two statuses: checked and non-checked. Checkmark a subtask to mark it as completed.
You can assign subtasks to different users in the account. Via the Options icon, you can edit or delete a subtask or convert it to a regular card.
(3) Comments: In this tab, you can add comments relevant to the task. In case that you have set up email integration, you can even send and receive emails from/in the Comments tab. If you mention users in the comment section via the "@" symbol, they will receive an email or system notifications that will re-direct them to the card.
(4) History: In this tab, you can view the history log of the card - all activities or card changes that happened. The following information is provided: event name, author, details, date.
(5) Metrics: In the Metrics tab, you can get an overview of the lead time, the logged time and blocked time for the card. For more details, please check p.4 of the dedicated article.
(6) Links: This tab gives you complete control of the links of each card that you open. You can create new links, monitor the status of existing ones in a Kanban Board/Table/Graph view, and even create new links to related cards.
Notes: Card's Title added to the browsing history
When you open a card, its Title is added to the browsing history. You can use browser history to quickly access cards that you have opened before.
Read more about the Kanban card.