board

Type: noun
Register: technical, operator
Domain: platform-wide

Definition

A kanban that implements a collection of user stories through architecture components. A board is the execution vehicle that turns stories into reality — every item on the board is a piece of a user story being built through an architecture component. Boards live inside projects.

Properties

• Implements user stories — every board item carries a story: label linking to a user-story note. Items without a story reference have no purpose.
• Works through architecture — every board item carries an arch: label linking to an architecture note. The architecture defines HOW the story gets built.
• Permanent — project boards are not time-boxed. They live as long as the project does. Continuous kanban, not sprints.
• Column flow — backlog → todo (review gate) → next_up → in_progress → done. Per sop-board-workflow.
• One or more per project — a project may have multiple boards for different workstreams (e.g., board-pal-e-docs for API work, board-pal-e-app for frontend work).
• Fractal — when a board item is too big (>5 minutes), it gets decomposed into a sub-board. Same structure at every level.

Why it matters

The board is where stories meet architecture. A user story says "what does the user need?" An architecture note says "how is the system shaped?" The board connects them: this item implements story:WS-S1 through arch:westside-app. Without the board, stories are wishes and architecture is theory.

Distinguishes from

Term	Difference
project	The project is the overarching goal. The board is the execution vehicle inside it. See definition-project.
plan	Deprecated. Plans were sequential phase lists. Boards are parallel kanban flows. See convention-kanban-over-plans.
ticket / issue	A ticket is one item ON a board. The board is the container that gives it context.

Examples

• board-westside-basketball — main board for Westside project. 336 issues, 24 phases (legacy).
• board-pal-e-docs — API and platform work for pal-e-docs.
• board-pal-e-app — frontend work for pal-e-app.
• board-109-westside-landing-split — fractal sub-board for a big ticket.

Relations

• contained-by: project
• implements: user story (via story: labels)
• implements-through: architecture (via arch: labels)
• contains: tickets / board items