Manage board columns

Last update: August 26, 2024

Topics:
Agile

CREATED FOR:

User

A new board contains three columns by default. You can add more columns, change the order of the columns, rename columns, and delete any columns that you don’t need.

Column settings include policies, which allow you to define options for what happens to a card when it is moved into that column.

For information about sorting the cards in columns, see Filter and search in a board.

Access requirements

Expand to view access requirements for the functionality in this article.

You must have the following access to perform the steps in this article:

Adobe Workfront plan

Any

Adobe Workfront license

New: Contributor or higher

or

Current: Request or higher

For more detail about the information in this table, see Access requirements in Workfront documentation.

Add a column to a board

Click the Main Menu icon in the upper-right corner of Adobe Workfront, or (if available), click the Main Menu icon in the upper-left corner, then click Boards.
Access a board. For information, see Create or edit a board.
Click Add Column to the right of the existing columns.
In the new column, type a name and click Add Column.

TIP

To add an intake column, see Add an intake column to a board.

Reorder columns on a board

Access the board.
Drag and drop the columns into the correct order. Be sure to select the top of the column before dragging it to another location.

Rename a board column

Access the board.
Click on the column name, type the new name, and press Enter.

Or

Click the More menu on the column and select Edit. In the Settings area, type the new name in the Column name field, and click Close.

Delete a board column

When you delete a column from a board, it can’t be recovered.

Access the board.
Click the More menu on the column, and select Delete.

NOTE
Columns that contain cards, including archived cards, can’t be deleted. If you try to delete a column that contains cards, you must choose another column for those cards.

Display card count

You can use a configuration setting to display the number of cards in each column.

If you are using the WIP limit on a column, a separate card counter is not added. For more information on WIP limits, see Manage the Work in Progress (WIP) limit on a board.

Access the board.
Click Configure on the right of the board to open the Configure panel.
Expand Column.
Turn on Display a column card count.

The card counter appears at the top of each column.
Click Hide configure to close the Configure panel.

Define column settings and policies

Column policies include automatically updating field values, and setting a work in progress limit.

The policy for updating the status automatically works for both the card and the column:

When a card is moved to a column with a policy, the card status is updated to the status defined in the policy. This applies to both ad hoc and connected cards.
When an ad hoc or connected card status is updated on the card to match the column status in the policy, or a connected card status is updated elsewhere in Workfront, the card is automatically moved to that column. Also, if a custom status on a card matches the system status assigned to the column, the card is moved to that column.

A card will remain in a column where it is placed if the card status does not match any status set in any existing column policies.

NOTE

Dynamic boards always place cards in the column that matches their status, regardless of whether column policies are enabled or disabled. Cards will return to their assigned columns when you refresh the board.

Also, for all board types, if you move a card from one column to another column with the same status, the card will return to the original column when you refresh the board.

Access the board.
Click the More menu on the column, and select Edit.

The Settings area appears. The Column name lets you know which column you are defining settings for.
Enable the Update field values automatically policy to change certain field values automatically when a card is moved to this column.
(Optional) Set a value for the card status:
1. Select the Status check box.
2. Select the status to apply to a card when it is moved to this column.
  
  The status translation options for connected cards are also displayed. (Status translation does not apply to ad hoc cards.) These options determine the custom status applied to the task or issue in Workfront when a connected card is moved to this column.
3. Select a Custom status to apply to the card for tasks and for issues.
  
  When a card is moved to this column, Workfront first tries to apply the custom status (for example, Resolved). If the selected custom status is not available for that card, you are prompted to choose another status that corresponds to the system status (from step b above). For more information on statuses, see Statuses overview.
  
  Also, if the status on the connected task or issue is changed to the custom or system status set in the column policy, the card is automatically moved to the column.
(Optional) Set a value for the card assignees:
1. Select the Assignees check box.
2. Select an action.
  - Add on assignees: The assignees you select are added to the existing list of assignees on a card when it is moved to this column.
  - Override assignees: The assignees you select override all other assignees, and become the only assignees on a card when it is moved to this column.
3. Click Add Assignment and search for a user. Select the assignees from the search results. All Workfront users and teams are available to choose from.
(Optional) Set a value for the card tags:
1. Select the Cards check box.
2. Select an action.
  - Add on tags: The tags you select are added to the existing list of tags on a card when it is moved to this column.
  - Override tags: The tags you select override all other tags, and become the only tags on a card when it is moved to this column.
3. Select the tags from the drop-down list. Only tags already created in the Tag Manager are available to choose from. For information on adding new tags, see Add tags.
Enable the Work in progress limit policy to limit the number of cards that can be added to the column. Then, type the limit number in the Set limit field.

For more information, see Manage the Work in Progress (WIP) limit on a board.
Click Close to exit the Settings area and view the column and its cards.

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