Performance Optimization for Taskboards

This guide helps you optimize Waymaker taskboard performance for speed, responsiveness, and efficiency. Whether you're managing large boards with thousands of tasks or looking to improve load times, these strategies will keep your taskboards running smoothly.

Performance Benchmarks

Expected Performance Levels

Optimal Performance:

Board load time: < 2 seconds
Task creation: < 500ms
Drag and drop: < 100ms latency
Search results: < 1 second
Real-time sync: < 500ms
Filter application: < 1 second

Acceptable Performance:

Board load time: 2-4 seconds
Task creation: 500ms - 1 second
Drag and drop: 100-300ms latency
Search results: 1-2 seconds
Real-time sync: 500ms - 1 second
Filter application: 1-2 seconds

Degraded Performance (Needs Optimization):

Board load time: > 4 seconds
Task creation: > 1 second
Drag and drop: > 300ms latency
Search results: > 2 seconds
Real-time sync: > 1 second
Filter application: > 2 seconds

Performance by Board Size

Small Boards (< 100 tasks):

Excellent performance on all devices
All features work smoothly
No optimization needed

Medium Boards (100-500 tasks):

Good performance on modern devices
Occasional slowdown on older hardware
Basic optimization recommended

Large Boards (500-1000 tasks):

Noticeable performance impact
Optimization strategies recommended
Consider archiving or splitting

Very Large Boards (> 1000 tasks):

Significant performance challenges
Aggressive optimization required
Strong recommendation to split or archive

Managing Large Boards

Symptoms of Oversized Boards

Warning Signs:

Slow Initial Load
- Board takes > 5 seconds to load
- Progress bar appears during loading
- Browser shows "Page Unresponsive" warnings
Laggy Interactions
- Delay when dragging tasks
- Slow scrolling
- Choppy animations
- Input lag when typing
Search Performance
- Search takes several seconds
- Results load slowly
- Browser freezes during search
Memory Issues
- Browser tab uses excessive memory
- Other tabs slow down
- System memory warnings

Board Size Optimization Strategies

1. Archive Completed Tasks

When to Archive:

Tasks completed > 3 months ago
Tasks from finished projects
Tasks with "Done" or "Closed" status
Tasks no longer relevant to active work

How to Archive:

Filter for Old Tasks
- Set filter: "Completed before" → 3 months ago
- Review filtered list
- Verify tasks are safe to archive
Bulk Archive
- Select all filtered tasks
- Click "Bulk Actions" → "Archive"
- Confirm archiving operation
- Wait for completion
Verify Results
- Check task count before/after
- Ensure critical tasks remain
- Test board performance

Performance Impact:

Archiving 500 tasks can improve load time by 50%
Drag performance improves significantly
Search becomes faster

2. Split Large Projects

When to Split:

Single board exceeds 500 active tasks
Multiple distinct project phases
Different teams working independently
Clear project boundaries exist

How to Split Boards:

Option A: By Project Phase

Original Board: "Product Launch"
  ↓
New Boards:
  - "Product Launch - Planning" (Phase 1)
  - "Product Launch - Development" (Phase 2)
  - "Product Launch - Marketing" (Phase 3)

Option B: By Team/Department

Original Board: "Q4 Goals"
  ↓
New Boards:
  - "Q4 Goals - Engineering"
  - "Q4 Goals - Marketing"
  - "Q4 Goals - Sales"

Option C: By Time Period

Original Board: "2024 Projects"
  ↓
New Boards:
  - "2024 Q1 Projects"
  - "2024 Q2 Projects"
  - "2024 Q3 Projects"
  - "2024 Q4 Projects"

Migration Process:

Create new empty boards
Export tasks from original board
Filter tasks by split criteria
Bulk move tasks to new boards
Update task dependencies
Archive original board

Performance Gain:

4x smaller boards load 4x faster
Each board becomes more focused
Team collaboration improves

3. Use Board Templates

For Recurring Work:

Instead of accumulating thousands of tasks in one board:

Create board template with structure
Create new board from template each cycle
Archive previous cycle's board when complete
Keep active boards small and focused

Example: Sprint Boards

"Sprint 42" (current - 100 tasks)
"Sprint 41" (archived - 98 tasks)
"Sprint 40" (archived - 95 tasks)

Instead of:

"All Sprints" (2,800 tasks, very slow)

4. Optimize Layer Structure

Reduce Layer Count:

Too many layers (> 20) can slow performance:

Before (Slow):

Layers: 35 individual features
  - Feature A
  - Feature B
  - Feature C
  ... (32 more)

