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Trello Board Automation

Automate Trello board management, card workflows, power-ups, and team collaboration

10 minutes
By communitySource
#trello#kanban#project-management#cards#automation

Moving Trello cards between lists, updating due dates, and assigning members manually wastes project management time that should go to actual coordination. This playbook automates Trello board management — card workflows, status transitions, due date reminders, and team collaboration rules.

Who it's for: project managers automating card movement and status update workflows in Trello, product owners building automated sprint board management with Trello automations, team leads creating notification rules for overdue cards and blocked tasks, operations managers building intake workflows that auto-create and route Trello cards, freelancers automating client project tracking across multiple Trello boards

Example

"Automate our development board so cards move through stages automatically" → Trello automation pipeline: rule-based card movement when checklists complete or labels change, automatic due date assignment based on card type and priority, overdue card notification to assigned members and team leads, weekly board health report showing cards by status and aging, and intake automation creating cards from form submissions or emails

CLAUDE.md Template

New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.

# Trello Automation

Comprehensive workflow for automating Trello board management and kanban workflows.

## Core Concepts

### Board Structure

```
TRELLO BOARD ANATOMY:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📋 Project Board                                        │
├───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬────────┤
│  Backlog  │   To Do   │   Doing   │  Review   │  Done  │
├───────────┼───────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────┤
│ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │        │
│ │Card 1 │ │ │Card 3 │ │ │Card 5 │ │ │Card 7 │ │        │
│ │Labels │ │ │@Mike  │ │ │@Sarah │ │ │@Lisa  │ │        │
│ │Due    │ │ │Due:3d │ │ │       │ │ │       │ │        │
│ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │        │
│ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │           │        │
│ │Card 2 │ │ │Card 4 │ │ │Card 6 │ │           │        │
│ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │           │        │
└───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴────────┘
```

### Card Components

```yaml
card_structure:
  title: "{{task_name}}"
  description: "{{detailed_description}}"
  
  metadata:
    labels:
      - name: "Bug"
        color: red
      - name: "Feature"
        color: green
      - name: "Urgent"
        color: orange
        
    members: ["@member1", "@member2"]
    due_date: "2024-01-20"
    start_date: "2024-01-15"
    
  attachments:
    - type: file
      url: "{{attachment_url}}"
    - type: link
      url: "{{external_link}}"
      
  checklists:
    - name: "Acceptance Criteria"
      items:
        - "Requirement 1"
        - "Requirement 2"
        - "Requirement 3"
        
  custom_fields:
    story_points: 5
    sprint: "Sprint 15"
```

## Butler Automation

### Automation Rules

```yaml
butler_rules:
  - name: auto_assign_on_move
    trigger:
      type: card_moved_to_list
      list: "Doing"
    action:
      - join_card
      - set_due_date: "+3 days"
      - add_label: "In Progress"
      
  - name: due_date_reminder
    trigger:
      type: due_date_approaching
      days: 1
    action:
      - post_comment: "@card Reminder: Due tomorrow!"
      - move_to_list: "Urgent"
      
  - name: completion_cleanup
    trigger:
      type: card_moved_to_list
      list: "Done"
    action:
      - mark_due_complete
      - remove_all_members
      - add_label: "Completed"
      
  - name: scheduled_archive
    trigger:
      type: schedule
      frequency: weekly
      day: sunday
    action:
      - archive_cards_in_list: "Done"
      - older_than: 7_days
```

### Button Commands

```yaml
card_buttons:
  - name: "Start Working"
    actions:
      - move_to_list: "Doing"
      - join_card
      - set_due_date: "+3 days"
      - remove_label: "Backlog"
      - add_label: "In Progress"
      
  - name: "Submit for Review"
    actions:
      - move_to_list: "Review"
      - add_checklist:
          name: "Review Checklist"
          items:
            - "Code reviewed"
            - "Tests passing"
            - "Documentation updated"
      - mention: "@reviewer"
      
  - name: "Mark Complete"
    actions:
      - check_all_items
      - move_to_list: "Done"
      - mark_due_complete
      - post_comment: "✅ Completed!"
```

## Board Templates

### Sprint Board

```yaml
sprint_board_template:
  name: "Sprint {{number}}"
  
  lists:
    - name: "Sprint Backlog"
      position: 1
    - name: "To Do"
      position: 2
    - name: "In Progress"
      position: 3
      wip_limit: 5
    - name: "Code Review"
      position: 4
      wip_limit: 3
    - name: "Testing"
      position: 5
    - name: "Done"
      position: 6
      
  labels:
    - name: "Bug"
      color: red
    - name: "Feature"
      color: green
    - name: "Tech Debt"
      color: yellow
    - name: "Blocked"
      color: purple
      
  custom_fields:
    - name: "Story Points"
      type: number
    - name: "Priority"
      type: dropdown
      options: ["High", "Medium", "Low"]
```

### Content Calendar

```yaml
content_calendar_template:
  name: "Content Calendar - {{month}}"
  
  lists:
    - name: "Ideas"
    - name: "Planning"
    - name: "Writing"
    - name: "Editing"
    - name: "Scheduled"
    - name: "Published"
    
  labels:
    - name: "Blog"
      color: blue
    - name: "Social"
      color: pink
    - name: "Video"
      color: purple
    - name: "Newsletter"
      color: green
      
  card_template:
    name: "{{content_title}}"
    description: |
      **Topic:** {{topic}}
      **Target Audience:** {{audience}}
      **Keywords:** {{keywords}}
      **Publish Date:** {{date}}
    checklists:
      - name: "Content Workflow"
        items:
          - "Research complete"
          - "Outline approved"
          - "First draft"
          - "Edit pass"
          - "Graphics ready"
          - "SEO optimized"
          - "Scheduled"
```

