---
title: "Configure the columns of a team's board"
description: "Add, rename and order the stages on a department's Kanban board, mark the column that closes the flow, and choose the stage new tickets land in."
updated: "2026-08-28"
audience: [administrator]
source: "https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/en/ticket/cau-hinh-cot"
---

The columns on a Kanban board are the stages of one department, and every
department carries its own set. This page builds that set and names the column
that receives new tickets.

## Goal [#goal]

The department holds a set of columns in the order the work actually flows, the
last one is marked as closing, and a new ticket for that department lands in
the first one.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* The **administrator** role. The **Departments**, **SLA Policies** and
  **Working Calendars** menu entries appear only for that role, and editing
  columns needs write access to ticket stages, which by default only
  administrators hold.
* A department that already exists under **Tickets** → **Departments**.
* The two permission axes: [Roles and per-feature permissions](/en/khai-niem/vai-tro-va-quyen).

## Steps [#steps]

1. Open **Tickets** → **Kanban** and click the tile of the department you are
   configuring.
2. Press **Add column** in the faded panel on the far right, type a name into
   **Column name…** and press **Add column**. The new column appears at the end
   of the row.
3. Rename a column with the pencil icon (**Rename**) on its header. Press Enter to
   store the new name.
4. Drag a column header left or right to reorder it. This order is the flow your
   team reads every day.
5. Press the gear icon (**Stage settings**) to open the **Edit stage** dialog.

   ![The Edit stage dialog with a Name box, a row of six colour swatches, an empty WIP limit box and two checkboxes beneath it](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/ticket/cau-hinh-cot/01-cai-dat-giai-doan.en.webp)

   *The settings dialog of one column, opened from the gear icon.*
6. Pick a **Color** and fill **WIP limit (optional)**. Left empty, the column runs
   at **No limit**.
7. Tick **Mark tickets in this stage as resolved** on the final column, and
   **Pause SLA clock while here (excluded stage)** on a waiting-on-customer
   column. Press **Save**.
8. Delete a column with the bin icon (**Delete column**). The browser asks for
   confirmation, and the server refuses while the column still holds tickets.
9. Open **Tickets** → **Departments** → pick the department → the **Settings**
   tab. Set **Default Ticket Stage** and press **Save Changes**.

## Verify [#verify]

Reload the board: the names, colours and order hold exactly as you left them,
and the closing column carries a **Closing** label on its header.

Create a ticket for that department following [Create a ticket and answer the customer](/en/ticket/tao-va-xu-ly):
it appears in the column you chose as **Default Ticket Stage**.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

| Symptom                                                                              | Cause                                                                                   | What to do                                                                                           |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Deleting a column fails with "Stage is in use by existing tickets. Move them first." | The column still holds tickets, and the server will not drop one in use                 | Drag every card elsewhere, then delete it                                                            |
| A column goes over its **WIP limit** and the console keeps accepting cards           | The limit only turns the count red; it blocks nothing                                   | Read it as a signal for whoever dispatches work                                                      |
| **Pause SLA clock while here** is on, yet deadlines do not move                      | The clock stops only on the columns ticked under **Excluded stages** in each SLA policy | Open the policy and tick that column — see [Set an SLA policy for a team](/en/ticket/chinh-sach-sla) |
| **Departments** is absent from the menu                                              | That entry opens for administrators alone                                               | Ask an administrator to make the change                                                              |
| New tickets land in no column                                                        | The department has no **Default Ticket Stage**                                          | Repeat the last step                                                                                 |

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Set an SLA policy for a team](/en/ticket/chinh-sach-sla)
* [Track tickets on your team's Kanban board](/en/ticket/bang-kanban)
* [Set working hours, shifts and leave days](/en/ticket/lich-lam-viec)