After (Fast):

Layers: 5 grouped layers
  - Features Group 1 (A-G)
  - Features Group 2 (H-N)
  - Features Group 3 (O-U)
  - Features Group 4 (V-Z)
  - Infrastructure

Performance Impact:

Reduced render overhead
Faster layer switching
Simplified filter operations

Archiving Best Practices

Archive vs Delete

Archive When:

May need task later for reference
Required for compliance/audit
Historical project data
Uncertain about permanent removal

Delete When:

Task was created by mistake
Duplicate task
Test data
Truly no longer needed (rare)

Performance Note: Both archiving and deleting improve performance equally. Archived tasks aren't loaded by default.

Automatic Archiving Rules

Set Up Auto-Archive:

Go to Board Settings → Automation
Create rule: "Auto-archive completed tasks"
Set condition: "Status is Done for 90 days"
Enable rule

Common Auto-Archive Rules:

Rule	Condition	Archive After
Completed tasks	Status = Done	90 days
Abandoned tasks	Last updated > 180 days	180 days
Rejected proposals	Status = Rejected	30 days
Outdated tasks	Due date passed > 1 year	365 days

Performance Benefit:

Keeps board size stable over time
Prevents gradual performance degradation
No manual intervention needed

Reducing Load Times

Initial Load Optimization

1. Optimize Default View

Load Fewer Tasks Initially:

Set board default view to show:

Only current sprint/period
Only assigned to active team members
Only specific layers that are actively worked on
Exclude archived/completed statuses

Example Configuration:

Default filters:

Layer: "Current Sprint"
Assignee: "Active Team Members"
Status: "In Progress" or "To Do"
Date Range: "This Month"

Result:

Loads 50 tasks instead of 500
10x faster initial load
Users can remove filters to see more

2. Use List View for Large Boards

View Performance Comparison:

View Type	Performance (1000 tasks)
List View	Fast (2-3 seconds)
Kanban View	Medium (4-6 seconds)
Calendar View	Slow (6-10 seconds)
Timeline View	Slow (7-12 seconds)

Why List is Fastest:

Simpler DOM structure
Fewer visual elements
Easier browser rendering
Virtual scrolling works better

Switch to List View:

Click view dropdown
Select "List"
Save as default view

3. Disable Real-Time for Large Boards

Real-Time Overhead:

Real-time sync adds processing overhead:

WebSocket connection management
Continuous change monitoring
Live DOM updates
Conflict detection

When to Disable:

Board has > 500 tasks
Many simultaneous users (> 10)
Performance issues occur
Internet connection is slow

How to Disable:

Board Settings → Advanced
Uncheck "Enable real-time collaboration"
Use manual refresh instead

Trade-off:

Gain: 20-30% faster performance
Loss: Must manually refresh to see others' changes

4. Lazy Load Task Details

Default Behavior:

Waymaker loads full task details on demand:

Opening task loads description, comments, attachments
Closing task unloads detailed data
Only visible tasks are fully loaded

Optimize Further:

Settings → Performance
Enable "Aggressive lazy loading"
This delays even title/assignee loading until scrolled into view

Performance Gain:

50% faster initial render on huge boards
Lower memory usage
Smoother scrolling

Trade-off:

Brief delay when scrolling to new tasks
Acceptable for very large boards

Optimizing Filters

Filter Performance Impact

Fast Filters (< 100ms):

Status filter
Assignee filter
Layer filter
Date range filter

Medium Filters (100-500ms):

Label/tag filter
Text search in titles
Custom field filters

Slow Filters (> 500ms):

Full-text search (description + comments)
Complex combined filters
Dependency filters
Calculated field filters

Filter Optimization Strategies

1. Use Indexed Fields

Faster:

Filter by Status = "In Progress"
(Status is indexed, very fast)

Slower:

Search for "progress" in description
(Requires scanning all descriptions)

2. Combine Filters Efficiently

Better Order:

1. Filter by status (reduces to 200 tasks)
2. Filter by assignee (reduces to 50 tasks)
3. Search text (searches only 50 tasks)

Worse Order:

1. Search text (searches all 1000 tasks)
2. Filter by assignee (reduces to 300 tasks)
3. Filter by status (reduces to 50 tasks)

Waymaker automatically optimizes filter order, but knowing this helps you understand performance.

