Card View: Card Creation and Functionality
Cards are created in the Card View of the Business Outcomes dashboard. Depending on the option selected in the first of the two view dropdowns, the type of card available will vary. Each type of card has a different purpose and different capabilities.
- If you choose Business Outcomes, you will be creating/editing Outcome cards for high-level outcomes and their corresponding key results.
- If you choose Initiatives, you will be creating/editing Initiative cards, intended for the projects needed to achieve outcomes.
- If you choose Deliverables, you will be creating/editing Deliverable cards, intended for the deliverables of the projects needed to achieve outcomes.
Getting Started
We suggest starting at the company level and creating Outcome cards for the 3-year, Annual, and Quarterly goals of the company first. After the company-level Outcome cards are created, work down through n-tier teams, enterprise teams, and multi-teams as necessary. Next, individual teams can create their Outcomes cards in the appropriate columns, usually 1-year and Quarterly outcomes. Once all Outcome cards are complete, teams can then work to create Initiative and Deliverable cards that relate to the appropriate Outcome cards.
Outcome Cards
Outcome cards are intended for high-level outcomes and their corresponding key results. Cards can be created for 3-Year Outcomes, 1-Year Outcomes, and Quarterly Outcomes.
Project Cards
Project cards are intended for the projects necessary to achieve an outcome. These are typically broken down by quarter to be shown in the Timeline view for Projects.
Milestone Cards
Milestone cards are intended for the milestones necessary to complete a project. These are typically broken down by sprint to be shown in the Timeline view for Milestones.
Story Cards
Story cards are intended for the actionable stories that drive day-to-day work within a sprint. These are typically broken down by sprint to be shown in the Timeline view for Stories.
Create a Card
Remember that the columns on the board change as the views in the two view dropdowns change. Learn about the various views. Select the correct team/level in the left navigation and the right view in the dropdowns first. Then, click the "plus" button in the correct column to create a new card. If you cannot click the plus icon, you do not have permission to create cards at this level.
The card that opens will vary based on the view selected.
Outcome cards look like the below example. Notice the section between the Title field and the Description, as well as the tabs under the Description box. Also, notice the Tag section on the right side of the card.
Initiative (Project) cards look like the below example. Notice the section between the Title field and the Description, as well as the tabs under the Description box. Also, notice the Additional Details section on the right side of the card.
Deliverable cards look like the below example. Notice the section between the Title field and the Description, as well as the tabs under the Description box. Also, notice the Additional Details section on the right side of the card.
Top of Card Information/Save Options
At the top of each card you will see information about the card, the Overall Progress bar and several options.
In the upper left corner, the view the card was created in will be displayed, along with the name of the team level on which the card was created.
The Overall Progress bar will show in the middle of the card.
- This updates as progress on Key Results for the card is made for Outcomes cards.
- For Initiatives cards, the overall progress bar updates as progress on related Deliverables is made.
- For Deliverables cards, the overall progress bar updates as progress on Checklist items is made.
- However, if the Deliverables card is a parent card to other Deliverables and has the Sub-Deliverables tab:
- The parent Deliverables card's overall progress bar will be updated based on the progress of the sub-deliverables and not the checklist items.
- The sub-deliverables card's overall progress bar will be updated based on the progress of checklist items.
- However, if the Deliverables card is a parent card to other Deliverables and has the Sub-Deliverables tab:
In the upper right corner. you will see the permission level you have for this card. The options are Read & Write, Read Only, and Private.
If another user has the same card open, you will see a message telling you so. If two people work on the same card at the same time, one or both may not see their changes saved. We recommend closing the card and working with the other user to take turns editing the card.
Click the down arrow next to Save and you'll see Save and Close as an option.
After clicking Save, wait for the Successfully saved message to appear before closing the card. If you click Save & Close, the card will save and then close automatically.
If you lose your internet connection while working in the dashboard, you can still make changes but the data will be saved in your browser. You will need to save the card once you have access again to save your changes to the dashboard. You will see the below message:
You can tell which cards were created without internet access because they will have the cloud icon noted below:
Once access is restored, you can open the card and save it. You may need to make a small change to activate the Save button. Locally saved cards will be deleted from your browser after 5 days.
Clicking on the color palette icon will open a modal allowing you to add a color to the upper left corner of the card as well as the progress bar. Click the red circle image to remove the color from the card. Choosing the gray color block will set the card back to the default gray color.
The color you choose will also show on the card when viewing the dashboard and can be used for filtering later.
Click the trash can icon to delete the card - you will be asked to confirm deletion. Click the double arrow icon to expand the size of the card to fill your screen. Click the X to close the card - you will be asked to save your changes if changes have been made.
Title
Give the card a title that is memorable, inspirational, and descriptive of what you want to achieve. You'll see this title on the dashboard amongst all the other card titles so make sure it's clear.
Description
The Description area lets you record a description of this card, its purpose, why it's important, etc.
Rich-text formatting is available for this portion of the card. Begin typing a description and the formatting bar will appear.
