Project Management

October 14, 2025

Using Kanban Boards for Visual Project Management in TaskForge

Turn any TaskForge custom list into a Kanban board with drag-and-drop columns, flexible grouping, and visual organization. Perfect for managing projects, sprint planning, and tracking workflows across your Obsidian tasks.

TaskForge Kanban board on macOS showing tasks organized in columns

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What Kanban Board Features Does TaskForge Offer?

Drag-and-Drop Column Reordering

Customize your workflow by dragging columns into your preferred order. Column positions are saved per board for persistent layouts.

Group by Any Property

Organize tasks by status, priority, tags, due date, file location, or any other property. Switch between different views instantly.

Collapsible Columns

Collapse columns to focus on active work. Column states persist per board so your workspace stays organized.

Visual Task Cards

See all task properties at a glance with rich task cards showing priorities, due dates, tags, and more.

What Are Common Kanban Workflows?

Sprint Planning Board

Group tasks by status (To Do, In Progress, In Review, Done) to manage your sprint workflow. Drag tasks between columns as work progresses.

To Do

Backlog items

In Progress

Active work

In Review

Awaiting feedback

Done

Completed

Priority Matrix

Group by priority to create an Eisenhower Matrix view. Focus on highest priority items first while keeping lower priority tasks visible.

Highest

Critical tasks

High

Important work

Medium/Low

Regular tasks

Project Board

Group by tags to separate different projects or areas of responsibility. Each column represents a project or category.

#work

Work tasks

#personal

Personal items

#project-alpha

Specific project

How Do I Get Started with Kanban Boards?

1

Open or Create a Custom List

Navigate to any custom list in TaskForge. You can create a new list or use an existing one for your Kanban board.
2

Switch to Kanban View

Tap the view toggle button and select "Kanban" to switch your list to a board layout.
3

Choose Grouping

Select how to group your tasks: by status, priority, tags, due date, or file. This determines your column structure.
4

Customize Layout

Drag columns to reorder them, collapse columns you don't need to see, and adjust your workspace. Your preferences are saved automatically.
5

Start Managing Tasks

Tap tasks to view details, drag them between columns to update properties, and create new tasks directly from the board.

What Are Best Practices for Kanban Board Management?

Getting the most out of your Kanban boards takes a bit of intentional setup. These practical tips will help you keep your boards clean, focused, and genuinely useful for day-to-day task management.

Limit Work in Progress

Resist the temptation to pile tasks into the In Progress column. Keeping only two or three active tasks at a time forces you to finish what you started before taking on something new. This single habit dramatically improves your throughput and reduces the mental load of juggling too many things at once.

Use Consistent Column Naming

Pick a naming convention for your statuses and stick with it across all your boards. If one board uses 'In Progress' and another uses 'Doing,' you will end up with scattered tasks and unreliable filters. Consistency makes it easier to search, filter, and build custom lists that pull from multiple boards.

Review Your Boards Weekly

Set aside a few minutes each week to scan every column. Move stale tasks back to the backlog, archive anything that is no longer relevant, and make sure the Done column gets cleared out. A weekly review keeps your board from becoming a graveyard of forgotten items.

Combine Kanban with Tags for Context

Tags add a second layer of organization on top of your columns. For example, tag tasks with #meeting, #email, or #deep-work so you can quickly spot which items need a specific type of focus. When you group by status but filter by tag, you get a powerful intersection of workflow state and task context.

Use Collapsible Columns to Stay Focused

Collapse the Done column and any low-priority columns when you sit down to work. This removes visual clutter and directs your attention to the tasks that matter right now. You can always expand them later during your weekly review.

Leverage Priority Grouping for Triage

When your task list feels overwhelming, switch your board to group by priority. This instantly separates urgent items from everything else and gives you a clear starting point. Triage the Highest column first, then work your way down. Once you have a plan, switch back to status grouping for your normal workflow.

How Do Kanban Boards Work Across Devices?

One of the biggest advantages of using TaskForge for Kanban boards is that your board setup travels with you. Whether you are reviewing tasks on your iPhone during a commute, planning a sprint on your Mac at your desk, or triaging priorities on an iPad at a coffee shop, your Kanban experience stays consistent.

All of your Kanban settings sync automatically across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Android through your Obsidian vault. Column orders, collapse states, and grouping preferences are saved per board, so each of your custom lists remembers exactly how you left it regardless of which device you pick up next.

iPad offers the best Kanban experience thanks to its larger screen. You can see more columns at once without scrolling, and the extra space makes drag-and-drop feel natural. If you frequently manage projects or run sprint planning sessions, try using TaskForge on an iPad in landscape mode for the most spacious board layout.

On iPhone and Android, Kanban boards adapt to the smaller screen with horizontal scrolling between columns. You can still drag tasks between columns, collapse sections, and switch grouping modes. The mobile experience is designed for quick reviews and updates on the go rather than extended planning sessions.

How Do Custom Lists Enhance Kanban Boards?

Kanban boards in TaskForge are not a separate feature - they are a view mode for any custom list. This means every filter, sort rule, and display preference you set on a custom list carries over when you switch to the Kanban view.

Create a custom list that shows only tasks tagged with #work, and your Kanban board will display only those work tasks organized into columns. Build a list filtered to high-priority items due this week, and the Kanban view gives you a focused board of just the most urgent work. The filters determine which tasks appear, and the Kanban view determines how they are visually arranged.

Practical Examples

Create a 'Sprint Board' custom list filtered to tasks tagged #sprint-current, then switch to Kanban view grouped by status to manage your active sprint.
Build a 'Team Overview' list filtered to tasks in a shared vault folder, then use Kanban view grouped by tags to see each team member's workload at a glance.
Set up a 'Weekly Focus' list filtered to tasks due within the next seven days, then use Kanban view grouped by priority to triage what matters most this week.

Because custom list filters and Kanban views work together, you can create as many specialized boards as you need without duplicating any tasks. Every board is just a different lens on the same underlying Obsidian vault data.

Ready to Visualize Your Projects?

Download TaskForge and manage your Obsidian tasks on Kanban boards for visual project management. Discover all our Kanban features or try the iPad app for an immersive Kanban experience on a larger screen.