3. Save Filter Presets

Instead of applying multiple filters each time:

Apply your common filter combination
Click "Save Filter Preset"
Name it (e.g., "My Current Tasks")
Click preset to apply instantly

Performance Benefit:

Presets load faster than manual filtering
Cached filter results
Consistent performance

4. Use Smart Folders

Smart folders are pre-filtered views:

"My Tasks" - Assigned to you
"Due This Week" - Due in next 7 days
"Urgent" - Priority = High
"Unassigned" - No assignee

Performance:

Smart folders use optimized queries
Faster than equivalent manual filters
Automatically updated

Attachment Optimization

Attachment Performance Issues

Problems Caused by Large Attachments:

Slow task loading when opening tasks with many attachments
Increased board size and memory usage
Slow search performance
Backup/export takes longer

Signs of Attachment Issues:

Tasks with 10+ attachments open slowly
Attachment thumbnails don't load
Download failures
Storage quota warnings

Attachment Best Practices

1. Optimize Image Sizes

Before Uploading Images:

Resize images to reasonable dimensions (1920px wide max)
Compress images using tools like TinyPNG
Convert to efficient formats (WebP, JPEG)
Avoid uploading RAW or uncompressed formats

File Size Guidelines:

Image Type	Target Size
Screenshot	< 500 KB
Photo	< 1 MB
Diagram/Mockup	< 500 KB
Icon/Logo	< 100 KB

2. Use Cloud Storage Links

Instead of Direct Upload:

For large files (> 10 MB):

Upload to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive
Share link
Add link to task description or comment
Add small thumbnail/preview as attachment

Benefits:

Doesn't count toward Waymaker storage
Faster task loading
Better version control
Team can access via familiar tools

3. Clean Up Old Attachments

Regular Maintenance:

Identify tasks with many attachments
Review if all attachments still needed
Delete outdated versions
Move important files to cloud storage

Find Tasks with Many Attachments:

Filter: "Attachments" → "More than 5"
Sort by attachment count
Review highest counts first

4. Compress PDF Files

Large PDFs slow task performance:

Before Uploading:

Use PDF compression tools
Remove unnecessary pages
Optimize for web viewing
Target < 5 MB per PDF

Online Tools:

SmallPDF
Adobe Acrobat Online
PDF Compressor

Browser Performance Tips

Browser Choice

Performance Ranking:

Google Chrome - Fastest overall
- Best JavaScript performance
- Excellent memory management
- Hardware acceleration
Microsoft Edge - Very close to Chrome
- Chromium-based
- Good memory efficiency
- Windows optimization
Firefox - Good performance
- Decent JavaScript engine
- Good privacy features
- Slightly slower rendering
Safari - Good on Mac/iOS
- Optimized for Apple hardware
- Energy efficient
- Some compatibility issues

Recommendation: Use Chrome or Edge for best Waymaker performance.

Browser Optimization

1. Keep Browser Updated

Why It Matters:

Each browser version brings performance improvements
Security patches
Bug fixes
New web technology support

How to Update:

Chrome:

Menu → Help → About Google Chrome
Updates automatically

Firefox:

Menu → Help → About Firefox
Updates automatically

Safari:

System Preferences → Software Update
Updates with macOS

Edge:

Menu → Help and Feedback → About Microsoft Edge
Updates automatically

2. Manage Browser Extensions

Extensions That Slow Waymaker:

Ad blockers (can block needed scripts)
Grammar checkers (analyze all text input)
Page translators (process entire page)
Screenshot tools (monitor all content)
VPNs (add latency to requests)

Test Performance:

Open Waymaker in normal window (note performance)
Open Waymaker in incognito/private window (extensions disabled)
Compare performance
If incognito is faster, extensions are the issue

Optimize Extensions:

Review installed extensions
Disable extensions one at a time
Test Waymaker after each
Remove extensions that cause slowdown
Or allow Waymaker in extension settings

Recommended: Whitelist Waymaker

Most extensions allow whitelisting:

Extension settings
Find "Excluded sites" or "Whitelist"
Add "waymakerone.com"
Extension won't run on Waymaker

3. Clear Cache Regularly

When to Clear Cache:

Performance degradation over time
After Waymaker updates
Strange display issues
Once per month routine maintenance

How to Clear:

See "Clearing Cache and Cookies" in Troubleshooting guide

Performance Impact:

10-20% faster load times after clearing
Fixes memory leaks
Resolves stale data issues

4. Hardware Acceleration

Enable Hardware Acceleration:

Chrome/Edge:

Settings → System
Enable "Use hardware acceleration when available"
Restart browser

Firefox:

Settings → General → Performance
Uncheck "Use recommended performance settings"
Check "Use hardware acceleration when available"
Restart browser

Performance Gain:

30-50% faster rendering
Smoother animations
Better drag-and-drop
Especially noticeable on large boards

Note: Requires modern graphics card. If you experience visual glitches, disable.

