Technology aims to simplify and automate tasks so employees can focus on more productive work. This has led to an increase in workers’ productivity. There are various tools for accounting, payroll, communication, and task management today. Trello is a popular task management tool, and this article will focus on how to use Trello.
Trello is one of the tools used by product managers and other professionals in many industries. It offers a lot of features to increase productivity. This guide to Trello will include some Trello tips and detail why this application is essential for businesses across several sectors.
What Is Trello?
Trello is a visual work management tool that teams can use to ideate, manage, plan, and celebrate their work in a productive, collaborative, and organized manner. It helps teams start new projects or continue existing ones. It can be used to track team progress, show which tasks are assigned to whom, and highlight essential information instead of using the old-fashioned method of sending countless emails as reminders.
Why Do You Need Trello?
You need Trello because it is a simple work management tool and it is excellent for businesses that prefer simple and easy-to-use systems. It uses a straightforward task management interface so employees can view the task progress with ease and in real-time.
Trello Use Cases
- Plan events: Trello can be used to plan events such as baby showers, birthday parties, and weddings. This is done with check-off lists and calendar tools. You can create lists with basic tasks and arrange them in the order you want. This feature gives you a clear overview of what you need, and you can check each task off if it has been completed.
- Develop and design projects: Trello can also be used to develop team projects by creating a board of tasks that are updated regularly. This board will be accessible to the group collaborating on a project. This way, designers and developers can easily keep tabs on the progress of the project.
- Create an editorial calendar: Writers, website owners, and editors can use Trello to create editorial calendars for their blogs. These calendars include different lists for every month and individual cards for blog post titles. This feature can also be used to create columns to show the status of a project under different headings such as “Assigned,” “Writing,” “Editing,” and “Published.”
- Use for educational tracking: Trello comes in handy for time management too. Students can use this tool to create a personal board and place their school assignments with their due dates to track them with ease. This process can also be used for larger projects and task assignments for study groups. It can also help instructors organize the course curriculum and mark each part when it is completed.
- Make home schedules and chores lists: You can also use Trello to create a to-do list, plan personal tasks, and organize your workdays. You can also include assigned tasks to members of your family. These could include sporting events, grocery lists, and even school events with information on who is responsible for each task. Organizing your daily schedule this way will help reduce the pressure of contacting others with updates.
Key Terms You Need to Know to Use Trello
Teams
Trello allows you to create groups called teams. You can assign each type of team to a specific board. Large organizations can use this feature to allow a relevant team of employees access to a certain project board, card templates, or specific lists.
Cards
Cards are detailed units that make up boards on Trello. They are used to put down ideas and insert tasks. Cards can include actionable content, from writing an article or publishing it, to company policies regarding vacations.
Menu
The board menu section allows users of Trello to manage control settings, board permissions, enable power-ups, search cards, and even create automation. It also allows you to see how tasks are progressing in the activity feed.
Lists
Lists keep specific tasks, cards, and information organized according to their progress. The lists are moved across the Trello board from the beginning to the end, or can be used to access general information regarding a project.
Boards
Boards are used to keep track of information. They are often used for remote teams, large projects, and workflows. Boards can be used to track sales, launch new websites, or plan the outline of an entire project. Boards help organize the details of complex projects and make collaboration easier between employees.
Equipment You’ll Need for Trello
- TimeCamp: TimeCamp can track time and also generate time reports on cards. It offers the option to track time automatically when you toggle the Timecamp buttons. It can be used for projects that need time analytics.
- Jira: Jira also works in Trello if you want to work with both at the same time. Simply integrate Jira with a Trello power-up and it will give you shortcut access to all Jira projects from the Trello boards.
- Slack: Slack has several features that can help improve communication between teams. You can attach Trello to Slack messages and set up Slack notifications so that when there is a change in the Trello card, it will send a message to Slack.
- Google Drive: Google drive is one of the best tools to use with Trello. You can use a feature called Google Drive Power-Up for Trello so you can add files to Trello cards. You can also use this software to store and exchange content.
