Kanbanto guides

What to ask ​

Once your assistant is connected, talk to it the way you would talk to a colleague who has your board open. You do not need special words. These examples show what works well.

Ask about your work ​

The assistant reads the board, so it can answer without you explaining anything first.

Try

  • "What needs my attention today?"
  • "What's overdue on Website launch?"
  • "What is Ben working on?"
  • "What changed since Friday?"
  • "Which cards haven't moved in two weeks?"
  • "What am I waiting on?"

It answers from what is on the board: due dates, who is assigned, what is blocked, what was commented, and when things last moved.

Look back ​

Try

  • "What did we finish last week?"
  • "What did I finish in March?"
  • "What was I working on from January to March?"

Finished cards are found even after they have been archived.

"Working on" means cards that were made or changed in that period: edited, moved, commented on, finished, or with time logged. For periods more than about six months back, Kanbanto only remembers each card's last change, plus its comments and logged time, so an old answer can miss a card that was changed again later. A good assistant will tell you so.

Capture things quickly ​

Try

  • "Add a task to call the printer tomorrow at 10."
  • "Remind me Monday at 1pm to send the invoice."
  • "Turn these notes into tasks: book a photographer, order badges, invites out by Friday."

If you do not name a board and none clearly fits, the card goes to your Inbox. Later: "File my Inbox cards where they belong."

Plan and break down ​

Try

  • "Break 'Launch announcement' into steps."
  • "Plan the team offsite: make a card for it with subtasks for venue, travel and agenda."
  • "Here are the notes from today's meeting. Make a card for the meeting with the action items as subtasks, and assign them."

The assistant searches before it adds, so it does not create a card you already have.

Update the board ​

Try

  • "Move 'Hero picture' to Done."
  • "Assign the pricing section to Ben and make it due Friday."
  • "Mark the sign-up bug as urgent."
  • "Comment on the announcement that the quotes are in, and mention Ann."

Tidy up ​

Try

  • "Archive what we finished more than a month ago."
  • "Which done cards could be archived?"

For a clean-up like this, a careful assistant first says how many cards would go, then does it when you agree. Archived cards can always be restored.

Time and the team ​

Try

  • "Log 2 hours on the homepage for yesterday."
  • "How is the Website launch board doing?"
  • "Who is overloaded this week?"

It only logs time you tell it about. It does not guess hours for you.

Getting good answers ​

  • Name the board when you have several: "on Website launch".
  • Say "me" for yourself: "what's assigned to me".
  • Keep the board honest. The assistant only knows what is on it. A card that is really done but still sits in Doing will be reported as in progress.
  • Check what it did. Its changes show on the board at once, and Kanbanto records which app made them. Ask "what did you change?" if you are unsure.

Next ​