Board Settings & Configuration

Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

Every taskboard is unique, and Waymaker gives you extensive control over how your board looks, behaves, and operates. From customizing workflow sections to managing members, understanding board settings helps you tailor each board to match your team's exact needs.

This comprehensive guide walks through every board setting, explaining what each option does and when to use it.

What You'll Learn

• Access and navigate board settings
• Configure board overview and metadata
• Customize workflow sections for your process
• Manage board members and permissions
• Organize files and attachments
• Control guest access
• Archive and delete boards
• Advanced configuration options

Prerequisites

• A taskboard created (Creating Your First Taskboard)
• Admin or owner permissions on the board
• Understanding of basic taskboard concepts (Introduction)

Accessing Board Settings

Opening Settings

There are three ways to access board settings:

Method 1: Settings Icon

• Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top right corner of your board
• Most direct method

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

• Press ⌘ + , (Mac) or Ctrl + , (Windows)
• Fastest for power users

Method 3: Board Menu

• Click board name dropdown → Select "Settings"
• Good for discoverability

The settings panel opens as a modal overlay with tabs on the left sidebar.

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Settings Overview

Board settings are organized into tabs, each controlling a different aspect of your board:

Tab	Purpose	Who Can Access
Overview	Board name, description, dates	Owner, Admin
Members	Add/remove team members, roles	Owner, Admin
Sections	Customize workflow stages	Owner, Admin
Files	Board-level file management	Owner, Admin, Member
Guests	External collaborator access	Owner, Admin
Layers	Configure layer types and hierarchy	Owner, Admin
Views	Customize board view options	Owner, Admin
Advanced	Automation, integrations, danger zone	Owner only

Let's explore each tab in detail.

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Overview Tab

The Overview tab controls your board's basic information and metadata.

Board Information

Board Name

• Click to edit inline
• Best practices:
  • Use clear, descriptive names (3-6 words)
  • Include client/project identifier if managing multiple boards
  • Add time period for campaigns or sprints
• Examples:
  • ✅ "Acme Corp - Website Redesign"
  • ✅ "Q4 Marketing Campaign"
  • ❌ "Board 1" (too vague)

Description

• Rich text editor supporting formatting
• Appears:
  • Top of board (can be collapsed)
  • Board list preview
  • Shared board links
• What to include:
  • Board purpose and scope
  • Key stakeholders
  • Important links or references
  • Working agreements or norms
• Example:

  This board tracks all deliverables for the Acme Corp website redesign project.
  
  Project timeline: Oct 1 - Dec 31, 2025
  Client contact: Jane Smith (jane@acme.com)
  
  Please update task status daily and flag any blockers in standup.
  

Board Type

• Simple or Project (set at creation, cannot change)
• Displayed for reference only
• See Introduction to Taskboards for differences

Due Date (Project boards only)

• Overall project deadline
• Click calendar icon to change
• Shows on board header and in board lists
• Use for:
  • Client delivery dates
  • Campaign launch dates
  • Sprint end dates
  • Milestone deadlines

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Workspace & Project Association

Workspace

• Organizational grouping (e.g., "Marketing Department")
• Change workspace to reorganize board
• ⚠️ Moving changes navigation location
• When to move:
  • Board belongs to different department
  • Project transferred to new team
  • Organizational restructuring

Project

• Sub-grouping within workspace
• Boards in same project can share:
  • Members
  • Files
  • Templates
  • Analytics dashboards

Associated Documents (if enabled)

• Link strategic documents or plans
• Creates bidirectional link
• Document changes reflect in board
• Use for:
  • Strategic plans
  • Project charters
  • Client briefs
  • Requirements docs

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Board Visibility

Organization Visibility

• Private - Only invited members can see
• Organization - All org members can discover (but not edit)
• Public - Anyone with link can view (read-only)

Default: Private (recommended for most boards)

When to change:

• Organization: Department backlogs, resource calendars
• Public: Public roadmaps, open-source projects

⚠️ Security note: Public boards expose all task data. Never use for confidential client work.

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Members Tab

The Members tab controls who has access to your board and what they can do. This is one of the most frequently used settings tabs.

Current Members List

Member Display:

• Avatar, name, email
• Role badge (Owner, Admin, Member, Viewer)
• Last active timestamp
• Total tasks assigned

Sorting & Filtering:

• Sort by: Name, Role, Last Active, Tasks Assigned
• Filter by: Role type
• Search: Find members by name or email

Adding Members

Steps:

1. Click "+ Add Members" button
2. Search organization members
3. Select one or more members (checkbox)
4. Choose role from dropdown
5. Click "Add Members"

Members are notified immediately and board appears in their sidebar.

