This guide walks through how MSP engineers use TopLeft's kanban boards to manage their daily workload. You'll see exactly how tickets, time entry, and team communication flow throughout a typical day.
Who this article is for
- Engineers and technicians transitioning to TopLeft
- Service desk teams learning kanban workflows
- Technical team leads implementing TopLeft
Daily flow
Morning Setup: 8:55 AM
- Log into TopLeft
- Open your personal filtered board showing:
- Your active tickets
- Today's scheduled work
- Waiting tickets needing follow-up
- Review any tickets marked in red (these need attention)
- Check for new tickets at the top of your queue
Pro tip: Bookmark your filtered board view for quick morning access.
Daily Huddle: 9:00 AM
During your team's 10-minute huddle:
- Share your current in-progress work
- Point out any tickets where you need help
- Note any blockers preventing progress
- Check scheduled work for the day
Best practice: Focus only on what the team needs to know. Save detailed discussions for after the huddle.
Working Tickets: 9:15 AM
When working through tickets:
- Click any ticket to view details and status
- Log time as you work using the built-in timer
- Add notes directly from the board
- Drag tickets between columns as status changes
For ongoing tickets:
- Add relevant notes about progress
- Move to "Waiting" if waiting for response
- Check "In Progress" column for next task
Handling Urgent Work: 10:30 AM
When urgent tickets arrive:
- Review the ticket at the top of your queue
- Move current work back to "In Progress"
- Drag urgent ticket to "In Progress"
- Log time and notes as you work
- Complete urgent work first
- Return to previous ticket
Afternoon Workflow: 1:00 PM
After lunch:
- Check "Waiting" column for customer responses
- Pull response-ready tickets to "In Progress"
- Complete work and log time
- Move finished tickets to "Complete"
If you hit a roadblock:
- Mark ticket as blocked
- Add clear notes about the issue
- Ask for help in team chat
- Move to next ticket while waiting
End of Day: 4:30 PM
Before leaving:
- Update notes on in-progress work
- Complete final time entries
- Review "Waiting" column for needed follow-ups
- Check tomorrow's scheduled items
- Move completed tickets to "Done"
Common Questions
How do I prioritize my work?
Work from the top of your queue down. Tickets are ranked by priority, with urgent items automatically moving to the top.
What if someone needs an immediate status update?
They can see it directly on the board - no need to interrupt your work for status requests.
What about project work?
Project tickets appear alongside your regular tickets, clearly marked as project work. Track time against project budgets in real-time.
What if I need help on a ticket?
Flag the ticket as blocked in TopLeft, add a note explaining the issue, and ask for help in your team chat. Other engineers can immediately see the context from the board.
How does time entry work?
Log time directly from your kanban board while working tickets. No need to switch between multiple windows or remember what you worked on later.
Best Practices
- Log time as you work, not at day's end
- Keep notes clear and current
- Move tickets to appropriate columns promptly
- Flag blocked items immediately
- Check your "Waiting" column regularly
Need Help?
Contact our support team at help@topleft.team for assistance. We'd be happy to schedule a custom demo, training session or customer success call to help your team adopt the Agile MSP practices.