Memory Management

Monitor Memory Usage

Check Browser Memory:

Chrome Task Manager:

Press Shift+Esc
View memory usage per tab
Waymaker should use 50-200 MB for small boards
200-500 MB for large boards
500 MB indicates issue

System Memory Monitor:

Windows: Task Manager → Performance
Mac: Activity Monitor → Memory
Linux: System Monitor

Signs of Memory Issues:

Browser tab crashes
"Out of memory" errors
System slowdown
Excessive swap usage

Reduce Memory Usage

1. Close Unnecessary Tabs

Each open tab uses memory:

Close tabs you're not actively using
Use bookmarks instead of keeping tabs open
Consider tab suspender extensions

2. Restart Browser Regularly

Browser memory usage grows over time:

Restart browser daily
Close all tabs
Clears accumulated memory

3. Use One Waymaker Tab

Don't open multiple Waymaker boards in separate tabs:

Each tab loads full board data
Multiplies memory usage
Can cause sync conflicts

Instead:

Use board switcher within one tab
Bookmark specific boards
Open temporarily, close when done

4. Reduce Loaded Tasks

More visible tasks = more memory:

Use filters to show fewer tasks
Enable pagination
Limit tasks per page to 50-100

Connection Quality

Network Performance Impact

Connection Speed Requirements:

Connection	Performance
Fiber (100+ Mbps)	Excellent
Cable (25+ Mbps)	Good
DSL (10+ Mbps)	Acceptable
Mobile 4G/5G	Good to Excellent
Mobile 3G	Poor
Public WiFi	Variable

Waymaker works on slower connections, but user experience suffers.

Optimize for Slow Connections

1. Enable Low-Bandwidth Mode

Settings → Performance → Low-Bandwidth Mode

Changes:

Reduces image quality
Disables animations
Simplifies UI elements
Limits real-time sync frequency
Compresses data transfers

Performance Gain:

50% less data transfer
Faster on slow connections
Works on metered connections

2. Reduce Image Loading

Settings → Performance → Image Loading

Options:

Always: Load all images immediately
On Scroll: Load images as you scroll to them
On Click: Load images only when clicked
Never: Don't load images automatically

Recommended for Slow Connections:

"On Scroll" - Good balance
"On Click" - Maximum savings

3. Disable Real-Time Sync

On slow connections, real-time sync can:

Consume bandwidth
Cause lag
Interrupt work

Alternative:

Manual refresh when needed
Auto-refresh every 5 minutes
Check for updates on save

4. Use Mobile App

Waymaker mobile app optimizations:

Better compression
Offline mode
Adaptive quality
Cellular data awareness

Download:

iOS App Store
Google Play Store

WiFi Optimization

If Using WiFi:

Get Closer to Router
- Signal strength matters
- Walls and obstacles reduce speed
- 2-3 rooms away is often too far
Use 5GHz Band
- Faster than 2.4GHz
- Less interference
- Shorter range, but faster
Avoid Peak Times
- Shared bandwidth slows everyone
- Early morning or late evening often faster
- Consider upgrading plan if consistently slow
Use Ethernet
- Wired connection is always better
- More stable
- Lower latency
- Best for large boards

Database Indexing Awareness

Understanding Database Performance

What You Can't Control:

Waymaker's database is managed by Waymaker. You can't:

Create custom indexes
Optimize queries
Change database structure

What You Can Control:

How you use the database:

Query patterns (filtering)
Data organization (layers, labels)
Task structure (relationships)

Query-Friendly Practices

1. Use Indexed Fields for Common Searches

Indexed Fields (Fast):

Status
Assignee
Due date
Created date
Layer
Priority

Non-Indexed Fields (Slower):

Custom fields
Description text
Comment content
Attachment names

Best Practice:

If you frequently filter by something:

Use indexed field if possible
Example: Use "Priority" field instead of "High" in description

2. Avoid Complex Queries

Simple Query (Fast):

Filter: Status = "In Progress"
Result: 200ms

Complex Query (Slow):

Filter: (Status = "In Progress" OR Status = "Blocked")
  AND (Assignee = "User A" OR Assignee = "User B")
  AND Description contains "urgent"
  AND Has attachments
Result: 2000ms

Simplify:

Use fewer filter conditions
Avoid text searches when possible
Use OR sparingly

3. Leverage Layer Organization

Layers are indexed:

