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Taskboards

List View for Task Management

List view presents your taskboard as a hierarchical, table-style layout that displays tasks in rows with detailed columns for all task properties. While Kanban view excels at visualizing workflow, list view is optimized for data management, bulk operations, and detailed task analysis.

ListView
Last updated: October 10, 2025•10 minutes read

List View for Task Management

Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

List view presents your taskboard as a hierarchical, table-style layout that displays tasks in rows with detailed columns for all task properties. While Kanban view excels at visualizing workflow, list view is optimized for data management, bulk operations, and detailed task analysis.

Think of list view as a spreadsheet for your tasks—you can sort, filter, group, and edit multiple tasks efficiently without the visual constraints of a board layout.

What You'll Learn

  • How list view differs from Kanban view and when to use it
  • Navigating the table-style interface
  • Sorting and filtering tasks for quick analysis
  • Customizing visible columns
  • Bulk selection and editing
  • Inline editing for rapid updates
  • Collapsing and expanding layer hierarchies
  • Exporting task lists to CSV/Excel

Prerequisites

  • A Waymaker account with access to taskboards
  • A taskboard with tasks created
  • Basic understanding of taskboard concepts

Understanding List View

What is List View?

List view displays tasks as rows in a table, with columns showing different task properties like title, assignee, due date, priority, status, and more. It's optimized for:

  • Data entry - Quickly add and update task details
  • Bulk operations - Select and modify multiple tasks at once
  • Sorting and filtering - Analyze tasks by any property
  • Detailed review - See all task information without opening cards
  • Exporting - Download task lists for reporting

List View vs Kanban View

FeatureList ViewKanban View
LayoutTable rowsColumn cards
Best ForData managementVisual workflow
SortingSort by any columnManual drag reordering
Bulk EditSelect multiple rowsLimited
Visual FlowNo workflow visibilityClear status progression
Detail DensityHigh (many columns)Low (card summary)
SpeedFaster for large listsCan slow with 100+ tasks
HierarchyCollapsible layersSwim lanes

When to Use List View:

  • Creating or updating many tasks
  • Analyzing task data (overdue tasks, unassigned work)
  • Bulk editing (reassigning 20 tasks to a new person)
  • Exporting for reporting
  • Reviewing comprehensive task details

When to Use Kanban View:

  • Daily standup meetings
  • Visualizing workflow progress
  • Prioritizing work by dragging
  • Team collaboration and discussion
  • Understanding bottlenecks

Accessing List View

To switch to list view:

  1. Open your taskboard
  2. Click the view switcher in the top-right area
  3. Select List icon or button
  4. The board transforms into table layout

Keyboard Shortcut: Press L to quickly switch to list view.

Persistence: Your view preference is saved per board. Switching to list view on one board doesn't affect others.

List View Interface

Column Structure

The default list view displays these columns (left to right):

  1. Checkbox - For selecting tasks
  2. Title - Task name (primary column)
  3. Assignee - Person responsible
  4. Status - Current workflow section
  5. Priority - High, Medium, Low
  6. Due Date - When task is due
  7. Layer - Which epic/sprint/phase
  8. Progress - Completion percentage
  9. Actions - Quick action menu

You can customize which columns appear and their order (see Customizing Columns section).

Row Hierarchy

If your taskboard uses layers, list view displays hierarchical structure:

▼ Epic: User Authentication
  → Task: Design login UI
  → Task: Implement OAuth
  → Task: Write auth tests
▼ Epic: Dashboard
  → Task: Create chart components
  → Task: Build data API
□ Ungrouped Tasks
  → Task: Update documentation

Expand/Collapse:

  • Click the triangle icon (▼ or ▶) next to a layer to expand or collapse
  • Collapsed layers hide their tasks, reducing visual clutter
  • Ungrouped tasks appear in a separate section at the bottom

Table Header

The header row contains:

  • Column names (clickable for sorting)
  • Sort indicators (▲▼ showing current sort)
  • Column resize handles (drag to adjust width)
  • Column menu (•••) for column-specific options

Action Buttons

The toolbar above the table provides:

  • Add Task - Create new task (defaults to Backlog section)
  • Bulk Actions - Edit/move/delete selected tasks
  • Filter - Open filter panel
  • Group By - Group tasks by property (layer, status, assignee)
  • Columns - Show/hide columns
  • Export - Download as CSV or Excel

Sorting Tasks

Single-Column Sort

To sort by any column:

  1. Click the column header (e.g., "Due Date")
  2. First click sorts ascending (A→Z, earliest→latest)
  3. Second click sorts descending (Z→A, latest→earliest)
  4. Third click removes sort (returns to default order)

Sort indicator: ▲ (ascending) or ▼ (descending) appears next to column name.

Default Order: Without sorting, tasks appear in creation order within each layer.

