In this article:
1. Introduction to Card Blocking
2. How to Block a Card?
3. How to Unblock a Card or Change the Block Reason?
4. How to Customize Your Blockers? (for Workspace Managers and Account Owners)
5. Blocked Cards’ Comments in the History Log
1. Introduction to Card Blocking
Blocking a card indicates a problem (blocker) preventing the card from progressing to the right on the board as it becomes immobile. Once a card is blocked, it needs immediate attention to be resolved and get unblocked.
The blocked card assumes the color of the blocker (e.g. red, blue, green) so it can stand out on the board and help you visualize problematic areas. The block reason is visible when you hover over the card. A card that has been blocked cannot be moved across the board. Attempting to do so will trigger a notification, informing you that blocked cards remain immobile unless unblocked. You can unblock and move the card directly from the pop-up.
Note: If you open the card, the blocker icon will be visualized in the upper left corner.
While you can't move a blocked card to the next step in the process flow, you can move it to a different swimlane if you want to change its type or priority (e.g. from an “Expedite” to a “Low Priority” lane).
Each card accumulates "blocked time" that is stored in its Metrics tab.
2. How to Block a Card?
There are several ways to block a card:
Option 1: Open the card Context menu and select the Block icon. This will open the "Block Card" panel where you can set a blocker. You can use the dropdown menu and select the most relevant blocker. The menu provides a list of all blockers created for your team as well as the default Generic blocker.
Note: You cannot use the "Generic blocker" without adding a block reason comment and shortly explaining why you are blocking the card.
Option 2: Open the card and go to the Settings menu in the upper right corner. Select the "Block" icon and use the same navigation as described above to proceed with the blocking.
Option 3: Block a card using the Card Tokens panel on the Board Sidebar. There are two ways:
- Open the card token panel, select the blocker, and drag & drop it to the card.
The card will be instantly labeled with the color and the icon of the respective blocker token and will become immovable until its resolution. If you open the card, the blocker will be visualized in the upper left corner of the card. - If you press CTRL + drag & drop the selected blocker to the card, the system opens the "Block card" panel, where you can provide additional comments relevant to the Blocker.
3. How to Unblock a Card or Change the Block Reason?
To unblock a card, open the Card Context menu or the Card Setting menu and click the "Edit/Unblock" button.
You have two options:
- to unblock the card — just click the button and the card will be unblocked.
- to edit the block reason — there are scenarios where you may need to modify the block reason without unblocking the card, especially if the problem is multi-layered. Click the Edit reason button and change it.
You can also unblock or change the block reason directly from the Card Details. Open the card and right-click on the blocker icon in the upper left corner. This will open a dropdown with the options to unblock the card or edit the block reason.
Note: When changing the block reason or comment, you can use the Ctrl + Enter shortcut key to save your changes quickly.
4. How to Customize Your Own Blockers? (for Workspace Managers and Account Owners)
Account Owners and Workspace Managers can customize the blockers that will be applied to the workflow process. Please refer to our dedicated guide on creating your blocker tokens.
Having your own list of the most commonly used blockers relevant to your unique scenario will sustain your process. Moreover, this will help you group the blockers in clusters and analyze the type of reasons that block your projects most often and turn them into bottlenecks.
5. Blocked Cards’ Comments in the History Log
The comment field is mandatory only when you select the Generic blocker. While the comment field in not mandatory for the remaining blockers, adding comments whenever a card is blocked can provide valuable information. Even after a card is unblocked, the comment will still be retained as an entry in the card's History log. Users can then refer back to it during retrospectives and team discussions on process improvements.