## Workflow Automation

### Card Movement Rules

```yaml
workflow_rules:
  to_do:
    entry_actions:
      - require_due_date
      - require_labels
    exit_requirements:
      - has_assignee
      
  in_progress:
    entry_actions:
      - start_timer
      - add_comment: "Work started"
    constraints:
      wip_limit: 3
      
  review:
    entry_actions:
      - notify_reviewers
      - add_checklist: review_checklist
    exit_requirements:
      - all_checklist_complete
      
  done:
    entry_actions:
      - stop_timer
      - calculate_cycle_time
      - notify_stakeholders
```

### Checklist Templates

```yaml
checklist_templates:
  bug_fix:
    name: "Bug Fix Checklist"
    items:
      - "Reproduce the bug"
      - "Identify root cause"
      - "Write fix"
      - "Add tests"
      - "Test locally"
      - "Code review"
      - "Deploy to staging"
      - "Verify fix"
      
  feature:
    name: "Feature Checklist"
    items:
      - "Requirements documented"
      - "Design approved"
      - "Implementation complete"
      - "Unit tests written"
      - "Integration tested"
      - "Documentation updated"
      - "Demo prepared"
```

## Power-Up Integrations

### Popular Power-Ups

```yaml
power_ups:
  calendar:
    description: "Visualize cards with due dates"
    view: calendar
    sync: true
    
  custom_fields:
    fields:
      - name: "Priority"
        type: dropdown
      - name: "Estimate"
        type: number
      - name: "Client"
        type: text
        
  card_aging:
    enable: true
    mode: regular  # or pirate mode
    
  voting:
    enable: true
    one_vote_per_member: true
```

### Slack Integration

```yaml
slack_integration:
  notifications:
    - trigger: card_created
      channel: "#project-updates"
      
    - trigger: card_moved_to
      list: "Done"
      channel: "#wins"
      
    - trigger: comment_added
      notify: card_members
      
  commands:
    /trello:
      - add_card
      - search_cards
      - my_cards
```

## Reporting & Analytics

### Board Metrics

```
BOARD ANALYTICS - SPRINT 15
═══════════════════════════════════════

CARDS:
Total:        45
Completed:    28 (62%)
In Progress:  12
Blocked:      2

VELOCITY:
This Sprint:  28 cards
Average:      25 cards
Trend:        +12%

CYCLE TIME:
Average:      3.2 days
Shortest:     0.5 days
Longest:      8 days

BY LABEL:
Feature    █████████████░░░ 18
Bug        ████████░░░░░░░░ 12
Tech Debt  █████░░░░░░░░░░░ 8
Other      ███░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 7

BY MEMBER:
Sarah     ████████████░░░░ 15
Mike      ██████████░░░░░░ 12
Lisa      ████████░░░░░░░░ 10
Alex      ██████░░░░░░░░░░ 8
```

### Burndown Chart

```
SPRINT BURNDOWN
│ 45 ┤ ▪
│    │  ▪▪
│    │    ▪▪ ← Ideal
│    │      ▪▪
│ 22 ┤        ●●
│    │          ●● ← Actual
│    │            ▪▪●●
│    │              ▪▪●●
│  0 ┤                ▪▪●●
└────┴────────────────────────
     Day 1              Day 14

On Track: ✓ 2 cards ahead of schedule
```

## API Examples

### Create Card

```javascript
// Create Card with full details
const card = await trello.cards.create({
  name: "Implement user authentication",
  desc: "Add OAuth2 support for Google and GitHub",
  idList: "list_id",
  idLabels: ["label_id_1", "label_id_2"],
  idMembers: ["member_id"],
  due: "2024-01-20T17:00:00.000Z",
  pos: "top"
});

// Add Checklist
await trello.cards.createChecklist(card.id, {
  name: "Implementation Tasks"
});

// Add Checklist Item
await trello.checklists.createCheckItem(checklistId, {
  name: "Set up OAuth provider",
  checked: false
});
```

### Move Card

```javascript
// Move card to different list
await trello.cards.update(cardId, {
  idList: "new_list_id",
  pos: "bottom"
});

// Add comment
await trello.cards.createComment(cardId, {
  text: "Moving to review. @reviewer please check."
});
```

## Best Practices

1. **Simple Lists**: 5-7 lists maximum
2. **Clear Labels**: Consistent color coding
3. **Due Dates**: Set realistic deadlines
4. **WIP Limits**: Prevent bottlenecks
5. **Regular Cleanup**: Archive completed cards
6. **Checklists**: Break down complex tasks
7. **Butler Rules**: Automate repetitive actions
8. **Board Templates**: Standardize workflows
README.md

What This Does

Comprehensive workflow for automating Trello board management and kanban workflows.


Quick Start

Step 1: Create a Project Folder

mkdir -p ~/Documents/TrelloAutomation

Step 2: Download the Template

Click Download above, then:

mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Documents/TrelloAutomation/

Step 3: Start Working

cd ~/Documents/TrelloAutomation
claude

Best Practices

  1. Simple Lists: 5-7 lists maximum
  2. Clear Labels: Consistent color coding
  3. Due Dates: Set realistic deadlines
  4. WIP Limits: Prevent bottlenecks
  5. Regular Cleanup: Archive completed cards
  6. Checklists: Break down complex tasks
  7. Butler Rules: Automate repetitive actions
  8. Board Templates: Standardize workflows

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