Bulk adding:

• Select multiple members at once
• All get same role (can adjust individually after)
• Use teams/departments dropdown for faster selection

See Inviting Team Members for detailed instructions.

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Managing Member Roles

Change role:

1. Find member in list
2. Click role dropdown next to name
3. Select new role (Admin, Member, Viewer)
4. Auto-saves, member notified

Role capabilities:

• Owner (1 per board) - Full control
• Admin - Manage board, can't delete
• Member - Create/edit tasks
• Viewer - Read-only access

Who can change roles:

• Owner: Can change anyone
• Admin: Can change members/viewers (not other admins)

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Removing Members

Steps:

1. Find member in list
2. Click trash icon (🗑️)
3. Confirm removal dialog
4. Member loses access immediately

⚠️ Before removing:

• Reassign their active tasks (or they'll show as "Removed User")
• Download any files they uploaded if needed
• Review their comments/activity for important context

Removed members:

• Lose board access instantly
• Historical activity preserved
• Can be re-added later if needed

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Transferring Ownership

When needed:

• Original owner leaving organization
• Project handoff to new manager
• Organizational restructuring

Steps:

1. Scroll to bottom of members list
2. Click "Transfer ownership" button (only visible to owner)
3. Select new owner from dropdown (must be current admin or member)
4. Confirm transfer (⚠️ irreversible!)

What happens:

• New owner gets full owner permissions
• You become an admin automatically (or can leave board)
• All members notified of change
• Board history shows ownership transfer

⚠️ Cannot undo - New owner must transfer back if mistake

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Sections Tab

Sections represent the stages of your workflow (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done). This tab lets you customize sections to match your team's process exactly.

Current Sections List

Default sections (new boards):

1. Backlog
2. To Do
3. In Progress
4. Review
5. Done ✓ (marked as completion section)

Each section shows:

• Name and color indicator
• Task count currently in section
• Completion section badge (if applicable)
• Drag handle for reordering

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Adding New Sections

When to add sections:

• Your workflow has additional stages
• Need separate "Blocked" or "On Hold" status
• Client approval stage required
• Different testing or QA phases

Steps:

1. Click "+ Add Section" button
2. Enter section name
3. Choose color (helps visual organization)
4. Set position (or drag later)
5. Toggle "Completion section" if tasks here are done
6. Click "Create Section"

Section appears immediately on your board as a new column.

💡 Naming tips:

• Use verbs or states: "In Design", "Awaiting Approval", "Testing"
• Keep names short (1-3 words)
• Match your team's language
• Be consistent across boards if possible

Color coding strategies:

• Gray/Blue: Early stages (Backlog, To Do)
• Orange/Yellow: Active work (In Progress, Review)
• Green: Completion (Done, Shipped)
• Red: Blocked or urgent attention needed

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Editing Sections

Change name or color:

1. Click edit icon (pencil) next to section
2. Update name or color
3. Changes save automatically
4. All tasks in section update visually

Reorder sections:

• Drag section using drag handle (⋮⋮)
• Drop in new position
• Board columns rearrange to match
• Order represents typical task flow

Best practice: Order sections left-to-right as tasks progress:

Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Review → Done

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Completion Sections

What are completion sections?

• Sections that automatically mark tasks as 100% complete
• Typically "Done", "Shipped", "Closed", etc.
• Tasks moved here trigger completion logic

When a task enters a completion section:

• ✅ Progress set to 100%
• ✅ Completion timestamp recorded
• ✅ Notifications sent to watchers
• ✅ Metrics updated (burndown, velocity)
• ✅ Dependencies unblocked
• ⏱️ Auto-archive after 30 days (configurable)

Setting completion status:

1. Edit section
2. Toggle "Mark tasks complete when moved here"
3. Save

Multiple completion sections:

• Can have multiple (e.g., "Done" and "Canceled")
• Useful for tracking different end states
• Filter metrics by completion section

⚠️ Important: Moving task out of completion section marks it incomplete again (reopens task)

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Deleting Sections

Before deleting:

• ⚠️ Cannot delete section with tasks in it
• ⚠️ Must move or delete all tasks first
• Default sections can be deleted if empty

Steps:

1. Move all tasks out of section (or delete tasks)
2. Click trash icon (🗑️) next to section
3. Confirm deletion
4. Section removed from board

Recovery: No undo - create new section if deleted by mistake

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Section Templates by Methodology

Agile/Scrum:

• Backlog → Ready → In Progress → Review → Done

Kanban:

• Backlog → To Do → Doing → Done

Waterfall:

• Planning → Design → Development → Testing → Deployment → Complete

Support/Tickets:

• New → Triaged → In Progress → Awaiting Customer → Resolved → Closed

Creative/Marketing:

• Ideas → In Design → Review → Revisions → Approved → Published

See Customizing Workflow Sections for more examples.

