Kanban board template

A kanban board is a visual way to see work as it moves through different stages. Tasks appear as cards that move from column to column, showing where work stands at a glance. Without a clear board structure, it's hard to see what needs attention or how work is progressing. A kanban board template gives you a framework to organize tasks visually so your team can see what's happening and what needs to happen next.

What is a kanban board template?

A kanban board template is a pre-configured kanban board that sets up columns and card structures for your workflow. It gives you a starting point with common stages like backlog, in progress, and done already defined. The template helps you quickly set up a visual workflow without figuring out the structure each time.

Using a template means you don't have to design your board from scratch. It gives you a proven structure that you can customize to match how your team works, whether you're managing software development, content creation, or any other type of project.

Why do you need a kanban board template?

Managing work without visual organization often leads to confusion about what needs attention or unclear priorities. A kanban board template helps you stay organized visually. Here's what it does:

• Visual workflow shows tasks moving through stages so you can see progress at a glance
• Task organization helps you group work by stage and see where bottlenecks form
• Team visibility lets everyone see what's being worked on and what's waiting
• Priority clarity helps you see which tasks are important and need attention
• Progress tracking shows how work is moving through your process
• Bottleneck identification helps you spot stages where work gets stuck
• Collaboration makes it easy for team members to see and update work status
• Workflow consistency ensures everyone follows the same process
• Flexibility lets you customize columns and stages to match your needs
• Efficiency helps teams move work forward faster by seeing what's next

Without a template, boards often lack structure or miss important stages. You might forget to include a review stage or not have a clear done column, making it hard to see what's actually finished.

A static template is a good starting point, but using a project management tool like Breeze makes kanban board management much more effective. With Breeze, you can move tasks between columns by dragging and dropping, automatically update task status when cards move, see real-time updates as team members work, filter and sort tasks within columns, limit work in progress to prevent overload, and share boards with stakeholders so they can see progress without meetings. Instead of managing boards with sticky notes or static tools, you get a dynamic visual workflow that helps your team work more efficiently.

What goes into a kanban board template?

A kanban board template should include columns that represent the stages of work in your process. Here's what typically goes into it:

1. Backlog or to do - tasks that need to be done but haven't been started yet
2. In progress or doing - work that's currently being worked on
3. Review or testing - tasks that need review or quality checks before completion
4. Done or complete - finished work that's ready for delivery or release
5. Optional columns like on hold for paused work, blocked for tasks waiting on something, or canceled for work that's no longer needed
6. Card information like task title, description, assignee, due date, and priority
7. Work in progress limits to prevent teams from starting too many tasks at once
8. Labels or tags to categorize tasks by type, priority, or project
9. Due dates to track when tasks need to be completed
10. Task dependencies to show relationships between tasks

Customize the template to match your workflow. Add columns that make sense for your process, adjust card fields based on what information you need, and include any details that help your team work more effectively.