Workflows and boards
How Skopo models workflow states, WIP limits, and transition rules.
The board in Skopo is a rendering of the active project's workflow configuration. Every column, every limit, and every gate comes from the methodology snapshot stored on the project. The board engine is shared across methodologies; the definitions it reads are not.
States and categories
A workflow is an ordered list of states. Each state has a label and belongs to a category: backlog, active, or done. The category determines how the state is treated in metrics and release readiness checks, independent of its display label.
Different methodologies use different state labels for similar stages. Scrum calls the entry column "Backlog" and the commitment column "Selected." Shape Up uses "Shaping," "Pitched," "Building," "Cooldown," and "Shipped." Kanban and most other methodologies use "Backlog," "To Do," "In Progress," "In Review," and "Done." The category behind each label is consistent, which is how cross-methodology metrics and migration mappings work.
The board's columns come from the project's workflow configuration, which is adjustable in Settings. Disabling a column is rejected if work items still sit in that state.
WIP limits
Work-in-progress limits constrain how many items can occupy a given state at one time. Each state in the workflow can have an optional WIP limit, and limits can be advisory or blocking.
An advisory limit shows a warning when the column exceeds its limit but allows the move to proceed. A blocking limit prevents a work item from entering the state until the count drops below the limit.
Standard workflows ship with WIP limits on active states — for example, In Progress is capped at 5 and In Review at 3 by default. You can adjust these limits or change their enforcement mode in the Board setup section of project Settings.
Allowed transitions and gates
The methodology definition specifies which state-to-state transitions are allowed. By default, built-in methodologies use a linear transition graph: each state allows a move only to the next state in sequence. Custom methodology templates can define non-linear graphs to allow, for example, a direct move from In Progress back to Backlog.
When a transition has an attached policy gate, the gate is evaluated before the move is accepted. Gates can check for required field values, policy evidence, or WIP compliance. A blocking gate prevents the transition and shows the reason. An advisory gate warns but permits the move.
Gate failures surface on the board card, in the work-item detail drawer, and in ritual candidate work. You can resolve the gate condition or, if permitted, create an authorized exception with a recorded reason.