Subtasks, blockers and links
Work items can hang together: a Subtask belongs to a Task, Tasks and Requests belong to an Initiative, and an item can wait for another one to be done first. These connections are links between rows of the same table, stored in the table's Parent, Blocked by, Relates to, Duplicates and Causes columns, so the board, the grid and the record window always agree.
Before you start
- The table tracks work items (see Work items).
- Adding subtasks and links changes the table, so it needs edit rights (members and admins). Viewers see the hierarchy and the links.
Parents and subtasks
A row has at most one parent. Initiatives usually sit at the top, Requests, Tasks and Issues under them, and Subtasks at the bottom. A parent that would point at the row itself, or at one of its own descendants, is refused.
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Put an item under another | Card menu Change parent, Choose parent…; or Add parent in the record window ("Search for a parent"). |
| Take it out again | Card menu Change parent, Remove parent; or Remove parent in the record window. |
| Add a subtask | In the record window, Add, Add subtask (or the Subtasks section), type "What needs to be done?" and click Create. The new row is linked to this one. |
| Add a child in the tree | In Hierarchy, Add child item (Child) on a row: "What needs to be done? Enter to add". |
| Go to the parent | Open parent in the record window, or the parent chip on the card. |
A card with children shows its progress, for example a bar with "1/3". An Initiative counts everything underneath it; any other item counts its direct children. What counts as done is described in Status and done.
The record window of a work item
Opening a work item shows the usual record window (see The record window) with the work details next to the fields.
| Part | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Header | The type icon and key with Copy key, Change type, and Add with Add subtask, Link work item and Attach file. The path above the title (Record path) shows the parent. |
| Description | Markdown text: Edit description, "Ctrl+Enter to save". |
| Subtasks | The children with their status, "2 of 5 done", and Create for a new one. |
| Linked work items | Blockers and other links, with the blocked or ready banner. |
| Status | The status button: change it to move the card. |
| Details | Assignee (Unassigned), priority, type, parent, Add start date, Add due date, labels, flag and reporter; More fields for the rest. |
| Dates | When the row was created and last changed, for example "Created 31 October 2026, 14:05". |
Order the subtasks
Drag a subtask by its grip to change the order ("Drag to reorder"). The order is saved as the rows' own positions, so the grid, the hierarchy and the board show the same order. From the keyboard: "To reorder, press Space or Enter on the handle, move with the arrow keys, press Space or Enter to drop or Escape to cancel."
The hierarchy view
On a board that tracks work, View switches between Board and Hierarchy. The hierarchy shows every work item of the table as a tree.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Work item | Type icon, key and title, indented under the parent. A blocked item says "Blocked by ZAD-8". |
| Status | The status chip in its colour. |
| Prio | The priority arrow. |
| Assignee | The face of the person. |
| Progress | The progress bar of items with children ("1/3"). |
- Expand all and Collapse all open and close the tree; the arrow on a row opens one branch.
- Click a row to open its record.
- The hierarchy ignores the board's filters: the tree is the whole plan.
- It shows up to 5,000 items ("Showing the first 5000").
- A board without work tracking says "Turn on work tracking to see initiatives, tasks and subtasks as a tree."
In the grid, the Hierarchy button does the same for the table: "Show rows under their parent items".
Blockers
Blocked by records the order work has to happen in. An item is blocked while any of its blockers is not done.
- Add a blocker from the card menu: Link work item, Is blocked by… ("This item is blocked by…"), or the other way round with Blocks… ("This item blocks…").
- Or in the record window: Linked work items, Add linked work item, pick the Relation type and the item ("Search work items").
Adding "blocks" writes the other item's Blocked by column, so the link always lives on the blocked side and the two items can never disagree. The record window reads it both ways: what this item is blocked by and what it blocks.
| Where | What you see |
|---|---|
| Record window | "Blocked. Open blockers: 2", or "Ready to start. Every blocker is done." |
| Card | "Blocked by ZAD-8", or "Blocked by 2 items" |
| Hierarchy | The blocker next to the title, and Waiting for |
| Quick filters | Blocked shows only blocked cards |
Other links
Besides blocking, items can be linked in three more ways:
| Relation | Read on the item | Read on the other item |
|---|---|---|
| Relates to | relates to | relates to |
| Duplicates | duplicates | is duplicated by |
| Causes | causes | is caused by |
Each relation has its own column (Relates to, Duplicates, Causes), added to the table the first time someone uses it. Unlink work item in the card menu ("Unlink: blocks ZAD-3"), or Remove link in the record window, takes a link away.
Links to work items
A link to a row of a work-tracked table shows as a chip: the type icon, "ZAD-3: Cennik tras Polska - Włochy" and a status chip in the status option's colour. You get such a link from Copy link in the card menu, Copy record URL in the record window, or by typing @ in a comment and picking from Tasks and records.
The chip looks the same wherever it is pasted: in Chat messages, AI answers, comments, documents, notifications and cells. The title is read for the person looking at it, at the moment they look. Someone who cannot open the row sees "Unavailable link" ("You don't have access to this, or it was deleted."), which names nothing. Hovering shows a preview; a click opens the record over the page you are on ("Click to open the record").
Good to know
- One parent, many children. An item has at most one parent; a parent can have any number of children.
- Statuses stay separate. Moving a parent to another lane does not move its children; only the parent's progress follows them.
- Links stay inside the table. Parent, blocker and other links point at rows of the same table.
- Hover for details. Pointing at a blocked badge lists what the item is Waiting for.
Related pages
- Work items: turning tracking on and every field.
- Kanban boards: the card menu and the board.
- The record window: fields, comments and history.
- Chat: link chips in messages.