Rename task titles for clarity

1. Find the vague cards (2 minutes)

Open your project board and scan In progress and Next. You are looking for titles that are just nouns, categories, or outcomes with no action.

Quick tell: if two people could interpret the title differently, it is too vague.

2. Rewrite titles with active verbs (5 minutes)

Use a simple pattern: verb + object + scope. You are not writing a novel. You are writing a start button.

Examples:

• Passive: Blog post
  Active: Draft SEO outline for the Q1 launch post
• Passive: Pricing page
  Active: Review pricing page copy for clarity and accuracy
• Passive: Onboarding
  Active: Write 3-step onboarding email draft for new trials
• Passive: Bug fix
  Active: Reproduce checkout error on Safari and log steps
• Passive: Customer request
  Active: Reply to Acme about export timeline with next date

If you are stuck, start every title with one of these verbs: draft, review, decide, write, design, test, ship.

Quick rule: aim for one clear action, not a category. If the title still feels heavy, do a quick task breakdown until the next step is small enough to start.

3. Add one next-action line (3 minutes)

Rename is good. Rename plus a first step is better. Add one checklist item or one sentence at the top of the card description that answers: what do I do in the next 15 minutes?

If you want a consistent format, use an action plan pattern: next step, owner, deadline, done definition. It removes the "what do you mean by done?" follow-up.