Common Sorting Scenarios

Find Overdue Tasks:

  • Sort by Due Date ascending
  • Overdue tasks appear at top (oldest dates first)

Prioritize Work:

  • Sort by Priority descending
  • High priority tasks appear first

Review Unassigned Work:

  • Sort by Assignee ascending
  • Unassigned tasks (empty assignee) appear first

Track Progress:

  • Sort by Progress ascending
  • Incomplete tasks (0%) appear first

Multi-Column Sort

Advanced sorting with multiple criteria:

  1. Click first column header to set primary sort
  2. Hold Shift and click second column header for secondary sort
  3. Continue holding Shift for additional sort levels

Example: Sort by Priority (descending), then by Due Date (ascending)

  • Result: High priority tasks first, with earliest due dates at top within each priority group

Preserving Layer Hierarchy

Group by Layer toggle (top toolbar):

  • ON: Sorting applies within each layer, preserving layer grouping
  • OFF: Sorting applies globally across all tasks, ignoring layers

Best Practice: Keep layer grouping ON to maintain project structure while sorting.

Filtering Tasks

Filter Panel

Access the filter panel:

  1. Click Filter button in toolbar
  2. Panel opens on right side
  3. Select filter criteria:
    • Assignee - Specific people or unassigned
    • Status - Workflow sections
    • Priority - High, Medium, Low, None
    • Layer - Specific layers or ungrouped
    • Due Date - Overdue, This Week, This Month, Custom Range
    • Labels - Task tags/categories
    • Progress - Completion ranges (0%, 1-99%, 100%)
    • Has Dependencies - Tasks with blockers or dependents
  4. Apply filters
  5. List updates to show only matching tasks

Filter Combinations

Multiple Filters use AND logic:

  • "Assignee: Jane" AND "Priority: High" AND "Status: In Progress"
  • Shows only tasks meeting ALL criteria

Filter Count: Active filters display as badges (e.g., "3 filters active")

Quick Filters

Predefined filters for common scenarios:

  • My Tasks - Assigned to me
  • Overdue - Past due date
  • Unassigned - No assignee set
  • High Priority - Priority = High
  • This Sprint - Tasks in current sprint layer
  • Completed - Status = Done or Progress = 100%

Click any quick filter to apply instantly.

Saved Filters

Create reusable filter combinations:

  1. Configure your filters
  2. Click Save Filter button
  3. Name the filter (e.g., "Team Overdue High Priority")
  4. Filter appears in Quick Filters list
  5. Share with team or keep private

Clearing Filters

To return to unfiltered view:

  • Click Clear Filters button
  • Or click X on individual filter badges

Customizing Columns

Show/Hide Columns

To control which columns display:

  1. Click Columns button in toolbar
  2. Checklist of available columns appears
  3. Check/uncheck columns to show/hide
  4. Changes apply immediately

Available Columns:

  • Title (always visible)
  • Assignee
  • Status
  • Priority
  • Due Date
  • Start Date
  • Layer
  • Progress (%)
  • Estimated Hours
  • Actual Hours
  • Labels
  • Created Date
  • Modified Date
  • Description Preview
  • Checklist Progress
  • Comment Count
  • Attachment Count

Best Practice: Show only columns relevant to your current task (e.g., hide time tracking columns if not tracking hours)

Reordering Columns

To change column order:

  1. Click Columns button
  2. Drag column names up/down in the list
  3. Or click a column header and drag left/right in the table
  4. Order is saved automatically

Fixed Columns: Checkbox and Title columns are always first and cannot be reordered.

Resizing Columns

To adjust column width:

  1. Hover over column border in header
  2. Cursor changes to resize handle (↔)
  3. Click and drag left/right
  4. Release to set new width
  5. Widths are saved per board

Auto-Fit: Double-click a column border to auto-resize to fit content.

Column Defaults

Your column preferences are saved:

  • Per board - Different boards can have different column setups
  • Per user - Your preferences don't affect teammates
  • Persistent - Preferences remain across sessions

Reset to Default: Click Reset Columns to restore factory defaults.

Inline Editing

List view enables quick inline editing without opening task details.

Editable Fields

Click directly on cells to edit:

Title: Click to rename task inline Assignee: Click to open assignee dropdown Status: Click to change workflow section Priority: Click to toggle priority level Due Date: Click to open date picker Progress: Click to adjust percentage slider Layer: Click to assign to different layer

Save: Changes save automatically when you click outside the cell or press Enter.

Cancel: Press Escape to cancel editing and revert changes.

Rapid Data Entry

To quickly update multiple tasks:

  1. Click first field to edit
  2. Update value
  3. Press Tab to move to next column
  4. Update next value
  5. Press Enter to move to next row
  6. Continue tabbing and entering

This flow lets you update 50+ tasks in minutes—much faster than opening each task individually.

