firefrost-operations-manual/docs/procedures/kanban-column-setup.md

Firefrost Operations — Kanban Column Setup Guide

Time: 2-3 minutes
Where: Your Firefrost Operations project board

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The 9 Columns to Create

Copy-paste these EXACTLY (emojis included!):

1. 📋 Backlog — Unclaimed tasks
2. 🧙 Michael - To Do
3. 🧙 Michael - In Progress
4. 🔥 Meg - To Do
5. 🔥 Meg - In Progress
6. 🦄 Holly - To Do
7. 🦄 Holly - In Progress
8. 👀 Review — Awaiting review/approval
9. ✅ Done — Completed

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How to Add Each Column

You're already in the project, so:

1. Look for "+ New Column" button (top right area)
2. Click it
3. A text box appears
4. Copy-paste the column name from above (including emoji!)
5. Press Enter or click Create
6. Repeat 9 times

That's it! Takes about 30 seconds per column.

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After Creating Columns

Delete the default "Uncategorized" column:

1. Click the ⋮ (three dots) on the "Uncategorized" column
2. Select "Delete Column"
3. Confirm

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Moving Your Issues

Once columns are created, you can:

Drag and drop issues between columns

• Just grab a card and drag it to the right column
• For example: Task #40 (Holly's Builder Rank) → drag to "🦄 Holly - To Do"

Or use the sidebar:

• Click on any issue
• Right sidebar → Projects section
• You can change which column it's in

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Filtering by Person

You can also filter the entire board:

• Click on label badges at top
• Select for/michael, for/meg, or for/holly
• Board shows only that person's tasks

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Why This Structure Works

Visual Clarity:

• See at a glance who's working on what
• Emojis make it even faster to scan (🧙 = Michael, 🔥 = Meg, 🦄 = Holly)
• Clear workflow: To Do → In Progress → Review → Done

Prevents Bottlenecks:

• If someone's "In Progress" column is full, they shouldn't start new work
• If "Review" is piling up, you know to focus on reviews

Flexibility:

• Backlog = anyone can claim it
• Person-specific columns = clear ownership
• Review = collaborative checkpoint
• Done = shared wins

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Pro Tips

Use Labels + Columns Together:

• Columns show WHERE in workflow
• Labels show WHAT (type, priority, area)
• Both together = complete picture

Keep "In Progress" Limited:

• General rule: Max 2-3 tasks per person in "In Progress"
• Encourages finishing before starting
• Reduces context switching

Weekly Column Review:

• Monday: Check "To Do" columns, prioritize
• Friday: Move completed to "Done", celebrate wins
• Anytime: Move blocked items back to appropriate column

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The Columns Explained

📋 Backlog — Ideas, future tasks, not yet assigned. Low priority until someone claims it.

🧙 Michael - To Do — Michael's next tasks, prioritized and ready to start.

🧙 Michael - In Progress — What Michael is actively working on RIGHT NOW.

🔥 Meg - To Do — Meg's queued tasks (community, content, etc.)

🔥 Meg - In Progress — Meg's active work.

🦄 Holly - To Do — Holly's building tasks, ready to start.

🦄 Holly - In Progress — Holly's active builds and projects.

👀 Review — Work complete, needs review/approval/testing before "Done".

✅ Done — Completed! Ship it. Celebrate it. Archive it.

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Moving Tasks Between People

If you need to reassign a task:

1. Drag it from one person's column to another's "To Do"
2. Update the label: remove for/person1, add for/person2
3. Leave a comment explaining the reassignment

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Start Here

Your first task assignments:

Based on the imported tasks:

• Task #40 (Builder Rank) → 🦄 Holly - To Do
• Task #41 (Rank System) → 🧙 Michael - To Do
• Task #39 (Ghost Buildout) → 🧙 Michael - To Do
• Community tasks → 🔥 Meg - To Do (when identified)

Then drag issues from "Uncategorized" to the appropriate person's "To Do" column.

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Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy 💙🔥❄️