A kanban-based workflow management system
View Modes
Each Wekan board has three View Modes: Lists, Calendar View, and Swimlanes. The default mode, Lists (shown in Figure 6), shows all the lists side by side, each with its own cards. Calendar View, which I'll cover later, shows the start and due dates for all active cards.
The Swimlanes view may be unnecessary for single individuals or simple projects, but this view is essential in almost all other cases. Kanbanize.com defines swimlanes as "horizontal lines that split a kanban board into sections, [in order to] visually separate different work types on the same board and organize homogenous tasks together" [9]. In other words, if your organization has different teams that work mostly autonomously, with the same workflow but without continuous direct interactions, you can still place them on the same board by putting each team in a separate swimlane. In that way, their activities (i.e., the workload and responsibilities for each member of each team) remain as visually separated as possible. Figure 7 shows how this looks in practice inside Wekan, with swimlanes for communication and development activities.
Cards, at Last!
Wekan offers so many configuration options for cards, that at first glance the options may seem overwhelming or unnecessary (Figure 8). The Labels option lets users group and filter cards. The Received option lets you assign a start, due, and end date for each card, which you can see in the Calendar View mentioned earlier (Figure 9). You can also add comments to each card at the bottom.
Most crucial, the Description option lets you specify without ambiguities the nature of the task and when it can be considered finished. Both Checklists, which lets you attach one or more checklists to each card, and Activity, which lets you measure how much time is spent on each task, are useful but probably not essential.
A couple of options should be used with caution. The Subtasks option, which lets you assign subtasks to a task, should be monitored closely for one simple reason: If a team finds itself relying too much on subtasks, always attaching several to each card, it may be a strong sign that the overall workflow (the number of lists and swimlanes on the kanban board) needs a serious redesign. In addition, the Attachments option, which lets you attach any type of file to a card, can lead to confusion if an important document is only attached to one Wekan card and then forgotten. You can also run into problems if attachments are duplicated in a document management system, such as the SeedDMS [10].
In the card's titlebar, you'll find a link icon and a hamburger menu. The link icon lets you link a card to other cards (similar features are available to link boards or lists) to highlight the dependencies across different operations and teams. If you click on the hamburger menu in the card's titlebar, the Card Actions dialog opens (shown in Figure 10). Here you can, among other things, edit custom fields, set color, move a card around the board, use a card as a template, and eventually archive the cards.
Other Useful Features
Wekan can also generate usage reports. The most important reports are the ones that show broken (unlinked or inconsistent) cards and "orphaned" files (uploaded files that are no longer attached to existing cards) on a given board.
If you have boards from other kanban software or in plain text CSV format, you can import these boards into Wekan. To do so, click on the plus sign in the top menubar, and then click Import and follow the on-screen instructions.
« Previous 1 2 3 Next »
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs