Best Practices for Choosing Kanban Columns

Kanban columns are fundamental to visualizing and managing workflow efficiently in project management. Choosing Kanban columns thoughtfully enhances task visibility, identifies bottlenecks, and improves overall team collaboration and productivity.

Key Takeaways

• Kanban columns represent distinct stages of a workflow and must reflect the team’s actual processes for maximum clarity.
• Starting with basic columns (“To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done”) is recommended, with gradual customization to suit specific project needs.
• Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits and visual indicators such as color coding and priority tags support workflow optimization and task management.
• Regularly reviewing and refining the Kanban board setup ensures alignment with evolving team workflows and avoids complexity.
• Open-source Kanban tools offer flexibility, customization, and support for multi-tenant organizations, facilitating effective team collaboration.

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The best practices for choosing Kanban columns center around aligning the column setup with the actual workflow stages that tasks go through, supporting transparency and efficiency. Kanban boards visualize workflows by breaking down the process into discrete columns, each representing a specific phase from task initiation to completion. Proper selection and organization of these columns have significant implications for project management tools and task management effectiveness. As teams increasingly seek simple yet flexible solutions, mastering Kanban board setup — including the effective use of Kanban columns — becomes essential for workflow optimization and seamless team collaboration.

Kanban columns are more than mere placeholders; they act as visual signals identifying task progress and workflow states, enabling identification of bottlenecks and workload imbalances. Applying best practices in choosing Kanban columns contributes to clearer communication and increased agility, critical for teams across industries such as software development, marketing, and operations.

Understanding Kanban Columns and Their Role

Kanban columns represent specific stages in a project or team workflow on a Kanban board. Each column holds tasks—usually displayed as cards—that move horizontally across the board as work progresses. The columns visually partition the workflow into manageable segments, improving task tracking and team coordination¹².

Common default columns include:

• Backlog: A repository for pending tasks not yet prioritized.
• To Do: Tasks selected for the next cycle or sprint.
• In Progress: Work actively being executed.
• Done: Completed tasks ready for review or delivery.

However, these are starting points; teams customize columns to closely match their operational steps and terminology. For example, specialized columns like Design, Testing, or Blocked stages can be introduced to deliver finer workflow granularity¹³.

Sub-Columns and Swimlanes

Sub-columns allow further breakdown within a stage, such as splitting In Progress into In Development and Blocked sub-columns to highlight impediments. Swimlanes, which run horizontally, categorize tasks by type, priority, or team function, adding a complementary layer of organization¹.

The selection and arrangement of columns should follow a deliberate process-mapping effort to capture how work truly flows, providing clear entry and exit criteria for each stage¹.

Best Practices for Choosing Kanban Columns

1. Map and Understand the Workflow First

Before creating the boards, map out the actual workflow phases where tasks progress. This ensures the Kanban columns directly reflect reality rather than forcing a generic template. Each column should represent a meaningful checkpoint where task status changes¹².

2. Start With Essential Columns and Expand Iteratively

A basic setup with “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done” works well as an initial framework. Overly complex boards risk confusion and inefficiency. Expand columns only when justified by workflow nuances identified through team feedback and performance metrics¹³.

3. Define Clear Task Entry and Exit Criteria

Specify clearly when and why tasks move between columns. This clarity supports team alignment and effective task handoffs. For example, the transition from “In Progress” to “Testing” might require a code review or design mockups before moving forward¹⁴.

4. Set Work-In-Progress (WIP) Limits Per Column

WIP limits restrict the number of tasks in a column to avoid overloading team members and to expose bottlenecks. For instance, limiting “In Progress” to three tasks encourages focus and faster throughput²⁴. WIP limits promote sustainable pace and improve flow by making constraints visible.

5. Use Consistent Visual Cues Across Columns

Visual management enhances rapid comprehension. Consistent column colors, shapes, and icons reduce cognitive load. Highlight priority or urgent tasks using distinct colors or icons (e.g., red tags or “Urgent” badges) to draw immediate attention⁵.

6. Incorporate Sub-Columns and Swimlanes for Complex Workflows

For more complex processes, sub-columns help distinguish between states like “Blocked” or “Ready for Review,” while swimlanes allow classification by project, team, or priority. This layered structuring maintains clarity without clutter¹.

7. Regularly Review and Refine

Kanban boards are dynamic tools that must evolve with workflow changes. Regular reviews ensure the column structure remains relevant and simple. Removing redundant columns or adjusting WIP limits based on collected data prevents drift into over-complexity¹²³.

Practical Examples and Kanban Board Column Templates

Various industries adopt Kanban with slight column adaptations:

• Software Development: Backlog → Ready → Development → Code Review → Testing → Deployment → Done
• Marketing: Ideas → Approved → Creating Content → Review → Scheduled → Published
• Operations: Requests → To Assign → In Progress → On Hold → Completed

Teams building their boards can start from templates matching their domain or project management tools offering customizable open-source Kanban platforms³.

Metrics to Support Column Choices

Tracking metrics such as lead time and cycle time at each column enables quantifying performance and identifying inefficiencies. For example, if tasks accumulate unusually in the “Testing” column, this signals a capacity issue or process blockage².

Collecting such metrics also informs WIP limit adjustments, helping maintain optimal workload balance and workflow optimization.

Using Open-Source Kanban Tools for Flexible Board Setup

Open-source Kanban tools provide team managers with critical advantages:

• Customizable columns and sub-columns adapting to unique workflows
• Integration with authentication and multi-tenant organization support facilitating secure collaboration
• Cloud-based access supporting remote teams and real-time updates

Platforms built with modern technologies allow for quick Kanban board setup, easy adjustment of columns, labeling, prioritization, and smooth team collaboration³⁴.

Differentiating Between Columns and Swimlanes

Columns represent sequential workflow stages, while swimlanes organize tasks horizontally by criteria such as team roles or project types. Both support clarity, but columns focus on progress, whereas swimlanes improve categorization¹.

Understanding when to employ each supports a cleaner, more efficient board setup.

Common Pitfalls in Choosing Kanban Columns

• Excessive Columns: Too many columns create clutter and reduce usability.
• Inconsistent Naming: Ambiguous or nonstandard column names confuse team members.
• Ignoring WIP Limits: Without limits, bottlenecks and task overload go unnoticed.
• Neglecting Regular Updates: Boards that aren’t regularly reviewed lose alignment with actual processes.

Avoiding these pitfalls through disciplined practices ensures a better return on investment in Kanban workflows.

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Visualizing project progress through a well-structured Kanban board is a proven method for improving task management and team collaboration. Best practices for choosing Kanban columns involve starting with a clear understanding of the workflow, adopting essential columns, incorporating WIP limits, and maintaining consistent visual standards. These strategies help identify workflow bottlenecks and optimize productivity while keeping the board simple and adaptable.

Regularly reviewing and refining Kanban columns based on team experience and metrics is crucial to sustaining efficiency. Open-source Kanban solutions offer teams the flexibility and customization needed to tailor columns and workflow visualizations effectively.

For teams and project managers seeking a minimal yet powerful platform that supports secure authentication, multi-tenant organizations, and customizable kanban boards, exploring open-source options enables enhanced workflow optimization and seamless collaboration.

Discover how open-source Kanban tools can elevate team productivity and project management at Multiboard.

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Footnotes

1. Mirorim, "Creating Effective Kanban Boards," 2025. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

2. Meegle, "Kanban Setup and WIP Limits," 2025. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Industry reports on Kanban adoption, 2025. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Gmelius, "Fundamentals of Kanban Boards," 2025. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. David Anderson, Founder of Kanban Method, "Visual Management in Kanban," 2025. ↩