Filtering by layer is very fast:

Layer = "Sprint 42" - Fast (indexed)

Strategy:

Organize work into layers for fast filtering:

Current sprint
Team/department
Project phase
Priority level

Don't rely only on labels for organization:

Labels: "sprint-42", "team-a", "high-priority"
Multiple label filters - Slower

Performance Monitoring

Built-in Performance Metrics

View Performance Stats:

Settings → Advanced → Performance Metrics
Enable "Show performance overlay"
See real-time metrics on screen

Metrics Shown:

FPS (Frames Per Second): Smoothness of animations
- 60 FPS: Excellent
- 30-60 FPS: Good
- < 30 FPS: Needs optimization
Memory Usage: Current memory consumption
- < 200 MB: Good
- 200-500 MB: Acceptable
- 500 MB: High, consider optimization
Load Time: Time to load current view
- < 2s: Excellent
- 2-4s: Good
- 4s: Slow
Task Count: Number of loaded tasks
- < 100: Optimal
- 100-500: Good
- 500: Consider filtering

Performance Checklist

Monthly Performance Review:

If Performance Degrades:

Check task count - Archive if high
Review recent changes - What changed?
Test in different browser - Browser issue?
Check internet connection - Network issue?
Review browser extensions - Extension conflict?
Contact support - Waymaker issue?

Advanced Optimization Techniques

Virtual Scrolling

What is Virtual Scrolling:

Waymaker only renders visible tasks:

Shows ~50 tasks at a time
More exist in memory but not DOM
New tasks render as you scroll

This is automatic, but you can optimize:

Use list view (works best with virtual scrolling)
Keep task rows simple (fewer fields)
Disable custom CSS that affects row height
Avoid very tall task cards

Performance Impact:

10x faster rendering with 1000+ tasks
Lower memory usage
Smoother scrolling

Batch Operations

When Updating Many Tasks:

Instead of:

Update task 1 (API call)
Update task 2 (API call)
Update task 3 (API call)
... (997 more API calls)

Use bulk update:

Select 1000 tasks
Bulk update (1 API call)

Performance Difference:

Individual: 1000 seconds (16+ minutes)
Bulk: 10 seconds

How to Bulk Update:

Filter tasks to update
Select all (checkbox in header)
Click "Bulk Actions"
Choose action (update status, change assignee, etc.)
Apply to all selected
Wait for completion

Supported Bulk Operations:

Change status
Change assignee
Add/remove labels
Move to layer
Archive/unarchive
Delete (admin only)

Optimize Task Structure

Simpler Tasks = Better Performance

Heavy Task (Slow):

20 custom fields
50 comments
30 attachments
10 checklists with 100 items
Complex rich text description

Optimized Task (Fast):

5 custom fields (only what's needed)
Key comments only
3-5 relevant attachments
1-2 focused checklists
Concise description

Best Practices:

Limit Custom Fields
- Only add fields you use regularly
- Remove unused custom fields
- Use built-in fields when possible
Manage Comments
- Archive old comment threads
- Delete "Thanks!" and "+1" comments
- Keep substantive discussion
Attachment Hygiene
- Remove old versions
- Delete duplicates
- Use cloud storage for large files
Checklist Simplification
- Break huge checklists into subtasks
- Complete and clear done items
- Keep active items < 20

Progressive Enhancement

Start Simple, Add Complexity as Needed:

Phase 1: Basic Board

Simple kanban
Basic fields only
No customization

Phase 2: Add Layers

Organize by layer
Still simple tasks

Phase 3: Add Custom Fields

Only essential fields
Monitor performance

Phase 4: Advanced Features

Dependencies
Automation
Complex workflows

If performance suffers, roll back to previous phase.

Getting Help with Performance

Performance Audit Request

Waymaker can audit your board:

Contact support
Request performance audit
Provide board URL
Get personalized recommendations

Audit Includes:

Task count analysis
Attachment usage review
Filter optimization suggestions
Layer structure recommendations
Custom field assessment

Performance Support

For Persistent Issues:

Include in support request:

Board URL
Task count
Browser and version
Performance metrics screenshot
Specific slow operations

Response Time:

Basic: 24-48 hours
Premium: 4-8 hours
Enterprise: 1-2 hours

Performance Optimization is Ongoing

Board performance changes over time as you add tasks and data. Regular maintenance and following these best practices will keep your taskboards fast and responsive.

For additional performance tips specific to your use case, contact Waymaker support for a personalized performance audit.