Trello
Trello is a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams organize and track their work. It's based on the Kanban methodology, which emphasizes visualizing work, limiting work in progress, and managing flow. For small development teams, Trello provides a lightweight way to track user stories, features, and bugs without the complexity of enterprise-level tools.
Perfect for beginners: Trello makes it easy to see the complete status of your project at a glance. Each card is a task, feature, or user story. As work progresses, cards move from left to right across different stages (To Do → In Progress → Testing → Done).
Key Concepts
Before starting with Trello, understand these core concepts:
- Board: A project board containing all your lists and cards (e.g., "Team Project Sprint 1")
- Lists: Columns representing workflow stages (e.g., "Backlog", "To Do", "In Progress", "Testing", "Done")
- Cards: Individual tasks, user stories, or features that move through the workflow
- Members: Team members assigned to work on specific cards
- Labels: Tags to categorize cards (e.g., "User Story", "Bug", "Feature", "High Priority")
Installing
- Go to the Atlassian Trello home page and click on the Get Trello for free link in the header.
- Sign up for free using your
byupathway.eduemail address. - Follow the instructions to create an account.
Getting Started with Your First Project Board
Follow these steps to set up a Trello board for your team project:
A workspace is where all your boards live. Create one workspace per course team to keep everything organized.
- Click the
Workspacesmenu or use the+Createbutton - Choose a clear name (e.g., "WDD330 Team Alpha")
- Set workspace type and invite team members immediately
Create a board for your current sprint or project phase.
- In your workspace, click
Create new board - Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Sprint 1 - User Features")
- Set visibility to
Private(unless instructed otherwise)
Create lists that represent stages your work passes through. Delete default lists and create these:
- Backlog: Features not yet started
- To Do: Tasks ready to work on this sprint
- In Progress: Currently being worked on
- Testing: Completed but needs testing/review
- Done: Finished and verified
Tip: Start simple! You can always add more lists later (e.g., "Blocked", "Code Review").
Invite all team members to the board:
- Click the
Sharebutton in the top right - Select
Inviteand enter team member emails - Give teammates appropriate access level
Using Trello for Project Management
Creating and Managing Cards
Cards are the core of Trello. Each card represents a task, user story, or feature. Cards can contain detailed information to help your team understand what needs to be done.
Card Elements
- Title: A clear, concise description of the work
- Description: Details about what needs to be done, acceptance criteria, or context
- Checklist: Break work into smaller sub-tasks for tracking progress
- Due Date: When this task must be completed
- Assignee: Which team member is responsible
- Labels: Tags to categorize (e.g., "User Story", "Bug", "High Priority")
- Comments: Team discussion and status updates
Writing User Stories and Features
Clear card titles and descriptions help your team understand what work needs to be done. Here's the recommended format:
User Story Format
Title: "As a [user type], I want [goal] so that [benefit]"
Example: "As a user, I want to create an account with email validation so that my accounts are secure"
Description section should include:
- Acceptance Criteria: How do we know this is done?
- User can enter email and password
- System validates email format
- Confirmation email is sent
- Account is created after verification
- Points/Estimate: How long might this take? (e.g., "2-3 hours")
- Additional Notes: Links, context, or technical details
Best Practices: Good Cards vs Bad Cards
✓ Good Cards
- Clear & Specific: "Add form validation for email field" (not "Fix bugs")
- Appropriately Sized: Takes 2-8 hours, not days or minutes
- User Story Format: "As a [user], I want... so that..."
- Has Acceptance Criteria: Clear definition of done
- Assigned to Someone: Everyone knows who's responsible
- Has Due Date: Team knows when it's needed
✗ Bad Cards
- Vague: "Work on login" or just "Login"
- Too Big: "Build entire user dashboard" (break into smaller cards)
- Too Small: "Change button color" (combine with related tasks)
- No Details: Empty description or no acceptance criteria
- Assigned to No One: Unclear who should work on it
- No Due Date: Team has no deadline
Moving Cards Through Your Workflow
As work progresses, move cards to reflect the current status. This keeps everyone informed:
- Backlog → To Do: Team decides this will be worked on in the current sprint
- To Do → In Progress: A team member starts working on it
- In Progress → Testing: Code is complete and ready for review
- Testing → Done: Tested, reviewed, and verified as complete
Pro Tip: Update cards daily. A good board shows the real status of your project!
Common Team Workflow Patterns
Daily Standup Pattern
Use your Trello board as the center of your daily team check-in:
- Look at "In Progress" cards — what are people working on?
- Check for blocked cards — any obstacles or questions?
- Review completed work from yesterday — celebrate progress!
- Plan what moves to "In Progress" today
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Making cards too big: "Build entire registration system" → Break into: "Create login form", "Add email validation", "Set up password reset", "Add user profile page"
- Not assigning cards: Everyone must know who's responsible for each card
- Cards sitting in the same list: Regularly move cards to reflect progress
- Not using due dates: Team members won't know urgency; sprint deadlines help prioritize
- Abandoning the board: Keep it updated daily or it becomes useless
- Over-complicating workflow: Start with 4-5 lists; don't add "Archive", "Blocked", "Code Review" until you need them
Want to Learn More?
Trello Official Guide (Trello 101) - Quick overview of Trello board basics