Why use Trello for task management?

Trello rocks. I love it and I know you will too.  It’s the ultimate app to stay organised and productive and one that every Account Manager needs in their toolkit. But how to use Trello for task management and why should you?

Trello follows the Kanban workflow which organises cards into columns on a board. 

1. To Do
2. Doing
3. Done

and then organise the cards visually based on what stage your tasks are at in the process.

It’s not just a to-do list though.  Trello is highly visual, intuitive and tactile way of managing your tasks. You can prioritise, include contributors and add notes, links, categories and integrations (called “Power-Ups“) which enhance functionality and automation. Trello Power-ups turn each card into a living app.

You start by setting up teams which are basically the groups under which you want your boards to sit.  For example, I’ve set up boards for:

• Content calendar
• Career
• Fitness
• Personal development
• Bucket list

I can invite people to be part of a team or just share individual boards (great when you’re planning holidays.  I organised my last ski trip with friends on Trello and it was an awesome way to collaborate).

Boards can be made public as well.  You can take a look at the Account Manager Tips Post Planner where I keep track of ideas for blog posts.  Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.  BONUS: if you’re a Trello member you can vote for the next posts and leave comments.

Trello has helped me stay organised and manage everything from strategic account plans and sales opportunities to task management.  Here’s a quick example of how you might set up a weekly board, arranged by priority.  The calendar power-up will allow you to set due dates and you can also sync the calendar with Gmail and Outlook and others to keep track of what’s coming up.

If you prefer a detailed planner view, you can manage your tasks by arranging the cards into daily columns.

Task management on Trello looks just as good on your smartphone or tablet and synchronises seamlessly with apps for iPhone and Android.  It also works great offline which is a feature recently introduce and that I love.  You don’t need a signal to stay organised.

Oh, did I mention Trello is FREE?  Of course, there are upgrades but the freebie plan is pretty amazing.  I needed to squeeze a little more from Trello so I upgraded to a Gold plan but even that’s a steal at $5 a month.

Things Account Managers can use Trello for

So here’s some things I’ve used Trello for in the past to help me stay on track.  

• Daily planning and task management – staying on top of my to-do lists
• Product upsell opportunities – mapping products to clients so I know what I need to sell to who
• Client retention funnel – all my clients and their contract expiry dates, categorised by likelihood to retain.  I can then map out my retention strategy
• Strategic account plan – client facing board to track all the strategies and the value delivered to my clients during the year
• Bugs and issue escalations – any problems that come my way I can track
• Hyper-care plans – both for new client implementations or for clients having problems – a plan to ensure everything is on track and stays that way.

I’ve created a simple Strategic Account Plan board in Trello that will get you started.  I’ll define the board over time so if you want to unlock the link please share, like or follow and it’s all yours.

Inspirational Trello boards to kick-start your task management

Trello has put together a collection of boards to inspire new and creative uses of Trello in both your personal and work life. All of these boards can be copied and used as a jumping off point for projects of your own. Here are a few of my favourites.

• The ultimate board of Trello tips & tricks
  Full of all the best shortcuts and insider 
• Account Manager Tips post planner
  Where I post my upcoming blog content ideas
• New hire onboarding
  This board is actually great if you’re in a new job to start to build your first 30-day action plan
• Personal and work goals
  Nice board that shows you how to plan and stay on top of your personal development goals
• Kevan’s Weekly To-Do’s
  If you want to know how to set up your task management fast, then start with this Trello board.
• 31 Days of Social Media
  If you’re growing any social media channel (blog, Instagram facebook, twitter etc) – this awesome social media calendar will help you stay organised and focused with 31 post ideas you can use every month.

So if you want to control the day and not have the day control you, then I can’t recommend Trello enough. It’s free, fun and highly customisable, so please do check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below. 

P.S.  if you really want to smash your productivity – or at least get a few hours back in your week – read 20 Calendar Management Tips: Show Your Diary Who’s Boss