How to Create and Manage Card Types?

In this article:

1. What Is a Card Type?
2. How to Create a New Card Type?
    2.1. Who can create card types
    2.2. How to access the card type panel
    2.3. Create a new type
3. How to Clone an Existing Card Type
4. How to Manage Card Types at a Board Level
5. How to Apply a Type to a Card?
    Option 1: From the Type icon in the Open card view
    Option 2: From the Closed card view
    Option 3: From the Card Context menu
6. How Do Card Types Help in the Work Process?
    6.1. Card Types on a Board level
    6.2. Card Types in Reporting
    6.3. Card Types in the Analytics
    6.4. Card Types in Business Rules

1. What Is a Card Type?

A card type is a property used to categorize different types of work in your process, such as “Defect,” “Customer Request,” “Meeting,” etc. Card types can be created on a project, workflow, or on-demand basis.

Card types not only help team members group cards in the workflow but also facilitate:

• Further reporting
• KPI metrics collection
• Process analysis
• Process improvement

2. How to Create a New Card Type?

2.1. Who can create card types

There is a Security Control related to card types under the "Card Controls" section. The goal of this card control option is to define who in the account will be able to create, edit, and delete types. This could be set to Account Owners/Admins*, Account Owners/Admins* and Workspace Managers, or everyone in the account (any user role).

* An Admin is a user who is not an Account Owner but has the "Manage Card Elements" admin privilege.

2.2. How to access the card type panel

Card Types are managed and created at a global account level in the Administration panel, and they can also be created on a local level directly from the board sidebar. To access the card type panel, select “Types” under the Card Management tab in the Administration panel. On a local level, you can access the card type menu by clicking the three dots in the sidebar on an open board of your choice, and selecting “Types.”

2.2.1. From the Account Administration

The "Types" panel stores all existing card types in the system. Users with the necessary permissions can access this panel to create new types and manage existing ones.

All existing types are stored in a table format that provides the following information per type: 

• Name — This is the card type's name along with its dedicated icon.
• Availability level — Controls the types' availability on the boards.  
• Boards — The number of boards where the type has been applied.
• Settings — Use the three dots icon to edit, disable, replace*, or delete this type. 

* Type replacement: Sometimes, a type you have created is not of use anymore or there are two similar types. To keep your account environment clear, you have to maintain it accordingly. The easiest way would be to delete the type, but then it will disappear from all cards. With this functionality, you will be able to "replace" an unneeded type with an existing one. The redundant type will be deleted and the cards' type field will obtain the replacement.

2.2.2. From the Board Sidebar

Account Owners and users with the necessary permissions can create types directly from the board. Learn more about managing types on a board level in pt.4.

2.3. Create a new type

To create a new Type, just click the New Type link on the top right side of the dedicated panel.

In the "New Card Type" panel:

Enter a name (3) suitable for your process. You can also define a color (1) and select a dedicated icon (2) that is appropriate for your new card type. That way, cards of a selected type will stand out among the others.

You can select the boards (4) where your newly created type card will be available. Click the "+" sign to add the type to other boards in the account. Click the corresponding “x” button to exclude the boards not suitable for the new type.  

Define the type's Availability Level (5) in your account. Note that only Account Owners can control that setting. They can select between the following options: 

• Оn-demand - When the type gets created, every Workspace Manager could choose to add it to the boards they manage. 
• Auto - When the Type is created, it will be automatically added to all new boards. It can be managed afterward, depending on user permissions in Card Controls settings. 
• Global - When a Type is created, it will be automatically added to all boards and cannot be removed. 

You can select to display all cards of this type in the selected icon color. Overriding the card color (6) will update the color of all existing cards of this type. Note that users will not be able to manually change the card color as long as a card is of a certain type.

“Lock type property” (7) — If this box is checked, users will not be allowed to customize and overwrite type characteristics per board. Otherwise, a certain type created at a global level may be customized per board. Users will be able to change the color, the type icon, and the "override the card color" setting.

For example, a card type named "Risk" that is enabled on "Board A" and "Board B" might have a red color in "Board A" and a yellow color in “Board B.” 

3. How to Clone an Existing Card Type

When you open the Card Types section from the Card Management tab, you will find a menu that opens up from the three-dot icon, where you can choose to clone an already existing card type.

Upon selecting this option, a creation window will appear where the card type information is already populated from the cloned card type. You can make any necessary changes and save the cloned version as a new card type.

Note: If you do not change the name of the card type, it will be saved with the original name + copy at the end to distinguish between the original and the clone.

4. How to Manage Card Types at a Board Level

All types that are created from the Administration menu become available in the dedicated "Types" panel of the Board Sidebar.

From here users with the respective privileges can quickly check which types are enabled for the board. If the toggle is on, it means that the type is enabled. Access this panel to enable or disable types per board. You only have to slide the toggle on and off.

Use the "pencil" icon, to change type characteristics that can be controlled at a board level:

• type color
• type icon
• "override the card color" setting

Thus, a certain type created at a global level may be customized per board. For example, a card type named "Incident" that is enabled on two boards might have a yellow color on one board and a blue color on another board.

Tip: If you have too many types, you need to scroll up and down to see which ones are enabled for the current board. Use the filtering option "Added to Board" to quickly get this information. Just apply the filter and you will get a shorter list of the types that are used in the respective board (see image above).

5. How to Apply a Type to a Card?

There are several ways to apply a type to your card:

Option 1: From the Type icon in the Open card view

To apply a type, open the card and click the default Type icon at the top left corner.
The system produces a dropdown list with all Types added to the board. Select the one that best matches the nature of the task and update the card to save all changes.

As a result, the Type icon appears at the top left corner of the card. You can see the selected type even when the card is closed.

Note: The list of types is divided into two groups: Recent Types and Other Types. Recent Types contain the most relevant and frequently used types in the respective workflow. The Other Types list contains the remaining types.

Option 2: From the Closed card view

Once there is already a type applied to the card, you can change the type from the closed card view. Just click the icon for quick access and apply your new change.

Option 3: From the Card Context menu

Apply a type to your card from the respective Context menu. You can quickly set up or change the type of single or multiple cards. Open the Context menu and select the respective Type icon. It opens a box with all types assigned to the board. Select the type you want and it will instantly be displayed on the card.

6. How Do Card Types Help in the Work Process?

Below are some best practices to help you make the most of using Card Types in your work process.

6.1. Card Types on a Board level

Applying types helps team members to better visualize the different work on their boards. Take advantage of the Board filter to display only cards of a selected type.

Go to the Board sidebar and select the Board filter icon (1). Navigate to the Type field (2) and use the dropdown field to select the type you are interested in. This instantly filters your board and you get a clean view relevant to your selection.