The “No Busywork” Project System: How to Run Height Without Board Theater
Many teams don’t fail because they lack a project tool — they fail because the tool becomes a performance.
People move cards around to look active, while the real work happens elsewhere.
Height’s big promise is reducing that busywork through automation and clean workflows.
Here’s how to set it up so it stays useful.
1) Keep the workflow tiny
A simple workflow beats a fancy one. Start with:
- To do – planned but not started
- Doing – active work (limit this, or everything stalls)
- Done – shipped/complete
Rule:
If “Doing” has more than 3–5 items per person, you’re not tracking — you’re collecting.
2) Write tasks as outcomes
Tasks should describe the result, not the activity. A simple format:
Task format
• Outcome: what changes when this is done?
• Definition of done: 2–4 bullets
• Owner: one person
• Link: spec/doc if needed
3) Use automation for hygiene (not magic)
Automation works best for predictable rules:
- Auto-assign tasks created in a project
- Auto-label tasks by keyword or type
- Auto-move status when review/approval is requested
- Auto-remind on tasks with no updates for X days
The goal is not to automate thinking. The goal is to automate the repetitive stuff
so humans can focus on decisions and execution.
4) Separate tasks from documentation
Keep detailed context in docs, not task descriptions.
Pair Height with a documentation tool like
Notion or
Confluence.
A task should link to the doc, not contain the whole doc.
5) Execute in focus blocks
Project tools don’t create output. Focus time does.
Use a focus timer like Pomofocus
to finish tasks, then close them with a short note on what changed.
Final thoughts
Height is a great fit if you want modern project management that doesn’t require constant board maintenance.
Keep workflows simple, write outcome-based tasks, automate hygiene, and pair the system with docs + focus.
That’s how you get real work shipped — not just cards moved.