# Kanban Board > **Back to [Style Guide](../mermaid_style_guide.md)** — Read the style guide first for emoji, color, and accessibility rules. **Syntax keyword:** `kanban` **Best for:** Task status boards, workflow columns, work-in-progress visualization, sprint status **When NOT to use:** Task timelines/dependencies (use [Gantt](gantt.md)), process logic (use [Flowchart](flowchart.md)) > ⚠️ **Accessibility:** Kanban boards do **not** support `accTitle`/`accDescr`. Always place a descriptive _italic_ Markdown paragraph directly above the code block. --- ## Exemplar Diagram _Kanban board showing the current sprint's work items distributed across four workflow columns, with emoji indicating column status:_ ```mermaid kanban Backlog task1[🔐 Upgrade auth library] task2[🛡️ Add rate limiting] task3[📚 Write API docs] In Progress task4[📊 Build dashboard] task5[🐛 Fix login bug] In Review task6[💰 Refactor payments] Done task7[📊 Deploy monitoring] task8[⚙️ Update CI pipeline] ``` > ⚠️ **Tip:** Each task gets ONE domain emoji at the start — this is your primary visual signal for categorization. Column emoji indicates workflow state. --- ## Tips - Name columns with **status emoji** for instant visual scanning - Add **domain emoji** to tasks for quick categorization - Keep to **3–5 columns** - Limit to **3–4 items per column** (representative, not exhaustive) - Items are simple text descriptions — keep concise - Good for sprint snapshots in documentation - **Always** pair with a Markdown text description above for screen readers --- ## Template _Description of the workflow columns and what the board represents. Always show all 6 columns:_ ```mermaid kanban Backlog task1[🔧 Task description] task2[📝 Task description] In Progress task3[⚙️ Task description] In Review task4[👀 Task description] Done task5[🚀 Task description] Blocked task6[⛔ Task description] Won't Do task7[❌ Task description] ``` > ⚠️ Always include all 6 columns — Backlog, In Progress, In Review, Done, Blocked, Won't Do. Even if a column is empty, include a placeholder item like [No items yet] to make the structure explicit. --- ## Complex Example _Sprint W07 board for the Payments Team showing a realistic distribution of work items across all six columns, including blocked items:_ ```mermaid kanban Backlog b1[📊 Add pool monitoring to auth] b2[🔍 Evaluate PgBouncer] b3[📝 Update runbook for pool alerts] In Progress ip1[📊 Build merchant dashboard MVP] ip2[📚 Write v2 API migration guide] ip3[🔐 Add OAuth2 PKCE flow] In Review r1[🛡️ Request validation middleware] Done d1[🛡️ Rate limiting on /v2/charges] d2[🐛 Fix pool exhaustion errors] d3[📊 Pool utilization alerts] Blocked bl1[🔄 Auth service pool config] Won't Do w1[❌ Mobile SDK in this sprint] ``` Tips for complex kanban diagrams: - Add a Blocked column to surface stalled work — this is the highest-signal column on any board - Keep items to 3–4 per column max even in complex boards — the diagram is a summary, not an exhaustive list - Use the same emoji per domain across columns for visual tracking (📊 = dashboards, 🛡️ = security, 🐛 = bugs) - Always show all 6 columns — use placeholder items like [No items] when a column is empty