Recently, monday.com released an enhancement on the “connect boards” function. It’s now capable of connecting multiple boards regardless of workspaces in an account.
Early this year, I’ve introduced the “Master board” template which utilizes the “connect boards.” Those of you who have come across the template might be wondering how the recent update will affect it.
For those who have encountered the two concepts for the first time, please read below the overview including the similarities and differences:
Overview of the Master Board and the Multi-board Mirroring
The Master Board Template
This is a project management template. Its structure includes a dedicated board which is technically the “master board” where all the other boards are connected. Its configuration enables project managers to see at a glance the progress of various projects.
As mentioned, this uses the “connect boards” column to establish the many-to-one type of connection. Information on the mirrored columns can then be edited on the master board or the project’s board with the changes reflecting on both.
Multi-mirroring using Connect Boards column
As a function, this connects several boards without the determination as to which is the primary board or master board in a one-to-many type of connection. Where an information is needed but is the same in a number of boards, the connection is made. Technically speaking, each board is a primary board on its own pulling information from other boards.
The Primary Difference
The Master board as a template is a ready-to-use configuration with the various automation recipes in place to jumpstart or enhance your project management flow.
1) The main benefit of the Multi-mirroring column versus the Master board approach is that the dependencies can be set up upfront so it is easier for complex project management solutions.
2) The Multi-mirroring column can be incorporated in any board. Currently, automations are not available to be able to connect multi-mirrored status to standard status.
3) Another difference of the Multi-mirror column is that the information is contained in the dedicated project board so it can be shared with external clients to collaborate with them, if required. The Master board workflow can also be shared with external clients from the Master board but it will be as a view-only.
4) Finally, depending on the plan, there’s a limit set by monday on how many boards you can connect for one-to-many boards. This is only set for multi-board mirroring and it’s not the case for the Master board template since it uses the many-to-one approach.
The limit per plan:
- Basic (Individual plan): 1 connected board
- Standard: 5 connected boards
- Pro: 20 connected boards
- Enterprise: 60 connected boards
And then, the linkages limit across all plans is 10,000 linkages. This is to ensure optimum board performance. When the limit is nearly reached (8,000 linkages), a warning is shown and sent to the registered email. If the limit is reached, a banner is shown.
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What’s Similar Between the Two
Both approaches can be used to create High Level board with different configurations.
In the Master Board workflow, all the activities from the Master board will be connected to the dedicated project in the High Level board being able to manage an unlimited number of projects.
With the Multi-mirror approach, it’s also possible to connect multiple boards to one High Level board but limited to the restrictions in the number of boards that can be connected. I have developed a solution to manage up to 400 projects with this approach that I will launch in the next few weeks.
The Impact of the Connect Boards Column Enhancement
While you can take advantage of the awesome function of the “connect boards” column without it being used on the Master Board template, you have to take into account the differences and limitations imposed by the Multi-mirror column right now to decide what’s the best approach for you.
If you have further questions with monday.com board functions and configurations, you may schedule a commitment-free consultation with me.
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