This guide is an evolving document.

Cards

Difficulty Points

Here, I use the Fibonacci Sequence. Here are some Fibonacci explainer videos:

What is the Fibonacci Sequence & the Golden Ratio? Simple Explanation and Examples in Everyday Life

Fibonacci Series = Accurate Agile Estimates?

Using 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21 helps us identify and use clear differences in difficulty.

Within this system, I generally say each point is equal to half an hour of uninterrupted, focused work. So a quick favor for a colleague is 1 point, if you even document it at all (1- and 2- point tasks are usually created at the beginning of a campaign, not used for tasks an individual does on his or her own).

We try to keep tasks to a maximum of 13 points, as a 21-point tasks represents over a full day of uninterrupted work, which is both rare in work life and unfair to the assignee. If you see a 21-point task, see if it can be broken into more manageable tasks.

Assignee

This is the person responsible for completing the task.

Generally, I prefer only one assignee per task, even if multiple people are working on it. Tagging everyone involved in a task can deflect responsibility. If a task simply cannot be delegated to only one person, ask if it can be broken into several smaller tasks.

Labels: Teams, Campaigns, and Segments

Labels can be used to categorize Revenue tasks by which team they are supporting.

For team onboarding, Labels are used to frame the time period of each task in lieu of a “pivotable” Kanban.

This is a good way to keep multiple people appraised of tasks without assigning to multiple people. Just assign it to Sales, Marketing, or Customer Success and they can filter it.

Stages / Lanes

Backlog

This is a backlog of “to do” items, often idea-stage items that haven’t been formally broken down into measurable tasks. Also, these are items where their critically-dependent tasks haven’t yet been completed, so they can’t be moved to On Deck.

On Deck

These cards have been scoped and have all necessary attributes & data assigned to them so that they can be delegated or interpreted by an outsider.

When moving a card to On Deck, be sure to check for:

1. Difficulty: is the task bite-sized and manageable? Try to keep tasks at a maximum of 13 points.

2. Assigned: is the task assigned to someone?

3. Due Date: is there a clear understanding of when this needs done?

4. Checklists: does the assigned team member have a clear understanding of what needs done for this card to be considered complete?

5. Label: Is the card assigned to a team, project, or campaign? This is less important, really.

In Progress

This is what you’re currently focusing on today or this week. Try to keep In Progress tasks to 13 or fewer points so that you don’t set unrealistic expectations to your teammates of when critical dependent tasks will be done.

In Review

These are cards that are “done” but either need review from leadership, need supplementary projects before being published, or are part of a campaign with critical dependencies.

Examples of this are:

• Creative that is “complete” by the graphic designer but needs OK before the designer can fully forget about it

• Copywriting for a blog that is done, but the blog still needs imagery, formatting help, and publishing

• A deck for a webinar that’s complete but hasn’t been published and hasn’t been supplemented with the data or content for a complete presentation.

Generally, this is where tasks go when they’re completed, and only moved beyond that by the board’s owner.

Complete

Here the task is approved, shipped, published, and all good to go. Generally, only the board owner or project manager moves the card from In Review to Complete, as this often signals when the next round of tasks begins.

Navigation

Filters

Press “F” anywhere on the Trello screen to filter by cards assigned to you, within your time frame, with certain due dates, or any other items relevant to you.

Rob recommends defaulting to cards assigned to you (within execution boards) to keep the board orderly and not overwhelming.

Campaign Checklist

Kicking off a campaign with your team? Here’s what I check off

1. Schedule a kickoff meeting with all involved parties

   1. Create a meeting agenda covering the campaign goal, desired outcomes, people involved, etc. Be more in-depth than just the standard “notes” and “action items.”

   2. In this meeting, set campaign check-in expectations: Daily standup? Weekly check-in? Asynchronous reporting? Trello updates? - Everything is on the table, but make sure everyone has the same expectations.

2. Create a Trello board for the campaign.

   1. In the kickoff meeting, try to create cards for all foreseeable tasks with delegation, attachments, due dates, and more. Other cards will get created, but try to have as clear as possible of expectations at the jump.

3. Create a Slack channel for the campaign. Naming convention is #camp-<campaign-name>

   1. Bookmark Trello board in Slack

   2. Create Trello notifications in #camp Slack channel. Adjust notification settings to match the urgency and attention of the group.

   3. Bookmark this policy document to channel so everyone has quick access to the vocabulary of the Trello board

   4. Bookmark any other documentation that helps with the campaign (notes, videos, CRM links, etc)

   5. Set a reminder (/remind) to archive the channel 2 weeks after campaign completion. This helps keep channels in check.

4. Create a visible progress board (bonus round). If possible, create a visible, quantifiable way for team members to share & celebrate progress.