How to Customize Kanban Boards using Azure Boards
Tags: kanbanboards, azureboards, agile, agileplanning
Published: 2024-01-02 16:50:39

Generally, **Kanban Board** is a visual tool used for project management and optimizing workflows. It is usually designed in a way that teams are able to visualize their tasks, limit work in progress, and maximize efficiency. Kanban board is an effective tool in agile methodologies. Azure boards can be used to customize Kanban board to match the way a Software development team plan to work to ensure a successful delivery.

Basically, Kanban boards consist of the following components:

(a) **Visual signals:** At a glance, members of the team can assess the workflow and ascertain what has been done, any adjustment to be made, and next steps to be taken. 

(b) **Columns:** Each column on the board represents a stage in the workflow such as **To Do**, **In Progress**, and **Done**. These are arranged from left to right to show how the work is progressing. 

(c) **Cards:** These are used to represent work items on the board. They contain details about the tasks such as its status, priority and others.

(d) **Limiting Work In Progress:** This is an essential principle in using Kanban board. Number of tasks allowed in each column should be limited to avoid overloading so that the work can flow smoothly.

In this blog we will have a glimpse of how to customize Kanban board with Azure boards. This article is a continuation of the concepts I demonstrated in an article, [Using Azure Boards to manage Sprints and Capacity](https://dev.to/yemmyoye/using-azure-boards-to-manage-sprints-and-capacity-e42)

Come on, let's set out!

**Step 1**
Log in to Azure DevOps portal, in the list of **Boards** items, select **Boards**. On the Boards tab, click on the cogwheel icon for **Configure board setting**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nyr4ycqfqdvfd9hzsfp9.png)

**Step 2**
On the Settings panel, select the **Tag color** tab, then click on **+Tag color**
In the **Tag** textbox, type **data** and leave the default color in place. In this case the color is yellow.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/zn7rr3z03fx4feydjfna.png)

**Step 3**
Next on the **Settings** panel of the **Configure board settings**, select the **Annotations** tab


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kyf9a0q8syfc9jawj5tt.png)
As you can see here, the Annotation is enabled. This will make the   child work items of that type easily accessible by clicking the visualization on each card.

**Step 4**
Select the **Tests** tab on the **Settings** panel. This will enable you to configure how tests appear and behave on the card
Now, click on **Save and close** to save the Styling rule.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k4ku4mkyuky18x6dvzyt.png)

**Step 5**
On the **Board** tab of the **EShop-Web** panel, open the work item representing the **As a customer, I want to view new tutorials** backlog item. 

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/myzqj5esxu0xzrii6nag.png)

At the top of the panel, by the right side of the 0 comments entry, click **Add tag** and in the textbox type **data** and press the enter key
Click the **Add tag** again and enter **ux** in the textbox and press the enter key
Then, click on **Save and close**


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/reatm7odz2b87bg1fs23.png)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kmthz4p3ypaexqxlg8zh.png)
The two tags **data** and **ux** are now showing on the card with data having color yellow as specified in Step 2 above

**Step 6**
Back on the **Boards** panel, click on the **Configure Board setting** cogwheel icon by the right side of the funnel icon
Select the **Columns** tab, click **+ Column** 
Under the **Column name** label, in the **Name** textbox, type **QA Approved**
In the **WIP limit** textbox, type **1**. The figure 1 here signifies that its only one work item that should be in this stage at any point in time. 

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/v934f0mtef2iykt3ta2g.png)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nxcwg9wfwdki0ye7kzpc.png)

**Step 7**
On the **Settings** panel, click on the **Column** tab again. In front of **QA Approved** created earlier, there is an ellipsis, click on it and hold your cursor on it to move it twice to the right so that it will now be in the middle of **Committed** and **Done**. Then click **Save and close**


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yx7ew8uk7p7tdw3xkol3.png)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/a3wgwwpqj3h146monf8d.png)
To make the **QA Approved** column visible on the Kanban board view, refresh the **Boards** portal


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/e6i5pu818pzvph0jar8r.png)
**Step 8**
Drag the work item, **As a customer, I want to see tutorials I recently viewed** from the **Committed** stage to the **QA Approved** stage

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/quoytcgjww7zdf2lkivf.png)

Drag the work item, **As a customer, I want to view new tutorials** from the **Approved** stage to the **QA Approved** stage


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/myobnrfuwzg84kp62n2x.png)

There is a signal on the panel showing figure 2 in red indicating that this stage has exceeded its limit. So we have to move the item, **As a customer, I want to see tutorials I recently viewed**
back to the **Committed** stage


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ayl54mzmmja291wgy3ss.png)

**Step 9**
Go back to the **Boards** panel and click on the **Configure board settings** cogwheel icon by the right side of the funnel icon
On the **Settings** panel, select the **Columns** tab and go to the **QA Approved** tab. Here, we want to turn on split column. This will address the issue of when work gets moved into a column and when it actually starts. It will show the actual status of work in progress. 
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dggtbo75lbcfwip3n501.png)

Scroll down to the bottom of the **QA Approved** panel, you will see the **Definition of done** textbox, type Passes **all** tests. This is a qualification that will apply to any work that is actually done.
On the **Settings** panel, click **Save and close**


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/vv4lrjxqehq7l50pr5e7.png)

As seen in the image below, the split consists of two columns, **Doing** and **Done**.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uqsq02x5jk96ctynvs3w.png)
Also, the image below shows how the **Definition of done** appears on the Board panel

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3agt2wt2o418aeln4e12.png)

**Step 10**
Adding Swimlanes to your Kanban board enables you to visualize  the status of work that supports different service-level classes.
Click on the **Configure boards settings** cogwheel icon and on the **Settings** panel, select the **Swimlanes** tab
Next, click on **+ Swimlane**
In the **Name** textbox under the **Swimlane Name** label, type **Expedite**. 
Now click **Save and close**


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/sucntd6392f5j4e5s4hp.png)

**Step 11**
Go back to the **Board** tab of the **Boards** panel, drag the work item on **Committed** stage and drop it on **QA Approved|Doing** stage of the **Expedite** Swimlane. This will make the work item have priority when the QA bandwidth becomes available


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k3mbh08lfruw2v5kkhtx.png)

That is it! We have customized a Kanban Board. If you find this helpful kindly drop your feedback in the Comments section