Stats
The stats area on an Outcome card differs from the same area on Initiatives and Deliverables cards slightly.
On an Outcome card, you can set the Status and Health of the card. The Priority Score section is meant to help you prioritize outcome cards in the same column amongst each other. You can search for an AgilityHealth user in your company in the boxes for Owner and Sponsor and add multiple of each if you wish.
On Initiatives and Deliverables cards, you can also set the Status and Health of the card, as well as enter a Priority Score and assign one or more Owners. Additionally, you can select a Start and End Date for the card and select a Parent card.
Tags
On Outcome cards, if tags have been set up by your Company or Business Line Admin, you can choose to add a tag to the card. This will allow it to show up when using the filter for the dashboard. To see the list of available tags, put your cursor in the Select Tags field.
Select one or more tags. They will then show in the Select Tags field. To delete a tag, click the x in the tag.
The tag(s) you choose will also be shown on the card when viewing the dashboard and can be used for filtering. Tags can also have colors assigned to them if set up that way by your Company or Business Line Admin. The tags themselves are not colored but when using the filter option for the dashboard, a color legend will be visible.
For Initiatives and Deliverables cards, a tag is added automatically with the name of the column in which the card is created and cannot be deleted. See the Additional Details section for more information.
Additional Details
Initiatives and Deliverables cards have an Additional Details section that encompasses information about the Owning Team, Sponsors, Supporting Teams and Tags.
The Owning Team is populated automatically and will be the name of the team level in the left navigation at which the card was created.
You can choose one or more AgilityHealth users by typing in their names as Sponsors.
In the Supporting Teams field, you can add additional teams in your company that would be supporting the Initiative or Deliverable along with the Owning Team.
A tag is added automatically with the name of the column in which the card is created. If needed, you can add additional tags. The card will then be duplicated and show up in each column that was tagged. One tag must remain on each Initiative and Deliverable card and cannot be deleted.
Key Results
Key Results measure your progress toward your desired outcome/initiative/deliverable. All Key Results must be measurable and therefore require starting and ending numbers.
Add a Key Result
Click the + Add Key Results button to add a key result.
Type in a description of the key result and choose a metric from the dropdown. If the metric you would like to track does not exist in the dropdown, type in the name of the metric and click Create "Metric Name" to add this to the list. You will need to choose if it's a Percentage, a Dollar Amount or a Number value. Your choice will determine how the values appear in the Start, Target, Stretch and Current columns. Enter the appropriate values in those columns.
Use the weight button to open a modal that allows you to add a weight to each Key Result, totaling 100.
The weight will be displayed next to the Key Result title.
Come back to your card and update the values as they change over time to see the Overall Progress bar for the card advance, as well as the key result's progress bar.
Link to Outcome
If necessary, you can link this card to a parent card. You can also decide to bring in key results from the parent card and have those added to this card's key result list.
- 3-Year Outcome cards can be parent cards to 1-Year and Quarterly Outcome cards, as well as Initiative cards.
- 1-Year Outcome cards can be parent cards to Quarterly Outcome cards, as well as Initiative cards.
- Quarterly Outcome cards can be parent cards to Initiative cards.
- Initiative cards can be parent cards to Deliverable cards.
- Deliverable cards can be parent cards to other Deliverable cards.
To begin, click Link to Outcome. In the modal, select a parent card from the dropdown and click Link. If desired, click the checkboxes for one or more parent key results you wish to link this card to.
When linking Key Results to a parent card's Outcomes or Key Results, users can now select the type of relationship:
- Contributing: Indicates that the Outcome/Key Result contributes directly to the parent.
- Aligning: Indicates that the Outcome/Key Result aligns with, but does not directly contribute to, the parent.
If Aligning is selected, the parent Key Result will be updated and cascade down automatically to the child Key Result, which is read only. If Contributing is selected, the child Key Result makes the update and notifies the parent Key Result.
If Aligning is selected:
- The Key Result will appear linked to the parent but will not be editable.
- The weight will automatically be set to 0, and no weight adjustments are needed for aligned Key Results.
- If the metric in the parent outcome changes, Key Results with an Aligning relationship will automatically update to reflect this.
If you brought in key results from the parent card, you will see those listed in the key results section. You can edit them to make them fit this card better. The link icon in the Linked column will show you the name of the parent card when you hover over it and when clicked, a new tab will open with the parent card.
On the parent card, you will see a caret has been added to the front of the key result that was linked to in the child card. If you expand the caret, you will see a section showing the name of the key result as it stands on the child card, what type of card it was linked from and the name of the card in the second column, the team the card resides with and the progress of that key result as listed in the child card. As the child card updates the key result, the updates will also reflect here on the parent card. To unlink this key result, you can use the three dots in the Actions column.
Key results can be marked as lagging or leading indicators. If the target icon is gray, it is considered a leading indicator. If you click on the target icon, it will turn green, which indicates an impact metric, or lagging indicator.
Reorder key results by clicking on the six dot icon in the beginning of each Key Result row and dragging it to the desired position.
