Scrum board in Project Management: how to use it, examples and best practices
What would Agile teams be without the Scrum Board? Today, Agile project management cannot be understood without Scrum Boards. Whether in software development or IT projects, it is a tool that helps teams visualize their workflow, align efforts and foster collaboration.
In this guide, we will explain in detail what a Scrum board is and how to create one. We will show you different examples of how you can use them to manage your projects, as well as a series of best practices to make the most of its potential.
What is a Scrum board? Definition and purpose
A Scrum Board is a visual tool that Agile teams use to track work progress. It is one of the essential components of the Scrum methodology, providing a clear and structured way to manage tasks, visualize workflows, and facilitate collaboration among team members.
At a high level, a Scrum Board represents the different stages of a team’s workflow through various columns (e.g., To Do, Work in Progress, Waiting for Approval, Done). Each task or user story is represented by a card that moves across these columns as work progresses, offering visibility into what is being worked on, what is pending, and what has already been completed.
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The role of Scrum boards in the Scrum methodology
To fully grasp the role of Scrum Boards, it is essential to understand how this tool fits within the Scrum methodology itself.
A brief overview of the Scrum methodology
Scrum is an Agile framework created in the 1990s by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber as a response to the inefficiencies of traditional project management methodologies used at the time. It was designed to accelerate and enhance product development and delivery through iterative development, continuous improvement, constant user feedback, and cross-functional collaboration.
Scrum is structured around iterations called Sprints, which typically last between 2 and 4 weeks. During each Sprint, teams work to deliver a set of prioritized tasks. Each Sprint follows a structured cycle that generally consists of four key phases:
- Sprint planning: the Sprint begins with a session where the team defines the tasks to be completed.
- Daily stand-ups: short daily meetings (10-20 minutes) where teams assess task progress, eliminate bottlenecks, and address blockers.
- Sprint review: a collaborative session where the team presents the completed product increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and updates the Product Backlog to maximize value in future Sprints.
- Sprint retrospective: A team-focused meeting to inspect how the Sprint went, identify successes and challenges, and implement improvements to enhance collaboration and workflow in upcoming Sprints.
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Benefits of Scrum boards for this iterative process
Within this iterative cycle, Scrum Boards play a fundamental role in the execution of the Scrum methodology. They not only provide real-time visibility into ongoing, pending, and completed work, but they also help teams stay aligned and focused on delivering high-quality results.
Here are the key benefits of Scrum Boards:
- Enhance transparency: Scrum Boards allow both Agile teams and organizational stakeholders to clearly see the current status of work at any given moment.
- Facilitate collaboration and communication: a Scrum Board acts as a shared workspace where teams can visualize tasks, blockers, and dependencies. The clarity it provides helps teams prioritize tasks and unblock stalled work more effectively.
- Promote sustainable pace: Scrum Boards help teams manage their capacity effectively and ensure a sustainable pace of development. It prevents overloading team members, enhances predictability, and allows the team to deliver consistent, high-quality work throughout each Sprint.
- Drive continuous improvement: during Sprint Retrospectives, teams can use the Scrum Board to analyze workflow efficiency and identify areas for improvement. The board helps detect patterns, such as tasks that frequently get delayed or recurring blockers, enabling process optimization over time.
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How the Scrum board connects all Sprint artifacts
As you can see, the Scrum board is a visual representation tailored to the iterative and collaborative approach that defines the Scrum methodology. Moreover, it is directly linked to the artifacts that define the work to be done, acting as a bridge between planning and execution, ensuring alignment between the team’s efforts and project goals. For example:
- Product backlog: the list of all tasks, features, and fixes needed in a project. During Sprint Planning, the team selects tasks from this backlog to be worked on in the next Sprint and moves them to the board.
- Sprint backlog: this is the subset of Product Backlog items selected for a specific sprint. These are the tasks that appear on the Scrum board, representing the team’s active work.
- Increment: the working product or deliverable resulting from a Sprint. Tasks marked as “Done” on the Scrum board contribute to this increment.
How to create a Scrum Board: a step-by-step guide
Now that you understand the importance of the Scrum Board in Agile project management, let’s go through a simple 9-step process to create one.
1. Choose the type of board
Before setting up a Scrum Board, determine which type best suits your team’s dynamics and needs. You must choose one of these board types:
- Physical board: A whiteboard with sticky notes, ideal for co-located teams as it fosters engagement and interaction.
- Digital board: Cloud-based Scrum boards in tools like Trello, Jira, or Triskell Software, which allow real-time updates and remote collaboration.