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Files Tab

The Files tab manages board-level attachments and documents shared across all tasks.

Board Files

What are board files?

• Documents attached to the board itself (not individual tasks)
• Accessible to all board members
• Shared context, templates, references

Common board files:

• Project charter or brief
• Design files or brand guidelines
• Meeting notes or agendas
• Client contracts or SOWs
• Template documents

Upload board file:

1. Click "Upload File" button
2. Select file(s) from computer (or drag & drop)
3. File uploads and appears in list
4. All members can access

File list shows:

• File name and type icon
• Upload date and uploader
• File size
• Download button

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File Storage Limits

Per board limits (depends on plan):

• Free: 100 MB total board files
• Team: 1 GB total board files
• Enterprise: Unlimited

Per file limits:

• Maximum single file: 50 MB
• Supported types: Images, PDFs, Office docs, spreadsheets, code files

Exceeding limits:

• Upload fails with warning
• Delete old files or upgrade plan
• Use external links for large files

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Managing Files

Download file:

• Click download icon next to file
• Opens in new tab or downloads (depends on type)

Delete file:

• Click trash icon (🗑️)
• Confirm deletion (⚠️ permanent)
• Only uploader, admins, and owner can delete

File permissions:

• Members: Upload and download
• Viewers: Download only
• Guests: No access to board files (use task files instead)

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Guests Tab

The Guests tab controls external collaborator access (clients, contractors, partners).

Guest Invitations

Invite new guest:

1. Click "+ Invite Guest" button
2. Enter email address
3. Configure permissions:
   • Access level (assigned tasks only / all tasks)
   • Can comment
   • Can update progress
   • Can upload files
4. Add personal message (optional)
5. Click "Send Invitation"

Guest receives email with unique invitation link to join.

See Inviting Team Members for detailed guest workflow.

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Active Guests

Guest list shows:

• Name and email
• Status (Pending / Active)
• Access level
• Tasks assigned
• Last active

Manage guest:

• Edit permissions: Click edit icon → Adjust access
• Resend invitation: For pending guests
• Remove guest: Click trash icon → Confirm

Guest activity tracking:

• See all guest comments and updates
• Monitor which tasks guests are viewing
• Export guest activity report (coming soon)

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Guest Security

Best practices:

• Use "Assigned tasks only" for maximum security
• Review guest permissions quarterly
• Remove guests when project completes
• Never give guests admin access

Guest limitations:

• Cannot see full organization
• Cannot invite other members
• Cannot access board analytics
• Cannot see unrelated tasks

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Layers Tab

The Layers tab configures hierarchical organization like epics, sprints, or project phases.

Layer Configuration

Enable layers:

• Toggle "Use layers on this board"
• Choose primary layer type:
  • Epics (agile)
  • Sprints (scrum)
  • Phases (waterfall)
  • Custom (your own hierarchy)

Layer settings:

• Maximum depth: How many nested levels (1-4)
• Auto-collapse: Collapse layers by default
• Color coding: Assign colors to layer types

Layer types available:

• Epic → Feature → Story
• Sprint → User Story
• Phase → Stage → Task
• Custom → Define your own

Advanced: Create multiple layer types on same board (e.g., Epics + Sprints)

See Introduction to Layers for complete layer documentation.

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Views Tab

The Views tab controls which visualization options are available on your board.

Available Views

Toggle views on/off:

• ☑️ Board (Kanban) - Always enabled (primary view)
• ☑️ List - Hierarchical task list
• ☑️ Gantt - Timeline with dependencies
• ☑️ Calendar - Tasks by due date
• ☐ Dashboard - Analytics and metrics

Why disable views?

• Simplify interface for team
• Hide features you don't use
• Reduce confusion for new users
• Performance (on very large boards)

Default view:

• Choose which view opens when board loads
• Most teams use Board (Kanban) as default

View-specific settings:

• Gantt: Enable/disable dependency lines
• Calendar: Week start day, working hours
• List: Default sort order and grouping

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Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab contains powerful settings and the "danger zone" for destructive actions.

Automation Rules (Coming Soon)

Auto-assignment:

• Assign tasks to specific members based on section
• Example: Tasks in "Design" → Auto-assign to designer

Auto-move:

• Move tasks when conditions met
• Example: Progress = 100% → Move to Done

Due date alerts:

• Notify assignee when task approaching deadline
• Escalate overdue tasks to manager

Currently: Manual configuration only (automation roadmap for Q1 2026)

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Integrations

Available integrations:

• Slack: Post updates to channel when tasks complete
• Calendar: Sync task due dates to Google/Outlook calendar
• Email: Daily digest of board activity
• Zapier: Connect to 1000+ apps (coming soon)

Setting up integration:

1. Click integration name
2. Authenticate with service
3. Configure sync settings
4. Enable integration

Disable integration:

• Toggle off to pause
• Delete to remove completely

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Danger Zone

⚠️ Destructive actions - proceed with caution!