As you update the progress on your Key Results, the Overall Progress bar will also update.
You can delete a Key Result by clicking the three dots in the row with the Key Result you wish to delete and then clicking Delete. If the key result is linked to another card, you can also unlink it here.
Child Outcomes
Outcome cards have a Child Outcomes tab, where child cards that are Outcome cards can be added and removed. Use the Actions column to unlink or delete a child outcome card from the parent.
Initiatives
Outcome cards have an Initiatives tab, where child cards that are Initiatives can be added and removed. Use the Actions column to unlink or delete a child Initiative card from the parent Outcome card.
Deliverables
Initiatives cards have a Deliverables tab. This tab allows you to keep track of the deliverables related to the initiative and monitor their progress. Use the Actions column to unlink or delete a Deliverable card from the parent Initiative or Deliverable card.
Progress on linked deliverables in the Deliverables tab drives the overall progress bar on Initiatives cards.
Sub-Deliverables
Deliverables cards that are parent cards have a Sub-Deliverables tab, where child cards that are also Deliverables cards can be added and removed. Use the Actions column to unlink or delete a sub-deliverable from the parent.
Checklist
All cards have a Checklist tab. This tab will allow you to keep track of to-do items related to the card and monitor their progress. As you mark checklist items as completed, the progress bar will update. Use the Actions column to delete an item.
Progress on checklist items in the Checklist tab drives the overall progress bar on Deliverables cards.
Comments
All cards have a Comments tab. You can click the Comments tab and add comments as the team discusses the card. Type in your comment and click Add Comment when finished. Use the trash can to delete your comment, if necessary.
Obstacles
All cards have an Obstacles tab. This tab will allow you to keep track of obstacles related to the card. Add an obstacle, and type in a title and description. You can choose Obstacle or Risk as the Type. If you choose Risk, you can choose a ROAM status. Select an impact, search for an AgilityHealth user to be the owner, and update the status and the estimated completion date. Use the Actions column to delete an obstacle.
Dependencies
Initiatives and Deliverables cards have a Dependencies tab. This tab allows you to keep track of dependencies related to the initiative or deliverable. You can select a dependency by choosing an Initiative or Deliverables card from the dropdown. Enter a description, choose the impact and due date and update the status. The name of the team that owns the card will automatically populate in the team column. Use the Actions column to delete a dependency.
Custom Fields
Some companies may have custom fields created to populate the Custom Fields tab on cards. All cards have this tab. A custom field can track company-specific information not already included on a card. A Company Admin or Business Line Admin can create these fields for your company. Simply type the right value into the field and save the card. To delete the value in a field, click the X next to the value.
Learn how to add Custom Fields.
Documents
The documents tab can be used to upload a document to your card or to attach a URL.
History
The history tab will show the the timestamp, updated by, and changes made to the card.
Financials
The financial tab will give a clear way to track and visualize project finances, comparing actual spending against the approved budget over time.
New Card Highlight
After you create a card, the card will reside at the top of the chosen column and have a highlight around it. The highlight will remain until you open a card or create another card.
Reorder Cards
When you create a card, it will automatically be the first card in the column it was created in. You can reorder cards in a column simply by clicking on and dragging the card into a new position in the same column. If the Kanban Mode is enabled for the view you're using, you can move cards into different columns as well. Visit the Business Outcomes Dashboard Settings.
Duplicate an Outcome Card
You can duplicate an Outcome Card when in the Business Outcomes view and have Annually or Quarterly selected as the category. You cannot duplicate Initiatives or Deliverables cards.
To duplicate a card, click the double paper icon on the card you wish to duplicate.
In the pop-up that appears, choose the column you wish the duplicated card to appear in from the drop-down options. Then click Duplicate.
Link a Card to a URL and How to Delete a Link
To link a card to an external tool like an ALM, Trello, or any URL, click on the link icon at the bottom of the card from the dashboard.
Click into the Create a Title field and name your link. Then click into the Enter the URL field and type in or paste the URL you wish to add to this card. Click the green Add button. The link will appear in light blue below the text fields. You can add more URLs, if necessary.
Back on the dashboard, you can see there is now a "1" next to the link icon and if you hover over the link icon, you can see the title you created for the external link attached to the card. While hovering over the link icon, you can move your cursor to the title you created and click it to be taken to the URL you entered.
To delete a link, click the link icon on the card to open the link modal. Click the trash can next to the link you wish to delete and the link disappears. Click Save to confirm your deletion.
Restore Deleted Cards
To restore cards that have been deleted, users can visit Manage Archive Settings. Click the Settings gear icon in the very top right navigation of the Business Outcomes Dashboard, then click Manage Settings in the Business Outcomes box.
Then click Manage Archive Settings in the Archive Settings box.
Use the date filters to help find recently deleted cards. Click the Restore button to add a card back to the dashboard.
If the card was previously deleted and has already been restored, information about the card will be listed but the green Restore button will not appear. The table is scrollable and scrolling to the right will display more information about who and when a card was archived or restored.
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