# Organize tasks on the board

Read a project's board, add tasks quickly with keywords for time, assignee and priority, set the state of a task, change or share its stages, and sort your own work in My Tasks.

Click a project's card in **Project/Projects** to open its board: one column per stage, one card per task. This page uses the demo project Research & Development.

## Read the board {#read-the-board}

![The tasks of a project in columns, one column per stage; a folded stage stands on the right.](https://jaah.app/web/image/15006-75c63428/projects-organize-tasks-on-the-board-board-en.png)

- A card shows the task's title, its tags, its deadline counted from today (in red once passed), the time remaining when time is allocated, three stars for the priority, the assignees' pictures and a round button for the state.
- The bar above a column splits its tasks by state; click a colour to show only those tasks.
- A folded stage stands as a narrow column on the right; click it to unfold it.
- The board opens with the **Open** filter: tasks marked **Done** or **Cancelled** are hidden, whatever their stage. Remove the filter to see them.
- Drag a card to another column to change its stage, or up and down to change its order.

## Add tasks quickly {#quick-add}

Click the **+** at the top of a column, type the title and click **Add**. The title accepts keywords at its end, in this order:

| Keyword | Effect |
|---|---|
| `6h` | Six hours of **Allocated Time**, when the project has **Timesheets** |
| `#Usability` | The tag Usability, created if it does not exist yet |
| `@Rawan` | Assigns the one user whose name matches |
| `!`, `!!`, `!!!` | Medium, high or urgent priority |

![A title typed with keywords for the allocated time, the assignee and the priority.](https://jaah.app/web/image/15010-0b05f2a1/projects-organize-tasks-on-the-board-quick_keywords-en.png)

The keywords disappear from the title once the task is added:

![The keywords became six hours of allocated time, an assignee and a high priority on the card.](https://jaah.app/web/image/15014-cbf4e1c3/projects-organize-tasks-on-the-board-new_card-en.png)

## Set the state and the priority {#state-and-priority}

The round button of a card or a form gives the state of the task: **In Progress**, **Changes Requested**, **Approved**, **Cancelled** or **Done**. The last two close the task. **Waiting** is set by itself while the task is blocked by unfinished tasks: [Sub-tasks, dependencies and recurring tasks](sub-tasks-dependencies-and-recurring-tasks). Click the stars to raise the priority; the board shows the highest priorities first.

## Change the stages {#stages}

Point at a column title and click its gear:

- **Fold** collapses the column on your screen while the board stays open.
- **Edit** opens the stage: its **Name**, **Folded** (folded by default for everybody), the **Projects** that share it, **Days to rot** (after how many days without change a task in this stage is shown as stale; 0 turns it off), an **Email Template** sent to the task's customer when a task reaches the stage, and the customer rating request ([Projects automations](projects-automations)).
- **Delete** removes an empty stage. A stage that still holds tasks can only be archived, with its tasks, or emptied first.

To add a stage, click **+** at the end of the board, name it and confirm.

## Your own list: My Tasks {#my-tasks}

**Project/Tasks/My Tasks** gathers the open tasks assigned to you in every project, in personal stages that only you see: **Inbox**, **Today**, **This Week**, **This Month**, **Later**, and the folded **Done** and **Cancelled**. Moving a card there changes nothing for the rest of the team. **Project/Tasks/All Tasks** lists the open tasks of every project you can see.

![My Tasks sorts your own tasks in personal stages that nobody else sees.](https://jaah.app/web/image/15018-c9dc773a/projects-organize-tasks-on-the-board-my_tasks-en.png)

## FAQ {#faq}

### A task I finished has gone from the board. {#finished-task}

Its state is **Done** or **Cancelled**, and the board shows open tasks only. Remove the **Open** filter in the search bar to see it.

### Can two projects use the same stages? {#shared-stages}

Yes. Open the stage with **Edit** and add the other project in **Projects**. The stage then shows on both boards, each with its own tasks.

### Why are my personal stages in English in the Arabic interface? {#personal-stage-names}

Personal stages are created once for each user and keep the names they were created with. Rename them with **Edit** on the column.

### The @ keyword did not assign anybody. {#keyword-assign}

It assigns only when exactly one user matches the word typed after @. Type more of the name, or choose the person in **Assignees** on the form.

---

- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/projects/organize-tasks-on-the-board
- Updated: 2026-10-28
- Version: Projects and timesheets 19.0.1.4
- Verified: 2026-10-28