Trello has many features

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Trello has many features including checklists, links, a description section and comments. Trello Plus reporting makes Trello into a powerful management system.

• It uses kanban which is simple and visual (drag and drop, ability to play, no nested tasks)
• links (to drive, Evernote, websites, emails)
• checklists included in cards
• des dates d’échéance et une vue d’agenda
• fast reliable synchronisation (tablet, phone, desktop, web)
• power-ups provide extra functions like Gannt

Trello cards

Cards are great because they are self contained. This means that all key information for a project item can be contained in a card notably its description, a checklist, due date.

Kanban

Kanban is simple: cards can be moved quickly and so there is a feeling of “game” of mapping.

A card contains very useful attachments of various types

URL links

Trello allows you to add attachments to a card such as files, but I try to avoid this, I prefer to store all my reference material in Evernote and then add the Evernote URL.

Link to gmails by URL

If I write or receive an email in connection with a task, I link the email to the card by its Gmail URL, I add a checklist item such as ‘wrote an email to Fred’, then put the card in the waiting column until Fred responds. Another solution involves using Sort’d a Gmail overlay which allows you to create a kanban of your Gmail

Linking to Google Docs

Similarly, for Google Docs, I feel it is more efficient to store the data in Google Docs and then paste the URL into Trello. Google Docs and Evernote have a large capacity. Trello remains a coordinator rather than a storage system.

Dropbox and Box

You can also link URLs from other Dropbox and Google docs. Ayoa also allows you to create links to documents I prefer to restrict Google Docs to ‘native’ Google Docs files (spreadsheets and docs), but I keep other files types (images, word documents) in Dropbox. I add documents to Evernote but to accompany an explanatory text, rather than for pure storage.

Trello checklists

Checklists not nested sub-tasks

While a checklist might be like a sub-todo-list, it may be just a list of things to check. Rather than write the checklist as a list of tasks “check item 1, check item 2, check items 3”, either the main task or the title of the checklist might be “check the items in this list. This principle still complies with #GTD which encourages you to phrase tasks as ‘really’ doable things.

In Todoist, to remain consistent, you would create a sub-item ‘checklist’ under the main task and then the checklist items but this would be three levels down. In Trello all this information is immediately visible in a card.

Commentsin Todoistare one level down

In Todoist, comments are one level under the task, not immediately visible whereas, on Trello, comments are immediately visible on the card without an extra click, all info is readable together.

Mental feedback between lists and descriptions when framing a task

I first noticed this approach in Droptask, as Ayoa was called at the time. A task needs a mixture of writing and lists. One plays off the other. You may write first and then create a list or start with a list and then write. The result is a task which feels properly framed, expressed in a ‘doable way.’ Again a vital #GTD principal ‘If you can’t formulate the job, you can’t do it – your mind will resist doing it.

In keeping with this, I change the title of the card as it progresses, to be close to the next action and record past tasks and future endpoint in the checklist. This means that the title remains close to the next action I record the previous completed actions in the checklist

Reporting with Trello Plus

The function that sold me into Trello, apart from the nicety of kanban and the reliable sync, was the reporting in Trello Plus. Time spent info from Trello Plus is also visible straight off on the card.

Trello is more useful than the excellent Toggl. The timer is activated within the task card, and the report is quickly accessible. The system favours being the real-life necessity of many things in a day (even if using Pomodoro) because you get a nice clear listing of everything done in the day.

Tracking long tasks

I make particular use of tracking when working on ‘long’ tasks, say a piece of work over 30 hours a week. The actual week will be composed of many diverse unrelated tasks. But all the while the 30-hour task has to be delivered for Thursday!

So as I go through the week, I track the main task, and I can tell whether I’m still likely to deliver.

To nail that, Trello offers the possibility of estimating task time (E) and then as you progress, updating the estimate. This evaluation is about asking whether you can fit it all in by Thursday if on Tuesday, you still have 17 hours work to do (R).

Time reporting helps self-management

Reporting in Trello is a lifesaver because as a freelancer, I self-manage. I don’t have a boss to ask ‘where are you with that thing’? Only customers. I need to keep my eye on the ball. There are so many things to do in the week,
I’m always pushing the boundaries of what is possible AND aiming to keep my commitments. Trello plus reporting helps me there because delivering paid work is the key to everything.

Delivery is one thing, the accurate recording of time is vital to ensure that projected estimates are realistic. It impacts both on delivery commitments and profitability.

> a reasonable estimate (based on real history)= in-budget work= on-time delivery (the present looks like the past on average)= understanding how long things take > setting appropriate prices (based on cost)

Weekly GTD reports

These weekly summary reports help very much with my weekly #GTD review.

What is different from Toggl?

Toggl, is another excellent time recorder but time recorded is organised by project. Some tasks might be quite long. If you don’t do projects but “many tasks” this may generate far too many projects. Some tasks might be quite long and if you don’t do projects but “many tasks” this may generate far too many projects.

And you cannot plan ahead in Toggl. The advantage in Trello is planning items relative to one another, pre-estimating, then checking against estimates. This feeds into the next cycle of evaluations using accurate and realistic data.

Conclusion

• A Trello card is clear and includes all relevant information, a description, checklists, comments, linked items.
• All information is in one place including tracking data, task descriptions are more doable.
• Recording time and improving estimates contributes to better delivery, more accurate predictions and ultimately better price management.
• Trello helps to focus on driving forward and organising time while centralising other information resources through attached URLs (or files).

Other Management Tools

We use other business management tools,

• including Odoo for the operational management of orders, invoices and accounting,
• Evernote as business memory to store issues and observations Enterprise Architect to model new systems
• Enterprise Architect to model new systems

This document was modified on 01/10/2020