2. Define columns representing workflow stages
Next, define the columns that will structure your Scrum Board. The number of columns depends on your team’s workflow complexity, but a well-structured board typically includes, at least, these 4 key columns:
- To Do: those items that have been selected for the current Sprint but work on them has not yet begun.
- In Progress: these are the tasks that the team is currently working on.
- Testing: this column can be called Testing, Validation, Code Review… It serves as a checkpoint before moving the task to Done status.
- Done: here are the completed tasks that meet the Definition of Done (DoD).
3. Define sprint goals
During Sprint Planning, establish Sprint Goals to guide the team throughout the iteration. These goals should:
- Align with business and product priorities.
- Provide clear expectations for a successful Sprint.
- Ensure a shared focus among all team members.
Once the Scrum board columns and sprint objectives have been defined, the next steps can be taken to continue with the creation of the board.
4. Create and populate task cards
Now, create task cards for each user story or task included in the Sprint. Each card should contain:
- A clear title and description of the task.
- Assignee(s) responsible for completing it.
- Priority level (high, medium, low).
- Effort estimation (story points or time-based estimates).
- Due dates or Sprint deadlines.
- Subtasks or dependencies, if applicable.
5. Set Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits
Next, you need to establish clear and reasonable Work-in-Progress (WIP) limits based on the available resources and your team’s capacity. For example, setting a WIP limit of 3 tasks means that no more than 3 tasks can be in the “In Progress” column at any given time. This helps to:
- Prevent task overload and bottlenecks.
- Improve team efficiency.
- Ensure that new tasks are not started before completing the ones already in progress.
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6. Use swimlanes or rows
Swimlanes add an extra layer of organization to the Scrum Board, allowing teams to categorize tasks based on:
- Teams or roles (e.g., development, design, testing).
- Priority (high-priority vs. low-priority tasks).
- Task type (e.g., new features, bug fixes, technical debt).
This improves clarity and helps teams manage multiple workflows simultaneously.
7. Update cards regularly
A Scrum board is a tool that needs to be constantly updated. To that end, some best practices you can follow include:
- Updating task statuses daily: the Daily Stand-up is the best time for this.
- Encouraging team members to move their own task cards as they complete different stages.
- Reassigning or reprioritizing tasks based on team or project needs.
8. Keep an eye on the Burndown Chart
In Scrum, teams can use KPIs and metrics like Velocity, Lead Time, and Cycle Time to evaluate their delivery trends, but these should not be the only measures of success. Burndown Charts are a graphical representation of the work remaining in a sprint or project over time. They help to:
- Track progress toward Sprint goals.
- Determine if the team is on track to complete planned work.
- Identify trends and inefficiencies early.
A Burndown Chart should show:
- The ideal trend line, representing the planned work pace.
- The actual remaining work updated daily.
You should review this chart regularly to assess team velocity and adjust workflows to meet sprint objectives and deadlines smoothly.
9. Review and adapt
At the end of each sprint, you should analyze the Scrum Board to identify areas for improvement in workflows to refine the team’s agility and efficiency. During the sprint retrospective you should discuss:
- What worked well? Identify efficient patterns and workflows.
- What caused delays or bottlenecks? Detect inefficiencies and their root causes.
- How can we improve the Scrum Board setup? Adjust columns, WIP limits, or swimlanes if necessary.
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7 examples of Scrum board use cases in Agile projects
As you can see, the Scrum board is a tool that you will use on a daily basis. What’s more, it is so flexible that you will be able to use it for different use cases when managing your Agile projects. Here are 7 practical examples of how you can use Scrum boards in your team’s day-to-day work.
1. Sprint planning
When selecting and planning the work to be completed in a Sprint, the Scrum Board is an essential tool for visualizing and structuring the workload efficiently across all team members. During Sprint Planning, the Scrum Board helps ensure that the team has clear Sprint objectives and a well-defined workflow.
For example, you can use the Scrum Board to:- Review and prioritize all tasks from the product backlog based on their business value and feasibility.
- Break down user stories into smaller, manageable tasks that fit within the Sprint.
- Ensure each team member selects and commits to a specific number of tasks for the Sprint.
- Evaluate and distribute tasks to prevent work overload for certain team members.
2. Daily stand ups
For Daily Stand-ups, the Scrum Board helps make these meetings more efficient, serving as a single source of truth to keep the team aligned and identify blockers.
During the Daily Stand-up, you can use the Scrum Board to:- Update task statuses: team members report on the tasks they are working on and update their status directly on the board.
