Choosing a Project Template: Kanban, List, or Timeline

Every new Loomstack project starts from a template that sets the default view, sections, and fields. You can change views later, but picking the right template saves setup time. Here’s how each one works and when to use it.

Kanban Template

The Kanban template opens your project as a board of columns, one per task state (Backlog, To Do, In Progress, In Review, Done).

Best for: Teams with a continuous flow of work — support queues, design requests, engineering sprints.

To get started:

1. Click + New Project and select Kanban
2. Drag tasks between columns to change their state
3. Set work-in-progress limits per column under Board Settings > WIP Limits to prevent overload
4. Use swimlanes (Board Settings > Group by) to split the board by assignee or priority

List Template

The List template shows tasks as a sortable table with columns for assignee, due date, priority, and any custom fields.

Best for: Task-heavy projects where you need to scan, sort, and bulk-edit — launch checklists, backlogs, content calendars.

To get started:

1. Click + New Project and select List
2. Click any column header to sort, or drag headers to reorder
3. Select multiple tasks with Shift+Click to bulk-change assignee, state, or due date
4. Add columns via List Settings > Fields to show exactly the data you need

Timeline Template

The Timeline template lays tasks out on a horizontal calendar, similar to a Gantt chart, with dependency arrows between tasks.

Best for: Date-driven projects with sequential phases — product launches, event planning, migrations.

To get started:

1. Click + New Project and select Timeline
2. Drag task bars to change start and end dates
3. Drag from the edge of one task to another to create a dependency
4. Enable critical path highlighting under Timeline Settings to see which tasks drive your end date

Switching Views Later

Templates only set the default — every project supports all three views:

1. Open the project
2. Click the view switcher at the top (Board / List / Timeline)
3. Click + Save View to keep a custom combination of view, filters, and sorting

Saved views appear as tabs at the top of the project so teammates can switch between them.

Summary

Choose Kanban for flow-based work, List for scannable task tables, and Timeline for deadline-driven plans. Since every project can use all three views, your template choice is a starting point, not a commitment.