Creating Your First Taskboard

Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

Creating your first taskboard is quick and easy. In less than 5 minutes, you'll have a fully functional board ready for your team to use. This guide walks you through every step of the board creation process, from naming your board to understanding the default setup.

What You'll Learn

• How to create a new taskboard from scratch
• Configure basic board settings
• Understand default sections and their purpose
• Add your first tasks to get started
• Customize your board for your workflow

Prerequisites

• Access to Waymaker Commander
• Organization membership (or be signed in)
• Basic understanding of what taskboards are (Introduction to Taskboards)

Step-by-Step: Create Your First Board

Step 1: Navigate to Taskboards

From the Waymaker Commander interface:

1. Click on "Tools" in the left activity bar (or press ⌘5)
2. Select "Taskboards" from the Tools sidebar
3. You'll see a list of taskboards you have access to

First time? The list will be empty - that's perfect! Let's create your first board.

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Step 2: Click "Create Taskboard"

Click the "+ Create Taskboard" button at the top right of the taskboards list.

This opens the board creation modal where you'll configure your new board.

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Step 3: Enter Board Details

Board Name (Required)

Choose a clear, descriptive name that explains what the board is for.

Good examples:

• ✅ "Q4 Marketing Campaign"
• ✅ "Website Redesign Project"
• ✅ "Client Onboarding - Acme Corp"
• ✅ "Engineering Team Backlog"
• ✅ "Support Tickets"

Avoid:

• ❌ "Board 1" (too generic)
• ❌ "Stuff to do" (not descriptive)
• ❌ "Tasks" (every board has tasks!)

💡 Tip: Include the time period (Q4) or client name when relevant. This helps when you have multiple boards.

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Description (Optional but Recommended)

Add a brief description explaining:

• What work this board covers
• Who should use it
• Any special notes or context

Example:

This board tracks all marketing deliverables for Q4 2025,
including social campaigns, content production, and event planning.
Marketing team members should update task status daily.

The description appears at the top of your board and in the board list, helping team members understand the board's purpose at a glance.

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Board Type (Simple vs Project)

Choose the board type that matches your needs:

Simple Board (Default)

• For ongoing work without strict timelines
• No required dates
• Great for backlogs, operations, personal tasks
• Can always add dates to individual tasks later

Project Board

• For time-bound work with a defined goal
• Optional due date for the entire project
• Better for client deliverables and campaigns
• Helps with timeline tracking

When to choose each:

• Choose Simple if you're not sure - you can always create a project board later
• Choose Project if you have a clear deadline or milestone

💡 Tip: For your first board, stick with "Simple" to keep things straightforward.

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Due Date (Project Boards Only)

If you selected "Project" board type, you can set an overall project due date.

• This is optional even for project boards
• Represents the final deadline for all work
• Appears in board headers and lists
• Helps with prioritization across multiple boards

Example: If you're planning "Q4 Marketing Campaign," set the due date to "December 31, 2025"

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Step 4: Workspace and Project Association (Optional)

By default, your board will be created in your organization's default workspace and project.

What are Workspaces and Projects?

• Workspaces organize boards by business area (like departments)
• Projects group related boards together
• Both are optional organizational tools

For your first board: Accept the defaults. As you get more comfortable, you can create custom workspaces and projects.

Advanced: Click "Show advanced options" to select a specific workspace or project if you've already created them.

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Step 5: Create the Board

Click "Create Board" to finalize.

Waymaker will:

1. Create your new board
2. Set up default sections (Backlog, To Do, In Progress, Review, Done)
3. Add you as the board owner
4. Open the board in Kanban view

✅ Success! You now have a fully functional taskboard ready to use.

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Understanding Your New Board

Default Sections Explained

Every new board comes with 5 pre-configured sections that represent a typical workflow:

1. Backlog

Purpose: Tasks that are planned but not yet ready to start

• Ideas and future work
• Low-priority items
• Tasks waiting for more information

2. To Do

Purpose: Tasks ready to be worked on

• Next up for the team
• Clearly defined and actionable
• Sorted by priority

3. In Progress

Purpose: Tasks currently being worked on

• What team members are actively doing
• Should have assignees
• Limit to avoid multitasking

4. Review

Purpose: Tasks that need approval or validation

• Completed work awaiting review
• Testing phase
• Client approval needed

5. Done

Purpose: Completed tasks (marked as completion section)

• Automatically marks tasks as complete
• Archived after a period (keeps board clean)
• Used for progress tracking

💡 Tip: These sections work for most workflows, but you can customize them anytime. See Customizing Workflow Sections to learn how.

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Board Layout Overview

Your new board has three main areas:

1. Top Bar

• Board name and description
• View switcher (Kanban, List, Gantt, Calendar)
• Board settings button
• Member avatars
• Share/invite button

2. Left Sidebar

• Layer manager (empty for now)
• Filters and search
• Board navigation

3. Main Area

• Kanban sections as vertical columns
• Drag-and-drop task cards
• "Add task" buttons in each section

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Adding Your First Tasks

Now let's add some tasks to make your board useful!