- Discuss blocked tasks: identify and address any tasks stuck in the “In Progress” column to find possible solutions.
- Reassign tasks: if a team member reports being overloaded, redistribute tasks accordingly.
- Ensure Sprint progress: confirm that the Sprint is advancing on time and as planned.
3. Task Management
One of the primary functions of the Scrum Board is to facilitate task management in Agile projects, allowing teams to track progress, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines.
How do you manage tasks in a Scrum Board? Here are some key practices:- Organize tasks into different board columns (“To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done,” etc.).
- Fill in task details: each task card should include priority level, assignee, and deadlines.
- Move tasks through different columns as they progress through the workflow.
- Collaborate effectively: team members can comment on tasks, attach files, and provide updates.
- Refine the Sprint backlog: reprioritize unfinished or postponed tasks for future Sprints.
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4. Identification of bottlenecks
Scrum Boards are also useful for identifying bottlenecks that hinder task progress, helping teams optimize workflows and minimize delays.
How can Scrum Boards help identify inefficiencies? Here are key indicators to watch for:- A task remains in “In Progress” for too long, signaling a potential issue.
- Blocked dependencies: visualizing task dependencies that are preventing progress.
- Overloaded columns: If “To Do,” “In Progress,” or “Testing” columns have too many tasks, it may indicate workflow inefficiencies.
- Unbalanced workload: identifying team members with too many tasks compared to others, allowing for better task distribution.
5. Work-in-Progress limits
A Scrum Board also allows you to monitor whether the WIP limits set for the Sprint are helping create a stable and controlled workflow. This prevents team burnout while also increasing task completion rates.
Here are the key benefits of setting Work-in-Progress (WIP) limits in Scrum:- Capacity control: by limiting the number of tasks in “In Progress”, you ensure that the team’s workload remains sustainable.
- Focus on task completion: the team is encouraged to finish ongoing tasks before starting new ones.
- Increased efficiency: reducing multitasking results in a smoother workflow.
- Bottleneck identification: as the number of tasks in “In Progress” approaches the set limit, the team should focus solely on resolving outstanding work.
- Prioritization of work in progress: ensures that only the most important tasks are worked on at any given time.
6. Sprint reviews and retrospectives
Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospectives allow teams to evaluate their work throughout the Sprint and optimize processes to enhance future performance. During these sessions, the Scrum Board plays a key role in driving continuous improvement and reinforcing the iterative development approach by focusing on:
- Reviewing completed work: the “Done” column serves as a record of all tasks finished during the Sprint.
- Identifying successes: after analyzing completed tasks, the team can determine which strategies were most effective.
- Analyzing unfinished goals: if tasks remain unfinished, the team can examine the causes of delays.
- Workflow adjustments: with Scrum Board data in hand, the team can discuss process improvements to optimize performance in the next Sprint.
7. Communication with stakeholders
Another valuable way to use the Scrum Board is to enhance transparency and communication with business stakeholders. After all, it is a visual tool that allows stakeholders to track project or product progress in real-time without interrupting the team.
How can the scrum board improve stakeholder communication?- Real-time visibility: stakeholders can check the board at any time to see what has been completed and what is still in progress.
- Trust and autonomy: by having clear visibility into project progress, stakeholders can trust the team without requiring constant meetings or status reports.
- Clear roadmap of deliverables: the board provides a well-defined timeline of Sprint deliverables and deadlines.
- Seamless feedback loop: with online Scrum Boards, stakeholders can provide feedback based on the progress reflected on the board.
Scrum vs Kanban boards: what’s the difference?
Due to their versatility and wide range of use cases, Scrum Boards are one of the most popular tools among Agile practitioners for task and workflow management.
On the other hand, we have Kanban Boards. Kanban, a Japanese term meaning “visual signal,” is an Agile framework that focuses on continuous value delivery while preventing team overload. Unlike Scrum Boards, which follow an iterative approach, Kanban Boards allow teams to dynamically manage work without predefined timeframes.
That’s the main difference between a Kanban Board and a Scrum Board, but it is not the only one. Below, we list the key differences in how these tools are managed and used in daily operations:
|
Aspect
|
Scrum board
|
Kanban board
|
|---|---|---|
|
Roles |
It has defined roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team, etc. |
No predefined roles; teams manage their own work. |
|
Board ownership |
Owned by a single Scrum team, with the Scrum Master facilitating the process. |
Not tied to a specific team; multiple teams or individuals can contribute. |
|
Work cadence |
Based on time-boxed iterative Sprints, with a defined objective. Work is planned before the Sprint begins. |
Continuous flow, without predefined timeboxes. Work progresses through stages as capacity allows. |
|
Task prioritization |
Tasks are planned in advance for the Sprint and cannot be changed once it has started. |
Tasks are pulled based on priority and available capacity, allowing flexibility. |
|
Task ownership |
The entire team collaborates on tasks, sharing responsibility to achieve Sprint objectives. |
Team members focus on specific parts of the workflow, though collaboration is key to addressing bottlenecks. |
|
Urgency management |
Sprint planning aims to minimize unexpected emergencies throughout the Sprint. |
An "Urgency" swimlane can be included to prioritize and quickly address unforeseen tasks. |
|
Backlog management |
The team selects items from the Product Backlog during Sprint Planning, which then forms the Sprint Backlog. |
Uses a user story backlog, allowing for flexible task management. |
Best practices to leverage Scrum Board in Agile and Hybrid projects
Throughout this guide, you have seen how this tool is one of the core elements of the Scrum methodology. To make the most of this valuable resource, we have compiled a set of recommendations and best practices to help any Agile team use their Scrum Board efficiently.
- Customize the Scrum board for hybrid approaches: If your organization also works with structured project management approaches (such as Waterfall or Phase-Gate), you can adapt the Scrum Board to reflect this reality. For example, you can add a column titled “Pending Approval”, where you place tasks that require validation before moving to the next stage.
- Automate processes to improve efficiency: in digital Scrum Boards, such as the ones available in Triskell Software, you can configure alerts and notifications to provide real-time updates on task statuses, send reminders, or flag overdue tasks.
- Use colors for task prioritization: use color coding to help teams quickly identify critical tasks on the Scrum Board. Different colors can be assigned based on priority levels, urgency, or even task type.
- Define clear entry and exit criteria for each column: to prevent bottlenecks and avoid tasks remaining in a column longer than necessary, define clear criteria so that the team understands what “Ready to Start” and “Definition of Done” mean at each stage of the workflow.
- Audit how the Scrum board is being used: Monitor how team members use the board to identify inconsistencies or inefficiencies (e.g., outdated tasks or columns with too many cards). To prevent friction, collect feedback from the team to optimize the Scrum Board’s structure in future Sprints.
Conclusion: Scrum boards – a must have for Agile projects
As you can see, a Scrum board is much more than a task tracking tool. It is an indispensable element for Agile teams to organize and collaborate effectively while focusing on continuous value delivery, making it a fundamental pillar of Agile Project Management.
In Agile, it is not enough to deliver fast. Nor is it enough to have a whiteboard in the office covered with sticky notes outlining tasks to be completed. To truly succeed, teams must connect their work with business strategy and ensure they bring value to the organization as a whole.
For this reason, PPM tools like Triskell Software go beyond simple task management. Triskell provides Agile teams with all the necessary functionalities to manage their sprints, product backlog, and task execution, while also allowing them to align their projects with strategic business objectives.
With Triskell, you can integrate Agile execution with enterprise portfolio management, ensuring that every task contributes to the bigger picture. Whether you’re running Scrum, SAFe, or hybrid project management approaches, Triskell ensures that Agile teams stay connected with business goals, fostering transparency, efficiency, and long-term success.
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FAQ about Scrum Boards
What are the most common mistakes when using a Scrum board?
Some teams struggle to use Scrum boards effectively due to common pitfalls, including:
- Failing to update tasks regularly: leads to outdated or misleading information.
- Overloading columns with too many tasks: it causes inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
- Ignoring WIP limits: reduces focus and slows down progress.
- Not using the board as a communication tool: Teams should actively engage with the board during meetings.
Avoiding these mistakes ensures that the Scrum board remains a reliable and efficient tool.
Can a Scrum board be used outside of software development?
Absolutely. Scrum boards are highly versatile and can be used across various industries, including:
- Marketing teams: tracking campaign progress.
- HR departments: managing recruitment workflows.
- Manufacturing teams: organizing production schedules.
- Finance teams: monitoring budgeting and financial tasks.
How do Scrum boards integrate with other Agile frameworks like SAFe?
Scrum boards fit into SAFe by managing team-level iterations while aligning with higher-level planning. They integrate with:
- Program Boards: Track dependencies across teams during PI Planning.
- Portfolio Management Tools: Connect team execution to strategic business goals.
- Kanban at Higher Levels: Ensure smooth workflow from ideation to delivery.
By syncing with SAFe’s cadence and planning structure, Scrum boards help scale Agile execution while maintaining visibility and alignment across teams.
