Agile Workflow Template: 5-column best practices
Ready-to-use template for agile teams: Backlog → Ready → In Progress → Review → Done. Includes column definitions and automation tips.
Agile Workflow Template: 5 Columns
This is a proven workflow used by hundreds of teams. Customize it to your needs.
Column 1: Backlog (WIP Limit: ∞)
Purpose
Collecting pool for all future work. Nothing here is committed.
What Goes Here
- Feature requests from customers
- Bug reports (low-priority)
- Technical debt items
- Experiments and ideas
Criteria for Moving Right
- Item has been prioritized (PMs ordered by value)
- Acceptance criteria written
- QA has reviewed requirements
- Developer estimates effort
Automation
- None (this is not urgent)
Column 2: Ready (WIP Limit: 5-10)
Purpose
Vetted, high-priority work. Developers can start immediately.
What Goes Here
- Top 1-2 sprint priorities
- Fully specified features
- Clear acceptance criteria
- Design approved
Definition of Ready
- Requirements written clearly
- Acceptance criteria specific (not vague)
- Designer approval (if UI)
- QA has read the requirements
- Blocked by nothing
- 3-5 day estimate (too big? break it up)
Automation
- Auto-moved from Backlog once prioritized
- Notifies team: "New item ready to start"
Column 3: In Progress (WIP Limit: 1 per developer)
Purpose
Work currently being built. Tight feedback loop.
What Goes Here
- Features actively being coded
- Pull requests open
- Code under review
Transition Rules
- Developer starts work → moves card here
- Card moves here → Daily standup discusses
- Only ONE item per developer (no multitasking)
Automation
- Automated tests run when PR opened
- Linting + type checks
- Build verification
- Link to GitHub PR
Daily Standup
Walk the board right-to-left:
- Review "In Progress" first (focus on finishing)
- Check "Ready" (discuss blockers)
- Plan who starts what today
Column 4: Review (WIP Limit: 2-3)
Purpose
Code complete, but needs human + automated verification.
What Goes Here
- PRs that pass automated tests
- Code awaiting human review
- Manual QA testing underway
Transition Rules
- Automated tests passing → move here
- Developer makes PR → teammate reviews
- Tests passing AND code review approved → code merges
Automation
- Automated tests block merge if failing
- Code review request notification
- Merge conflict detection
Manual Steps
- Peer code review (at least 1 approval)
- Manual QA on QA environment
- Acceptance criteria verification
Definition of Done for This Column
- All automated tests passing
- Code reviewed by at least 1 peer
- No linting errors
- Manual QA pass
- Performance acceptable
Column 5: Done / Ready for Production (WIP Limit: ∞)
Purpose
Verified, approved, ready to ship.
What Goes Here
- Merged PRs
- Deployed to staging
- Passed QA verification
- Approved by PM
Automation
- Deploy to staging automatically
- Run smoke tests
- Notify team: "Feature ready for production"
Manual Step (if your team wants extra safety)
- Click "Deploy to Production"
- Feature flag can gate the feature
- Monitor for errors (next 1 hour)
- Communicate to customers if applicable
Optional: Split Into Two Columns
If your team wants more control:
Column 5a: Staging (Deployed but not live)
- Feature deployed to staging
- PMs / stakeholders verify
- One final approval
Column 5b: Production (Live)
- Deployed to production
- Monitored for errors
- Celebratory message posted 🎉
Daily Standup Format
Time: 15 minutes | Who: Whole team | Where: Video call or in-person
The Process
-
Walk the board right-to-left
- Start with "Done" (celebrate)
- Then "Review" (discuss blockers)
- Then "In Progress" (same?)
- Then "Ready" (who's starting?)
-
For each person, ask:
- What did you finish since yesterday?
- What are you starting today?
- Is anything blocking you?
-
Identify blockers immediately
- Blocked item = red flag
- Assign someone to unblock
- Don't let cards sit blocked for hours
Bad Standup
- "I worked on that thing I was working on"
- "I don't know what I'm doing today"
- "Waiting on someone else"
- 30+ minutes long
Good Standup
- "Finished payment integration, tests passing, moving to Review"
- "Starting notifications feature today"
- "Blocked on API docs for upstream service, assigning to John"
- Done in 10 minutes
Weekly Retrospective (30 minutes)
End of week, whole team
Three Questions
- What went well? (celebrate wins)
- What didn't go well? (honest reflection)
- What will we improve next week? (pick 1-3 actions)
Example Improvements
- "WIP limit was too low → increase to 4"
- "Too many meetings → move demo to async"
- "Wanted faster feedback → add automated tests"
- "Felt stressed → remove one meeting"
Metrics to Track
| Metric | Why | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle Time | How fast do we deliver? | Board timestamps |
| Throughput | Items/week completed | Board reports |
| Blocked Time | How long items stuck? | Board flags |
| Team Happiness | Satisfaction survey | Retros + 1-on-1s |
Customization Guide
If your team is small (2-3 people):
- Combine "Review" + "Ready"
- No separate QA column
- Reduce WIP limits (1-2 per column)
If your team is distributed:
- Add Slack notifications
- Use video standup
- Async review (PRs with video walkthrough)
If you ship frequently:
- Reduce cycle time target (1-2 days)
- Add feature flags column
- Deploy multiple times/day
If you're risk-averse:
- Add "Staging" column
- Require multiple approvals
- Longer monitoring period post-deploy
First Week Implementation
Day 1: Create columns, name them, write definitions
Day 2: Move all current work onto board
Day 3: Daily standup (walk the board)
Day 4: Standup + resolve blockers
Day 5: Retrospective (celebrate, improve)
Week 2: Refine based on feedback
Remember
This is a starting template, not law. Adjust as your team learns:
- Columns too many? Merge them
- WIP limits too tight? Increase
- Not seeing value? Discuss and try something new
The best workflow is one your team will actually use.