Workflow Profiles

Agentic Kanban supports two primary workflow profiles: Lite and Standard. The profile determines the available lanes, policies, and safeguards.

Profile Comparison

Feature	Lite	Standard
Lanes	`backlog -> in-progress -> done`	`backlog -> planning -> in-progress -> review -> done`
Worktrees	Optional	Optional (enable via `worktreePolicy.requiredForImplementation: true`)
WIP Limits	Warn-only	Enforced (default `in-progress: 1`)
Review Lane	None	Yes (human gate `review -> done`)
Typical Scope	Small bug fixes, simple docs, or personal projects	Core features, complex changes, or multi-agent environments

1. Lite Profile

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> backlog
    backlog --> in_progress : start implementation
    in_progress --> done : completed

The Lite profile is designed for lightweight, high-velocity tasks. It provides a simple, direct path from backlog to completion:

Lanes: Includes only backlog (task defined), in-progress (active implementation), and done (completed).
Guidelines:
- Tasks don’t go through a formal plan-approval or review stage.
- Worktrees are optional, allowing you to edit the main workspace directly.
- Enforcement defaults to warn, permitting quick moves without blocking.

2. Standard Profile

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> backlog
    backlog --> planning : refine plan & checklist
    planning --> in_progress : plan approved
    in_progress --> review : verify code & run checks
    review --> done : merge & complete
    review --> in_progress : revisions needed

The Standard profile separates planning, implementation, and code verification, providing guardrails that prevent mistakes:

Lanes: Adds planning (scaffolding specs, defining proposal and tasks) and review (verifying implementation before merging).
Guidelines:
- Plan Approval Gate: The transition from planning to in-progress represents a plan-approval gate. To pass, the task must have a checklist with at least one item, and spec-driven tasks must have valid spec files.
- Completion Gate: Moving from review to done represents code approval. Standard policies require running configured tests and linting before entering the review lane.
- Git Worktrees: Optional by default; enable with worktreePolicy.requiredForImplementation: true in board.yaml.
- WIP Limits: Set to strict enforcement (default in-progress: 1) to ensure focus.

Choosing a Profile

Use Lite when:
- Making simple updates (e.g., typos, formatting, updating readmes).
- Working on a small personal project.
- Doing fast-path exploratory spikes.
Use Standard when:
- Building core application features or API changes.
- Working with coding agents where you want to review their plans before they write any code.
- Collaborating in teams where code review and verification policies are strictly required.