Bulk Inline Editing

To update the same field on multiple tasks:

  1. Select multiple tasks (Shift+Click for range, Ctrl/Cmd+Click for individual)
  2. Right-click on selected tasks
  3. Choose Bulk Edit
  4. Select field to update (e.g., "Assignee")
  5. Set new value
  6. All selected tasks update simultaneously

Common Bulk Edits:

  • Reassign 20 tasks to a new team member
  • Set priority to High on all critical bugs
  • Move 10 tasks to a new layer (sprint)
  • Update due dates by adding 1 week

Compact vs Expanded View

Toggle between display densities:

Compact View (Default)

  • Single-line rows
  • Minimal padding
  • Shows ~20-30 tasks on screen
  • Best for scanning large lists
  • Faster rendering performance

Expanded View

Access via View Options menu:

  • Multi-line rows
  • Shows description preview
  • Displays subtask count
  • More vertical spacing
  • Shows ~10-15 tasks on screen
  • Best for detailed review

Toggle: Click Compact/Expanded button in toolbar.

Grouping Tasks

Group By Options

Organize tasks into collapsible groups:

  1. Click Group By in toolbar
  2. Select grouping criteria:
    • Layer - Group by epic/sprint/phase
    • Status - Group by workflow section
    • Assignee - Group by person
    • Priority - Group by priority level
    • Due Date - Group by time period (overdue, this week, this month, later)
    • None - Flat list (no grouping)

Grouped Layout

When grouped, tasks appear under expandable headers:

▼ High Priority (8 tasks)
  → Task A
  → Task B
  ...

▼ Medium Priority (12 tasks)
  → Task C
  → Task D
  ...

▼ No Priority Set (3 tasks)
  → Task E
  ...

Expand/Collapse: Click group header to show/hide tasks in that group.

Group Count: Each header shows the number of tasks in the group.

Sorting Within Groups: Sorting applies within each group independently.

Exporting Task Lists

Export Formats

Download your task list for external use:

  1. Click Export button in toolbar
  2. Choose format:
    • CSV - Comma-separated values (open in Excel, Google Sheets)
    • Excel - Native .xlsx format with formatting
    • PDF - Formatted printable list (coming soon)
  3. Select export scope:
    • Visible tasks - Only currently filtered/displayed tasks
    • All tasks - Entire taskboard regardless of filters
  4. Click Download

Export Contents

Exported files include:

  • All visible columns
  • Current sort order
  • Task hierarchy (indented in CSV)
  • Layer grouping (if enabled)

Use Cases:

  • Client reporting (export tasks for status reports)
  • Executive summaries (export filtered high-priority tasks)
  • Backup (periodic exports for record-keeping)
  • Analysis (import into BI tools for advanced analytics)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigate list view efficiently:

ShortcutAction
LSwitch to list view
↑ ↓Navigate between rows
EnterOpen selected task details
EEdit selected task inline
SpaceSelect/deselect task checkbox
Shift + ↑ ↓Extend selection up/down
Ctrl/Cmd + ASelect all visible tasks
TabMove to next column when editing
Shift + TabMove to previous column when editing
EscapeCancel inline editing
FOpen filter panel
SFocus search box
NCreate new task
/Show keyboard shortcuts help

Best Practices

When to Use List View

Use list view for:

  • Bulk operations - Updating many tasks at once
  • Data review - Checking task details across the board
  • Reporting - Preparing status updates or exports
  • Sprint planning - Assigning tasks and setting estimates
  • Cleanup - Finding and fixing incomplete task data (missing assignees, due dates)

Efficient Workflows

Daily Review:

  1. Switch to list view
  2. Sort by due date ascending
  3. Focus on tasks due today and overdue
  4. Bulk reassign if needed
  5. Switch back to Kanban for daily work

Sprint Planning:

  1. Group by layer (show sprints)
  2. Filter to current sprint
  3. Sort by priority
  4. Assign tasks inline
  5. Set due dates in bulk

Reporting:

  1. Filter to completed tasks (This Week)
  2. Group by assignee
  3. Export to Excel
  4. Share with stakeholders

Performance Tips

Large Taskboards (200+ tasks):

  • Use filters to reduce visible tasks
  • Collapse completed layers
  • Hide unnecessary columns
  • Use compact view for better performance
  • Consider archiving old completed tasks

Slow Loading:

  • Refresh browser
  • Clear browser cache
  • Check internet connection
  • Switch to Kanban view if list is very slow

Troubleshooting

Columns Missing

Issue: Expected columns don't appear.

Solutions:

  • Click Columns button to check if columns are hidden
  • Click Reset Columns to restore defaults
  • Check if board permissions allow viewing certain fields
  • Refresh browser

Can't Edit Inline

Issue: Clicking cells doesn't enable editing.

Solutions:

  • Verify you have edit permissions on the board
  • Check if task is locked by another user
  • Try refreshing the browser
  • Click directly on the cell content, not the row background

Sorting Not Working

Issue: Clicking column headers doesn't sort.

Solutions:

  • Click directly on the column name, not the column content
  • Check if Group By is enabled (sorting works within groups)
  • Some columns like Actions are not sortable
  • Refresh browser if sorting stops responding

Export File Empty

Issue: Downloaded export contains no tasks.

Solutions:

  • Check if filters are hiding all tasks
  • Select All Tasks instead of Visible Tasks
  • Verify tasks exist on the board
  • Try a different export format

Need More Help?

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