Board Management

Once you've created boards and added materials, effective management keeps your projects organized and your team aligned. This guide covers organization, annotation, collaboration, and advanced workflows.

Board Organization

Views and Layouts

Grid View (default):

Visual, Pinterest-style layout
Great for mood boards and presentations
Shows material images prominently
Adjustable thumbnail size (S/M/L)

List View:

Detailed, spreadsheet-style layout
Shows specs, pricing, vendor in columns
Better for technical comparisons
Sortable columns

Toggle: Click view icon (top right) to switch

Filtering Board Contents

Filter by:

Tags: Show only materials with specific tags
Status: Filter by Approved, Pending, Rejected, etc.
Category: Flooring, Lighting, Textiles, etc.
Vendor: Show materials from specific manufacturers
Price Range: Filter by budget

Use case: Show client only "Approved" items without deleting rejected options

Sorting

Sort materials by:

Date Added (newest/oldest first)
Name (A-Z or Z-A)
Price (low to high, high to low)
Vendor (alphabetical)
Custom order (drag and drop)

Keyboard: Click column headers in List view to sort

Material Annotations

Adding Notes

Per-material notes:

Click material to open details
Click "Add Note" or notes section
Type your note (supports formatting)
Save

Note types:

Client Feedback: "Client prefers the warmer tone"
Vendor Info: "Lead time is 4 weeks, quoted $X per sq ft"
Installation: "Requires professional installation, substrate prep needed"
Alternatives: "Backup option: [material name] if this is out of stock"

Collaboration: Notes are visible to all project members with edit access

Tagging System

Built-in tags:

Status tags: approved, pending, rejected, backup
Priority: must-have, nice-to-have, optional
Budget: under-budget, on-budget, over-budget

Custom tags:

Click material → Tags field
Type new tag name
Press Enter to create
Tag appears in project's tag library

Tag strategies:

Use consistent naming (living-room not living room or LivingRoom)
Create tag hierarchy (room:living, room:kitchen)
Tag for workflow (needs-quote, waiting-approval, ordered)

Status Tracking

Material statuses:

Considering: Initial exploration
Researching: Getting quotes, samples
Proposed: Presented to client
Approved: Client/team approved
Ordered: Purchase order placed
In Transit: Shipped, awaiting delivery
Installed: Material installed on site
Rejected: Not moving forward

Updating status:

Click material
Change status dropdown
(Optional) Add note explaining why

Visual indicators: Status badge appears on material thumbnail

Board Actions

Rename & Update

Click board menu (⋯ icon)
Select "Rename" or "Edit Details"
Update name, description, color
Save

Duplicate Board

Create exact copy including all materials and notes:

Click board menu (⋯)
Select "Duplicate"
New board created: "Copy of [Original Name]"
Rename as needed

Use cases:

Create "Option A" and "Option B" variations
Archive approved board before making changes
Share board structure across projects

Move Board

Move to different folder or nest under another board:

Click board menu (⋯)
Select "Move to..."
Choose destination: Folder or parent board
Confirm

Archive Board

Hide board from active view but preserve data:

Click board menu (⋯)
Select "Archive"
Board moves to "Archived" section

Why archive instead of delete:

Preserve history
Reference on future projects
Unarchive if needed later

View archived boards: Toggle "Show Archived" in boards view

Delete Board

Permanently remove board (cannot be undone):

Click board menu (⋯)
Select "Delete"
Confirm deletion (type board name)

Warning: All materials, notes, and nested boards will be deleted

Collaboration Features

Real-Time Updates

Live collaboration:

See team members viewing same board (avatars shown)
Changes appear instantly for all users
No "save" or "sync" required
Cursor shows who's editing what

Comments & Discussion

Add comments to materials:

Click material
Scroll to Comments section
Type comment
@-mention teammates to notify them
Post comment

Comment threads:

Reply to existing comments
Mark comments as resolved
Filter by unresolved comments

Activity Log

View board history:

Click "Activity" tab
See timeline of changes:
- Materials added/removed
- Status changes
- Comments added
- Notes updated
- Who made each change and when

Use case: Track client feedback, understand decision evolution

Advanced Workflows

Board Templates

Create reusable structures:

