KATHMANDU, Sept 7: Visual cards have been around for a long time and no doubt it enjoys a broad spectrum of use.
We see project managers tracking their workflow by putting multi colored index cards on large physical boards. Even writers use this simple hack to plot their novels.
Enter Trello, a project management app that will help users to optimize their workflow using the same concept of visual cards on a whiteboard. And the good thing about this app is that it’s not just a sophisticated utility for professionals. Casual users can get the most out of Trello by using it as a daily organizer or a personal schedule planner.
Trello uses a categorizing technique derived from the Japanese Kanban system that was developed at Toyota in the 1940s. The system broadly chunks your day-to-day work into three columns: to do, doing and done.
Music to the rescue
That’s too easy, right? Trello makes it even simpler. This application enables you to create individual ‘boards’ for your projects. These boards act as the digital version of the physical white boards. Inside a Trello board, users can categorize the board with the help of ‘lists’. These ‘lists’ represent the progress status of any work. Like in a Kanban board, the lists can be named as “to do”, “doing” and “done”. These are just default lists to get you started. After getting familiar with the app, you can add more lists to your board.
And the final element is the ‘card’. Users can stack cards under the appropriate list. These cards are flexible and can contain images, checklists and agendas. Best part of Trello’s versatile cards is that you can add users to assign them work. Users can also interact in this space via comments. It looks simple but has some pretty detailed features of a forum.
Possibilities are endless but here are few uses of Trello to just get you started:
Project Manager
Trello is popularly used as a project management app. This means, you can use Trello’s features to keep track of different stages of your project. Say, you are developing an app with your team, for that you need to divide the project into different sections. With Trello, you can create boards for separate sections, label tasks and assign your team members their jobs. In this way, you get a clear roadmap for your project and since everything is in the app, your team members can simply keep each other updated on the go.
Idea Bank
If you are a writer, you can use Trello as an ideas bank. Whenever your creativity is sparked, you can quickly note it down on the app. This is a better option than your physical notebook because you have the option to sort your ideas and even embellish them with photos. People who are used to apps like Evernote can get similar benefits with Trello.
Editorial Calendar
You can be a reporter who is working on various writings and handling deadline pressure. Or you can be a college student who is burdened with assignments and term paper submission. Instead of worrying and panicking at the last moment, use Trello to schedule your assignments. As you gradually work on your tasks, you can update your progress in the app. When you visually see yourself completing your work, you may finish your work on time.
