The Flexible Columns feature allows you to customize your task board by adding, removing, and rearranging columns to match your specific workflow. This is ideal for teams with unique processes or those transitioning from other project management tools.

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Getting Started with Flexible Columns

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Accessing Column Management

1

Open Project Settings

Navigate to your project and click the settings icon in the top-right corner.
Project settings icon in the top-right corner of the project view
2

Navigate to Columns

In the settings sidebar, select Columns under Board Configuration.

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Viewing and Adding Columns

1

View Current Columns

The Columns page displays all currently configured columns for your project.
Columns interface showing current columns and add button
2

Add a New Column

Click the + Add Column button to create a new column.
3

Configure Column Details

Fill in the following information:
  • Column Name: Descriptive name for your column
  • Display Name: How the column appears on the board
  • Description: Optional explanation of the column’s purpose
  • Color: Visual indicator for the column
  • Position: Where the column appears in your workflow
Create New Column form with fields and position selector
Completed flexible columns setup showing customized board with multiple columns
4

Save Column

Click Create Column to add it to your board.
Completed flexible columns setup showing customized board with multiple columns
Your new column will appear on the task board according to its position setting.

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Managing Existing Columns

Once columns are created, you can manage them using the action buttons:
Column management actions including move up, move down, edit, and delete buttons
  • Rearrange: Use the up/down arrow buttons to change column position, or drag and drop columns to reorder them in your workflow
  • Edit: Click the edit icon to modify column properties
  • Delete: Click the delete icon to remove a column (empty columns only)
Deleting a column with tasks will move all tasks to the “Backlog” column. This action cannot be undone.

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OpenProject Integration

Flexible columns are fully synchronized with OpenProject when projects are linked between the two systems. Any changes made to columns in either Private AI or OpenProject will be reflected in both platforms.
When a project is synced between Private AI and OpenProject:
  • Column additions in either system are automatically synchronized
  • Column updates (name, position, etc.) are synchronized bidirectionally
  • Column deletions are synchronized, with appropriate handling of tasks
This synchronization ensures that your customized workflow in Private AI is preserved when working with the same project in OpenProject, and vice versa.

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Best Practices

Use descriptive column names that reflect your team’s workflow stages, such as “Code Review”, “QA Testing”, or “Ready for Deployment”.
Limit the number of columns to 5-7 to maintain board readability and focus.
Use color coding consistently across projects to help team members quickly identify column types.

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify the column position is set correctly
  • Check that you have saved the column configuration
  • Refresh the page to ensure changes are loaded
  • Ensure the column is empty (no tasks assigned)
  • Confirm you have administrator privileges
  • Check if the column is a system default (Backlog, In Progress, Done)
  • Verify you have permission to edit tasks
  • Check if there are any workflow restrictions in place
  • Ensure you’re dragging tasks completely into the target column
Completed flexible columns setup showing customized board with multiple columns