Archive Board

What archiving does:

• Board becomes read-only
• Removes from active board list
• Moves to "Archived" section
• Data preserved (can restore)
• Stops notifications and subscriptions

When to archive:

• Project completed
• Board no longer actively used
• Keeping for historical reference
• Need to reduce clutter

Steps:

1. Scroll to Danger Zone
2. Click "Archive Board"
3. Confirm with board name
4. Board archived immediately

Restore archived board:

1. Go to Archived boards list
2. Find board
3. Click "Restore"
4. Board returns to active state

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Delete Board

⚠️ PERMANENT - Cannot be undone!

What deletion does:

• Removes board completely
• Deletes all tasks, comments, files
• Removes from all member accounts
• Frees up board slot in plan
• No recovery possible

Before deleting:

• ✅ Export board data (CSV or JSON)
• ✅ Archive important files
• ✅ Notify all members
• ✅ Consider archiving instead

Steps:

1. Scroll to Danger Zone
2. Click "Delete Board" (red button)
3. Confirm by typing board name exactly
4. Click "Permanently Delete"
5. Board deleted immediately

Who can delete:

• Owner only
• Admins cannot delete (must request owner)

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Configuration Best Practices

When to Customize Settings

Early (first week):

• ✅ Customize sections to match workflow
• ✅ Add team members
• ✅ Set board description and metadata
• ✅ Configure visibility

After workflow established (month 1):

• ✅ Add layers if needed
• ✅ Customize views based on usage
• ✅ Set up integrations
• ✅ Invite guests (clients)

Ongoing:

• ✅ Review member access quarterly
• ✅ Archive completed boards
• ✅ Adjust sections as process evolves

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Settings Changes to Avoid

❌ Changing sections mid-sprint:

• Confuses team, disrupts workflow
• Wait for sprint end to restructure

❌ Deleting sections with tasks:

• Must move tasks first
• Risk of losing work

❌ Frequent ownership transfers:

• Creates confusion about accountability
• Transfer only when truly needed

❌ Over-complicating with too many sections:

• 3-7 sections is ideal
• More sections = decision paralysis

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Troubleshooting

"I can't access board settings"

Possible causes:

• You're a member or viewer (not admin/owner)
• Board is archived
• Permission sync issue

Solution:

1. Check your role (look for role badge on Members tab)
2. Ask admin/owner to upgrade your role
3. Verify board isn't archived

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"Changes to sections aren't saving"

Possible causes:

• Network connection issue
• Browser cache problem
• Concurrent edit conflict

Solution:

1. Check internet connection
2. Refresh page (⌘R or Ctrl+R)
3. Clear browser cache
4. Try different browser

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"Guest invitation isn't sending"

Possible causes:

• Email typo
• Organization guest limit reached
• Email blocked by spam filter

Solution:

1. Verify email address correct
2. Check organization plan limits
3. Resend invitation
4. Ask guest to check spam folder

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Next Steps

You've mastered board settings! Now you're ready to explore advanced features:

1. Introduction to Layers - Hierarchical organization
2. Customizing Workflow Sections - Deep dive on sections
3. Guest Collaboration - Advanced guest workflows
4. Permissions and Access Control - Fine-grained permissions
5. Board Templates and Reusability - Save time with templates

Related Articles

• Creating Your First Taskboard
• Inviting Team Members
• Understanding the Taskboard Interface
• Taskboard Organization Strategies

Quick Reference

Open Settings:

• Click ⚙️ icon OR ⌘/Ctrl + ,

Key Settings Tabs:

• Overview - Board name, description, dates
• Members - Add/remove people, change roles
• Sections - Customize workflow stages
• Guests - External collaborator access
• Advanced - Archive/delete board

Common Actions:

• Add member: Members tab → Add Members → Select → Choose role
• Add section: Sections tab → Add Section → Name + Color
• Invite guest: Guests tab → Invite Guest → Email + Permissions
• Archive board: Advanced → Danger Zone → Archive Board
• Delete board: Advanced → Danger Zone → Delete (⚠️ permanent)

Permissions:

• Owner - Full access to all settings
• Admin - All except delete board
• Member/Viewer - Read-only settings access

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Ready for advanced organization? → Introduction to Layers