Understanding Boards
Boards are the foundation of Lifecycle OS. Every team, workflow, and process lives inside a board — a dedicated workspace configured specifically for the kind of work being done. Rather than forcing every type of work into the same generic structure, Lifecycle OS gives each workflow the right setup from the start.
What Is a Board?
A board is a self-contained workspace with its own work items, views, members, statuses, custom fields, automations, and permissions. Think of it as a purpose-built environment for a specific team or workflow — not just a list of tasks.
Everything in Lifecycle OS happens inside a board. When you open a board, you're stepping into a space that's been designed (and configured) for a specific kind of work.
The Five Board Types
Lifecycle OS ships with five board types, each pre-configured for a specific use case.
R&D — Product Development
The most feature-rich board type. Built for engineering and product teams running scrum. Ships with a full Story → Task → Sub-task hierarchy, 20+ statuses, sprint management, dual-track dev and QA workflows, pipeline stage tracking, and 15+ default views.
Best for: Engineering teams, product managers, QA engineers.
Feature Requests — The Customer Voice
Collect and prioritize feature requests from customers, sales, support, and internal teams. Flat item structure — no hierarchy needed. Includes customer portal integration, AI-powered duplicate detection, and a direct link to R&D boards.
Best for: Product teams managing external input and roadmap prioritization.
Bugs — Defect Tracking
A streamlined board for tracking bugs and defects. Supports sprint integration, time tracking, and an optional task hierarchy for breakdown work.
Best for: QA teams, support engineers, and anyone managing production issues separately from the development workflow.
Customer Success — Customer Lifecycle
Track customer relationships from onboarding through renewal. Three-level hierarchy (Customer → CS Task → CS Sub-task), phase-based lifecycle tracking, and kanban views for visualizing your customer pipeline.
Best for: CS teams, account managers, implementation teams.
Custom — Build Your Own
No assumptions. Minimal defaults. Add the fields, statuses, and views you need and build any workflow you want.
Best for: Teams with unique processes, or anyone who wants to start from a blank slate.
Pre-Configured Out of the Box
When you create a board, you're not starting from zero. Each board type comes pre-loaded with:
- Relevant statuses — The right workflow states for that type of work, organized into logical groups.
- Default custom fields — The fields teams commonly need for that workflow (Epic, Product, Source, Phase, etc.).
- Default views — Pre-built saved views covering the most common ways to look at that type of work. R&D boards get 15+ views. Customer Success boards get 7.
- Workflow configuration — Hierarchy levels, stage tracking, QA fields, and other workflow-specific features are enabled or disabled based on the board type.
You can start using a board immediately after creation. No configuration required — unless you want to customize it.
Everything Is Customizable
The defaults are a starting point, not a constraint. Every board can be fully customized after creation:
- Statuses: Add, rename, reorder, or remove statuses. Create custom status groups.
- Custom fields: Add any field type — text, number, date, select, multi-select, URL. Custom fields appear in views, filters, and group-by options.
- Views: Create saved views with specific filters, sorts, groupings, and display modes. Share views with the team or keep them private.
- Automations: Define trigger-action rules that run in the background.
- Member management: Invite members with per-board role assignments.
- Board settings: Update the board name, description, slug, and configuration at any time.
Board Organization
Organizations
Boards live under an Organization. Every board belongs to exactly one organization, and everyone who accesses a board must be a member of that organization first.
Workspaces
Boards can be grouped into Workspaces — collapsible folders in the sidebar that help you organize related boards together. A board can exist outside any workspace, or be assigned to one.
Common workspace patterns: group by team (Engineering, Design, Marketing), by product area (App, API, Platform), or by function (Development, Support, Operations).
Board Slugs
Each board has a unique slug used in its URL. Slugs are auto-generated from the board name but can be customized. Use short, readable slugs — your team will type them.
Board Members and Permissions
Each board has its own member list and role assignments. Adding someone to a board does not give them access to other boards in the organization.
Board roles:
- Admin: Full access to board settings, members, statuses, fields, views, and automations.
- Member: Can create, edit, and manage work items. Cannot change board configuration.
- Viewer: Read-only access to all board content.
Organization admins automatically have admin access to all boards in the organization.
Board Settings
Access board settings from the gear icon in the board header or sidebar. Settings are organized into sections:
- General: Name, description, slug, board type
- Statuses: Manage the board's status workflow
- Custom Fields: Add and configure board-specific fields
- Views: Manage saved views
- Members: Invite and manage board members with role assignments
- Automations: Configure automation rules
- Integrations: Connect external tools (GitHub, Slack, etc.)
- Danger Zone: Archive or delete the board
Tip: If you're new to a board type, explore the default views before customizing anything. They're designed to surface the most common ways your team will look at work — you might find they cover everything you need.