Task Management for Agencies: Clients, Revisions and Deadlines on One Board
Agencies juggle by definition: several clients, each with their own deadlines, feedback arriving at any hour, and an account manager trying to hold it all together across a dozen chat threads. We run a studio ourselves — Digital Plus has built websites, apps and campaigns for clients since 2017 — and Teamflows grew out of exactly this problem. Here's the system that works for us.
- One card = one deliverable for one client, client name first in the title.
- Treat waiting for the client as its own state — it's the main cause of missed deadlines.
- Limit revision rounds in the contract and track each round as its own card.
- Track time per task to see the real margin per client.
Board structure
For a small agency, one board per team usually beats one board per client — you see total workload in one place.
| Column | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Assigned | Task with an owner and a deadline |
| In progress | Work happening, timer running |
| In review | Internal check — art director, tech lead |
| Done | Approved internally and sent to the client |
Track client waiting time in a dated comment: "Sent to client Sep 22, waiting for feedback." If many cards carry that note, it's time to talk to the client about approval turnaround.
Card rules
- Title: "Client — deliverable". "Acme — launch banners, 3 sizes".
- One owner. Design and build are two cards.
- Internal deadline with buffer for review.
- Brief and files in the description and attachments, not in chat.
Revisions
Revisions are where agencies lose the most money and patience.
- Limit revision rounds in the contract — for example, two included, then hourly.
- Each round is its own card: "Acme — revisions, round 2". You'll see how many rounds happened and what they cost.
- Consolidated feedback. Ask clients for one list, not a trickle of comments throughout the day.
Time tracking
A timer on every card shows what each client really costs. Monthly, compute the effective hourly rate — revenue ÷ hours. Clients at the bottom are candidates for a scope or price conversation. Details in billable hours tracking for agencies.
In Teamflows the timer is built into each task and visible on the board while it runs, so account managers see what's being worked on without interrupting anyone.
Weekly rhythm
- Monday, 30 min — board review: what ships this week, what's waiting on clients, who's overloaded. Agenda: weekly team review meeting.
- Daily — written updates in card comments.
- Friday, 10 min — what went to clients, what moves to next week.
Frequently asked questions
One board for the agency or one per client?
For teams up to about 15 people, one board with client names on cards shows total workload best. With many clients and separate teams, use one board per team or practice.
Should clients have access to our task board?
Usually not the internal one. Send clients deliverables and summaries; keep internal discussion, estimates and time data inside.
How do we stop endless revisions?
Contracted revision limits, one card per round with tracked time, and consolidated feedback. Time data makes the conversation about extra fees factual.
What tool suits a small agency?
One with a board, owners, deadlines, comments and time tracking — without heavy setup. Teamflows covers these for free with no user limits.
We build Teamflows — a free kanban board with a timer inside every task — and use it every day at the Digital Plus studio to run dozens of client projects. Our guides come from that practice. Questions or corrections: mail@dp8.kz