Every team's workflow is different. LoopGantt lets you customize the Kanban columns to match exactly how your team works — from a simple 3-stage flow to a detailed 7-step process.
Understanding status-based columns
In project management, a workflow is a defined sequence of states that work passes through. Making your workflow explicit has a powerful effect: it forces the team to agree on what "done" means at each stage, which reduces ambiguity and rework.
A well-designed workflow also reveals bottlenecks. If the "In Review" column keeps filling up, reviews are the constraint — and that's something you can fix.
Default columns
LoopGantt ships with four default columns that map to the four task statuses:
| Column | Status value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Not Started | not_started | Work has not begun |
| In Progress | in_progress | Actively being worked on |
| On Hold | on_hold | Blocked or intentionally paused |
| Completed | completed | Work is done |
Auto-progress on status change
When you move a task to Completed, its progress automatically updates to 100%. Moving to Not Started resets progress to 0%. This keeps the Gantt and Kanban views consistent without manual updating. You can change this per column with Auto-Progress in the column menu.
How to reorder and manage columns
- In Kanban view, right-click a column header to open its menu.
- Use Move Left and Move Right to reorder columns. The leftmost column represents the earliest stage; the rightmost is the final "done" state.
- Use Add Column, Rename and Change Color to shape your stages, and Delete Column to remove one you don't use — its tasks move to a neighbouring column.
Working with a lean workflow
Every project starts with four columns: Not Started, In Progress, On Hold, and Completed. Add more only when your team really works in more stages — most teams don't need seven columns, and fewer stages mean less bookkeeping.
Tips for getting the most out of a short workflow:
- Use On Hold as your "blocked / waiting on review" signal — it's visible to the whole team without a meeting.
- Use task notes or checklist items to track sub-stages like "In Review" within a task that is In Progress.
- Use task colors to visually distinguish work types (e.g., cyan for design, green for dev) across the board.