Adding wait and buffer columns to a TameFlow board

Summary: Add a waiting column so the board shows work that is queued rather than active, or a buffer column so the team can see whether enough work is ready for the next stage.

Applies to

Property	Value
Product	LYNX-X
Version	28.10.9846.0
Required permissions	Space administrator (access to Configuration)
Last updated	2026-10-08
Owner	Support

Before you start

The stream and its board must already exist. See Configuring a TameFlow stream and board.
Identify the column that work queues up in front of — typically a review, test or approval stage.

Wait or buffer?

Both options add an extra column immediately in front of the column you configure. They answer different questions.

Option	Question it answers	Use it when
Wait	Which work is queued for this stage rather than being worked on?	A stage has a hand-over and you want queued work visible instead of hidden inside the stage.
Buffer	Is enough work ready so this stage never runs dry?	A stage must not idle, and you want a target stock of ready work in front of it.

A buffer column has a Buffer size: the number of cards you want waiting there. The board colours the column against that target so the team can read it without counting.

Procedure

Select Go to configuration, then under Object Configuration select TameFlow Kanban.
In the Board configurations tree, select the board.
Open the Board configuration tab.
Find the row for the column that work queues in front of — for example Review.
Double-click the Wait column cell for that row and select Wait or Buffer.

The Wait column options

If you selected Buffer, enter the target number of cards in Buffer size.

Buffer set for Development, Buffer size 3

Select OK.

Expected outcome

Open Focus > Tameflow and select the board. An extra column appears immediately in front of the column you configured, named after it: a Buffer setting on Development produces a Development (buffer) column, and a Wait setting on Review produces Review (wait).

Development (buffer) in front of Development

Cards move into and out of the waiting column like any other column: drag them, or set their Status in the card details panel.

Reading the buffer colour

The count badge on a buffer column is coloured according to how full the column is against its Buffer size. For a buffer of 3:

Cards in the column	Badge	What it tells the team
0 or 1	Red	The next stage is about to run out of work. Release more.
2	Orange	The buffer is nearly at target.
3 or more	Green	The buffer is at or above target. The next stage will not idle.

The badge stays green once the buffer is at target, including when it holds more cards than the target.

The empty buffer column above shows red. One card short of the target, the badge turns orange:

The buffer column with 2 cards

At the target, it turns green:

The buffer column with 3 cards

Additional information

Note
A buffer column is also a value of the controlling property in its own right. A card moved into Development (buffer) has its Status set to Development (buffer), not Development.

Note
A waiting column inherits the token behaviour of the column it belongs to. If Review requires a token, a card waiting in Review (wait) holds one as well — the work has been committed to that stage even though nobody has started it.

Warning
Changing a column's Wait column setting does not move the cards already in it. Those cards keep the old value — Review (buffer) or Review (wait) — which no longer matches any column, so they disappear from the board. They are still visible in Focus > My cards, where you can set Status back to a valid value. Empty a wait or buffer column before you change or remove it.

Tip
Add a waiting column before you add more columns. Most boards that feel too coarse do not need another stage; they need the queue in front of an existing stage made visible.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Resolution
The waiting column does not appear on the board.	Confirm Show is selected for the parent column. A waiting column is only drawn if its parent column is shown.
The Wait column cell will not change.	Double-click the cell rather than single-clicking it. A single click only selects the row.
The buffer column stays red.	The column is well below its Buffer size. Either release more work into it or lower the buffer size.
Cards vanished after the column type was changed.	They still hold the old column's value. Open Focus > My cards and set Status to a value the board shows.

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Changes
2.0	2026-07-29	Support	Rewritten for LYNX-X.
2.1	2026-10-08	Support	Screenshots updated to the current look, with a buffer column on Development. The route now starts under Object Configuration. Cards can also be moved by Status, and reading the buffer colour moved into Expected outcome.

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