- GitHub: Users can integrate GitHub with a power-up to follow up with updates and review team activities in Trello. This feature also lets you pull requests and attach issues to Trello cards.
How to Set Up and Start Using Trello
Step 1: Create Your Board
First, you need to complete the required fields to create your board list. The lists will contain the tasks that need to be done. You can also add additional lists to your task cards whenever it becomes necessary.
Step 2: Make Task Cards
To create task cards, click on the “Add another card” button, which is found at the bottom of the list. When you click on that button, a task window will appear. You can then fill in the project details with certain information, including users, project descriptions, task comments, labels, due dates, and card cover photos.
The labels help categorize the tasks and prioritize them by importance, team, and function. This helps keep everything organized. Also, you can add attachments like images, files, and documents for the team.
Step 3: Move the Cards After Tasks Are Completed
When you reach the execution phase of the project, you need to simply drag and drop tasks into different stages from planning to completion. It is possible to automate some functions in Trello to streamline this process with power-ups.
Step 4: Close Projects On Completion
When you complete the tasks of a project, you can close it. You can also perform a project analysis to determine how well your team performed, all you learned, as well as changes that can be made in the future to enhance the outcome of a project.
Step 5: Reuse Boards
After putting in so much work to create a board on Trello, you can easily reuse the board in the future if you will be working on a similar project later on. Simply enter the menu and copy the board. You can easily reset the cards and adjust the lists to meet the new project preferences. This can save you time and increase productivity.
The Importance of Trello for Business
Trello is a simple management system and collaboration tool with lots of benefits for businesses. The features are user-friendly and you don’t need to compromise any part of your project’s process to use them. Trello is a flexible tool and you can choose the most efficient way to go about a project and enhance the workflow of your team.
Top Trello Tips: Use Trello Like a Pro
- Card snoozing: When the deadline of a card is approaching, it turns red. However, Trello has a card snoozing option that allows users to archive the card until later. If the snoozing ends, the card will show on the board again.
- Card covers: You can create card covers with images and colors. Trello includes the full cover or card header option, and you can choose to upload your picture or select one from a gallery attached to Trello.
- Shortcuts: Trello has several shortcuts to complete tasks faster. This is one of the best Trello tips, and it allows you to move within the boards a lot quicker.
- Card labels: You can add card labels to categorize your tasks properly. Labels are often tiny and colorful and can be added to cards. This helps you to distinguish between the cards according to priority without opening each one.
- Card creation from a spreadsheet: For users who want to migrate to Trello, you can create cards from a spreadsheet. You do not need to recreate your task list. Rather, you can conveniently turn your spreadsheets into cards automatically on Trello.
Trello for Different Professions
| Profession | Applications |
|---|---|
| Content writer | Research and develop content, create an editorial calendar |
| Web developer | Develop and design projects |
| Accountant | Set calendar deadlines for projects |
| Cyber security analyst | Manage tasks, collaborate with others to monitor the progress of tasks |
| Event manager | Create lists, check off tasks that are completed |
| UX developer | Organize workflow, develop projects and follow their progress |
Should You Use Trello?
Yes, you should use Trello because it is applicable in every industry. Project managers, software engineers, and even content writers use it. It is easy to use and incredibly functional, which helps you save time. You should use Trello if you want to automate certain tasks and keep teams well informed on the progress of a specific project. It is easy to migrate to Trello, and employees can learn to use it in no time.
How to Use Trello FAQ
Trello is a powerful tool for visual work management. It can be used to come up with ideas, plan, and manage different tasks in an organization. You can also use it to keep employees informed about new tasks. All information is in one place, which makes it easier to track.
To use Trello as a beginner, simply start by creating a board and developing task cards. You can move the task cards after a project is completed, close the project, and then reuse the board if your next project is similar. You can also integrate other software to make your work easier and more seamless.
Content writers use Trello for content management, web developers use Trello for project management, cyber security experts use it for task management, and accountants use it for project coordination.
Trello is easy to use, and this is one of the reasons why it is one of the most common project management tools. It works well with both large and small teams. The software is also quite intuitive. It has many uses, from task management to party planning.
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