What is a Workflow?
A workflow is the sequence of stages work passes through from start to done. Learn how to design a workflow and turn it into board columns.
A workflow is the defined path a piece of work follows from start to finish — for example, Todo, In Progress, In Review, Done. On a kanban board, the workflow becomes the columns. Designing a workflow means deciding the minimum stages your work genuinely passes through, and the rules for moving between them.
Designing a workflow
Start with your real process, not an ideal one. List the stages work actually passes through, merge the ones that rarely change, and name each column in the team's own language. A workflow with too many stages is bureaucracy; too few is ambiguity.
Workflow rules and handoffs
Every column transition is a handoff, so each one needs a definition of done: when can a card enter In Review, and who approves it? Explicit rules remove the most common team argument — 'I thought it was done'.
Workflow and WIP limits
A workflow only manages flow when the stages have limits. Limiting work in progress per column is what turns a workflow diagram into a working system, and it is the single highest-leverage change most teams can make.
Nimbus
Nimbus turns your workflow into columns in seconds: create the workspace, name the columns the way your team talks, and the board enforces the flow as cards move with everyone watching in realtime.
Frequently asked questions
What is a workflow in project management?
It is the sequence of stages a task passes through — from creation, to assigned, to in progress, to review, to done. Project management tools implement workflows as board columns or status fields.
How many stages should a workflow have?
Between three and six for most teams. Three (Todo, In Progress, Done) is a fine start; add stages only when a real handoff needs a name.
Can a workflow change?
It should. Workflows are living agreements — when the team's process changes, the columns should change with it, and the activity log keeps the history.
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