Build ideal board structure once
Duplicate for future projects
Update materials, keep structure

Example template: "Room Package"

Room Name
├── Flooring (nested board)
├── Walls (nested board)
├── Ceiling (nested board)
├── Lighting (nested board)
└── Accessories (nested board)

Multi-Board Presentations

Present multiple design directions:

Create parent board: "Client Presentation - Dec 8"
Create nested boards:
- "Option A - Modern"
- "Option B - Traditional"
- "Option C - Transitional"
Present all options from parent view
Drill into specifics in nested boards

Approval Workflows

Structured review process:

Propose: Add materials to "Proposed Selections" board
Review: Team reviews, adds comments, changes status
Approve: Move approved items to "Client Presentation" board
Present: Share board with client (guest link)
Finalize: Move client-approved items to "Final Selections"
Order: Update status to "Ordered", add PO numbers in notes

Version Control

Track design evolution:

Initial concept: "Kitchen - Draft 1 (Dec 1)"
After feedback: Duplicate → "Kitchen - Draft 2 (Dec 8)"
Final: Duplicate → "Kitchen - FINAL (Dec 15)"

Benefits:

Maintain history
Revert if needed
Show client progress

Search Within Board

Find specific materials on large boards:

Use search bar at top of board
Search by: Name, vendor, category, tags, notes
Results filter in real-time
Clear search to show all

Jump to Material

Quick navigation:

Press / to focus search
Type material name
Press Enter
Scrolls to material

Navigate nested boards:

Projects > Smith Residence > Boards > Living Room > Flooring Options
                                        ^           ^
                                     [Click to go back to this level]

Board Permissions

Based on project role (set by project admin):

Role	View Boards	Add Materials	Edit Materials	Delete Materials	Delete Boards
Admin	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Creator	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Editor	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Viewer	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Client (guest)	✅ Limited	❌	❌	❌	❌

See Roles & Permissions for details.

Best Practices

1. Consistent Tagging

Create tag standards for your team:

Status:
- approved
- pending
- rejected
- backup-option

Budget:
- under-budget
- on-budget
- over-budget
- splurge

Priority:
- must-have
- nice-to-have
- optional

Document your tags in project notes so team uses same vocabulary

2. Regular Cleanup

Weekly: Remove materials that are clearly rejected

Monthly: Archive boards for completed projects

Quarterly: Review and delete truly unnecessary boards

Why: Keeps workspace fast and findable

3. Descriptive Notes

Bad: "Nice option"

Good: "Client loves the texture. Quote received: $45/sq yd, 3-week lead time. Backup: [material name] if out of stock."

Include:

Why material was selected/rejected
Pricing and availability
Client feedback
Installation considerations

4. Status Workflow

Establish clear status progression:

Considering → Researching → Proposed → Approved → Ordered → Installed
                    ↓
                 Rejected

Train team on when to update status

5. Board Hierarchy

Keep nesting reasonable (max 2-3 levels):

✅ Good:

Living Room
├── Flooring
└── Lighting

❌ Too deep:

Project
└── Spaces
    └── Living Room
        └── Elements
            └── Flooring
                └── Options

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`N`	New board
`⌘D` / `Ctrl+D`	Duplicate selected
`⌘A` / `Ctrl+A`	Select all materials
`Del`	Delete selected
`/`	Focus search
`Esc`	Close modals
`←` `→`	Navigate materials (in detail view)

Troubleshooting

"Board is slow to load"

Causes: Too many materials (500+), large images, slow connection

Solutions:

Use filters to show fewer items
Switch to list view (faster than grid)
Archive old materials
Split into multiple boards

"Can't edit board/materials"

Check:

Your project role (Viewer can't edit)
Board isn't archived
You're connected to internet

"Materials out of order after sorting"

Cause: Custom sorting overridden by column sort

Solution: Clear sort (click "Default Order") to restore custom arrangement

What's Next?

Exporting Boards: Create PDFs and Excel files for client presentations
Team Collaboration: Add team members and manage permissions
Sharing with Clients: Create guest links and external sharing

Need help? Chat with us (bottom right) or email support@palett.space.