Kanban manual order
Inside a Kanban column, cards can sit in an order you set by hand rather than one Operon computes. Manual order lets you express priority or sequence that no single field captures: the next three things to do, in the order you will do them. It is a per-board choice, so some boards can sort automatically while others stay hand-arranged.
Two order modes
A board orders the cards in each column one of two ways:
- Automatic: Operon sorts the cards by rules you define, such as priority then due date. The order updates itself as tasks change.
- Manual: cards keep the exact order you set by dragging them inside a column. Operon does not re-sort them.
You pick the mode per board, as part of its Kanban preset. See Kanban overview.
Setting a manual order
With manual order on, drag a card up or down within its column to place it. The position you give it sticks, so the column reads top to bottom as the sequence you intend. Moving a card to another column still changes its status, as always; manual order is about position within a column, not which column it is in. See Pipelines and statuses.
When to use which
- Automatic suits boards where a rule already captures what matters, like priority or deadline. See Task priorities.
- Manual suits boards where the order is a judgment call: a plan of attack, a publishing sequence, a triage line.
Many people mix both across different boards, automatic where a field decides and manual where they do.
FAQ
Does manual order survive reloads? Yes. The order you set by dragging is kept with the board.
Does dragging a card change its status? Only when you move it to another column. Reordering within the same column keeps the status and just changes position.
Can one board be manual and another automatic? Yes. Order mode is set per board through its Kanban preset.
Settings
Operon settings for this live in Settings → Operon → Views → Kanban, where each board's preset sets the order mode (Automatic or Manual) and, for automatic boards, the sort rules.