What makes Time Flow different
Most boards show you what stage your work is at. The Time Flow Board also shows you when you'll actually do it.
It treats each work item like an appointment in your calendar: it has a day it starts, a day it's due, and an amount of time it takes. That way you can see whether your plan for today, and the days ahead, is realistic.
š Read more here: Overview: Work Boards
The columns, in plain terms
Column | What it tells you | What to do |
Not Started | Work that should have started already, but hasn't | Move it to today, or to the day you'll really start it |
Overdue | Work that's past its due date | Deal with it first, or agree a new due date |
In Progress | Work that's under way right now | Keep it moving, and avoid starting too much at once |
Today and the days after | Your diary: the work planned to start on each day | Check today fits, and move work to another day if it doesn't |
Completed | Work that's done. It's collapsed to begin with | Nothing, unless you want to look back |
š” Time Flow is based on start dates
A work item in the Today column is planned to start today. It isn't necessarily due today. Its due date shows on the card.
You can't start work in the past
If a work item's start date has passed and nobody has started it, it sits in Not Started.
Think of it like a missed meeting. You can't go back and hold it last Tuesday, so you move it to a new time. Do the same here: drag the work item onto Today, or onto the day you'll realistically start it.
š” Moving work to In Progress
A work item moves into the In Progress column when you change its status to an in progress status, or drag it onto the In Progress column.
What every work item needs
For the board to show how busy each day really is, every work item needs three things:
A start date: when the work begins
A due date: when it has to be finished
An estimated time: how long it will take
XBert spreads the estimated time across the days between the start and due dates.
For example, an 8 hour report that starts Monday and is due Friday works out at about 1.6 hours a day.
If the report only has a due date, XBert can't tell whether it's a week of steady work or a rush on Thursday, so it can't count it.
š Read more here: How To: Use Estimated Time
How the daily capacity works
When Capacity and Actual Time are turned on, each day on the board shows a percentage: how much of that day is already taken up by work.
š Read more here: Activating the Actual Time & Capacity Feature
Work on the same day adds up
If three work items each take some of your Monday, say 4 hours, 2 hours and 3 hours, that's 9 hours. On an 8 hour day, Monday shows as over capacity, so you know to move something before it becomes a problem.
Work in progress
For work you've already started, XBert counts only the time you have left: the estimate minus the time already logged. It spreads that remaining time from today up to the due date.
Overdue work comes first
Overdue work needs doing from today. Instead of showing today at 200% or more, XBert fills today up to your full day and carries the rest over to the following days.
For example, with 20 hours of overdue work and 8 hour days:
Monday: 8 hours
Tuesday: 8 hours
Wednesday: 4 hours
So it will take two and a half days to clear, if nothing new comes in.
Because overdue work comes first, it can also push back work that was planned for today. If Monday is already full with overdue work, the work you planned to start on Monday moves into Tuesday and beyond. That tells you early that it will finish later than planned, so you can let people know.
š” Why a day can look busier than its cards
Overdue and in progress work sits in their own columns, but its time still gets counted in your days. So a day's percentage can be higher than the cards you see in that column. Click the percentage to see everything that makes it up.
š Read more here: Capacity Drill In
Trust today, plan ahead
Today is the most accurate view you have. It shows the overdue work to deal with, the work already under way, and the new work planned to start today, against the hours you actually have.
The days further out are more like a weather forecast. They're useful for planning, but they'll change as new work comes in, priorities shift, and work takes longer or shorter than expected.
A typical Monday
Look at Not Started. Drag each work item onto Today, or onto the day you'll actually start it.
Look at Overdue. Decide what to tackle first, or agree new due dates.
Check Today's capacity. If it's over 100%, drag some of the work planned to start today onto later days.
When you start a work item, change its status to an in progress status, or drag it onto In Progress. It stays there until it's done.
Complete work as you finish it. Completed work no longer counts, so today's capacity frees up.
On Tuesday, anything that was planned to start on Monday but wasn't started moves to Not Started, and anything that passed its due date moves to Overdue. Start the day the same way.
Why it helps
Nothing hides: missed and late work stays in view until it's dealt with.
Plans are realistic: every work item has a day it will actually start.
No overbooking: you can see how many hours each day needs.
Clear priorities: today's work is always front and centre.
Everyone's on the same page: your team can see what was missed, what's under way, what's coming and what's late.
Need help?
If you have any questions, our support team is here to help!
Reach out via the chat widget on the bottom left of your XBert screen (Help), or email us at support@xbert.io