Quick Add Method

1. Find the "+ Add task" button at the bottom of any section
2. Click it (we recommend starting in the "To Do" section)
3. Type your task name
4. Press Enter to create

Example first tasks:

• "Set up project kickoff meeting"
• "Define success criteria"
• "Invite team members to board"
• "Create initial task list"

Add Multiple Tasks Quickly

Keep pressing Enter after each task name to rapid-fire create tasks:

Press "+ Add task" in To Do section:
→ Type "Task 1" → Enter
→ Type "Task 2" → Enter
→ Type "Task 3" → Enter
→ Click outside or Esc to finish

💡 Tip: Start with 5-10 tasks to make your board feel real. You can always add more later!

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Full Task Creation

For tasks that need more details from the start:

1. Click "+ Add task"
2. Type the task name
3. Click the newly created task card to open task details
4. Add:
   • Description - What needs to be done
   • Assignee - Who's responsible
   • Due date - When it's needed
   • Priority - How important it is

See Basic Task Management for complete task creation details.

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Customizing Your Board (Optional)

While the defaults work great, you might want to customize:

Change Board Name or Description

1. Click the board settings icon (gear) in the top right
2. Go to "Overview" tab
3. Edit name or description
4. Changes save automatically

Add Team Members

1. Click the "Share" button (person icon with +)
2. Choose members from your organization
3. Select their role (Admin or Member)
4. Click "Add"

Members get immediate access and can see all tasks.

Modify Sections

Want to rename "Review" to "Testing"? Or add a "Blocked" section?

1. Open board settings
2. Go to "Sections" tab
3. Edit, add, or remove sections
4. Drag to reorder

See Customizing Workflow Sections for details.

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Best Practices for New Boards

Start Small and Grow

• Day 1: Create board with 5-10 tasks
• Week 1: Invite team, add more tasks, establish workflow
• Month 1: Add layers if needed, customize sections, refine process
• Quarter 1: Evaluate analytics, create templates, optimize

Naming Conventions

Establish consistent naming for clarity:

For Project Boards:

• [Client/Team] - [Project Name] → "Acme Corp - Website Redesign"
• [Quarter/Month] - [Initiative] → "Q4 2025 - Marketing Campaign"
• [Product] - [Version] → "Mobile App - v2.0 Launch"

For Operational Boards:

• [Team] - [Workflow Type] → "Support Team - Ticket Triage"
• [Department] - Backlog → "Engineering - Feature Backlog"
• [Process Name] → "Client Onboarding Process"

Involve Your Team Early

The best taskboards are collaborative from day one:

1. Create the board with initial structure
2. Add a few seed tasks to show the pattern
3. Invite team members within the first hour
4. Have a quick kickoff (5 minutes) to explain the board
5. Let the team add their tasks to build ownership

💡 Tip: Boards created in isolation rarely get adopted. Get team buy-in early!

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Creating Too Many Boards at Once

Problem: You create boards for every possible type of work before needing them. Solution: Create one board, make it successful, then expand.

❌ Perfect Board Syndrome

Problem: Spending hours setting up the "perfect" board structure before adding any tasks. Solution: Create → Add tasks → Iterate based on actual use.

❌ Vague Board Names

Problem: Names like "Project Board" or "Tasks" that don't indicate content. Solution: Use specific, descriptive names that explain the board's purpose.

❌ Not Inviting the Team

Problem: Working alone on a collaborative board, then sharing later. Solution: Invite team members as soon as you have basic structure.

❌ Ignoring Default Sections

Problem: Immediately deleting default sections without understanding them. Solution: Use defaults for a few days, then customize based on actual workflow.

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Troubleshooting

"I don't see the Create Taskboard button"

Possible causes:

• You're in viewer role (can't create boards)
• You're looking at a project-level board list where you don't have permissions
• You're not signed in to an organization

Solution: Check with your administrator about board creation permissions.

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"My board was created but I can't see it"

Possible causes:

• It was created in a different workspace
• Filters are hiding it
• Browser cache issue

Solution:

1. Go to Tools → Taskboards (main list)
2. Clear any active filters
3. Refresh the page (⌘R or Ctrl+R)

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"I created the board in the wrong workspace"

Current limitation: Boards can't be moved between workspaces after creation.

Workaround: Create a new board in the correct workspace, then manually recreate tasks (or use template feature when available).

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Next Steps

Congratulations! You've created your first taskboard. Now you're ready to:

1. Understand the Interface - Master the taskboard UI
2. Basic Task Management - Learn to create and manage tasks effectively
3. Invite Team Members - Collaborate with your team
4. Customize Workflow Sections - Tailor sections to your process

Related Articles

• Introduction to Taskboards
• Understanding the Taskboard Interface
• Basic Task Management
• Board Settings & Configuration
• Taskboard Organization Strategies

Quick Reference

Create New Board:

1. Tools → Taskboards
2. Click "+ Create Taskboard"
3. Enter name and description
4. Choose board type
5. Click "Create Board"

Default Sections:

• Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Review → Done

First Actions:

• Add 5-10 initial tasks
• Invite team members
• Start moving tasks through workflow
• Customize as needed

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Ready to dive deeper? → Understanding the Taskboard Interface