Workflows & states
Each team can use a workflow that matches how its tasks move from an idea to completed work. A workflow is an ordered set of states — the columns of your board and the values available on every task.
Set up a team workflow
Open Settings, choose Teams, and select the team.
Open the team's workflow settings.
Create a workflow with a clear name and, if helpful, a description so people know when to use it.
Add or edit states. Each state has a name, color, optional description, and an optional work-in-progress (WIP) limit.
Save the workflow.
Use names your team already understands, such as In Review or QA. Each team has its own workflow. New teams start with a default set of states you can customize.
Organize states by type
Every task state belongs to one of four types:
Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
Backlog | Ideas that are not ready for work |
Unstarted | Refined work that is ready to begin |
Started | Work in progress, including review or testing states |
Completed | Finished work |
You can add the stages your team needs, but a state's order is controlled within its type. This keeps the workflow consistent while still allowing the detail your process needs.
Move tasks through the workflow
As work progresses, change the task's state from its detail page, or drag the card to another column on the board. Columns are the workflow states, so moving a card updates its state.
Keep the state current: it tells teammates what is ready, active, awaiting review, or complete.
If a task is blocked, use a blocking link so the dependency is visible rather than relying only on its state. See Task links & dependencies.
Use states consistently
Use Done only when the team's definition of finished is met.
Use intermediate started states, such as review or QA, when they represent a meaningful handoff.
A WIP limit on a started state makes overload visible — when a column holds more work than its limit, treat that as a signal to finish or reassign work before starting more.
Consistent states make board views, workload checks, and delivery conversations easier to read. See Board (Kanban) view for how states appear as columns.
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