How to Use Portfolio in TaskFord to Manage Projects at Scale

When managing multiple projects, it can be hard to see how everything connects. Portfolio in TaskFord helps you group related projects, track progress, manage dependencies, and oversee shared resources from one place.

With Portfolio, teams can move from managing individual projects in isolation to managing projects at scale with clearer visibility, stronger alignment, and better control.

What is a Portfolio in TaskFord?

Portfolio is the second level in the TaskFord hierarchy. It groups related boards and projects together so teams can manage multiple initiatives from a higher-level view.

Instead of switching between separate boards or projects, Portfolio gives you a centralized overview of progress across projects and teams. This helps managers and stakeholders understand how work is connected, monitor multiple initiatives more efficiently, and keep projects aligned with broader goals.

Why Use Portfolio to Manage Multiple Projects?

Portfolio helps teams manage multiple boards and projects with more clarity and control. Instead of checking each project separately, you can bring related work together and track progress across teams from one high-level view.

Use Portfolio when you need to:

• Get a centralized overview of multiple boards and projects
• Organize related work by initiative, team, department, or goal
• Track progress across projects more efficiently
• Understand how different projects and teams are connected
• Manage dependencies and shared resources in one place
• Keep multiple initiatives aligned with broader business goals

How to Use Portfolio in TaskFord to Manage Projects at Scale

Portfolio works best when it reflects how your team plans, organizes, and tracks work. Start by creating a Portfolio around a clear initiative, department, client, product line, or business goal. Then, add the related boards and projects so your team can coordinate work with more structure and visibility.

Step 1: Create a Portfolio

In TaskFord, you can create a Portfolio in two ways:

• Click the + icon next to Portfolios in the sidebar.
• Go to the Portfolios page and click + Portfolio.

When creating a Portfolio, start with a clear purpose. A Portfolio should group boards that contribute to the same initiative, program, department, client, or business goal. This keeps the Portfolio focused and makes it easier for managers and stakeholders to understand why the boards belong together.

Next, fill in the basic Portfolio details:

• Name: Use a specific and recognizable name, such as “Mobile App Launch” or “Company Initiatives — Q2.”
• Privacy: Choose who can access the Portfolio based on how visible the work should be.
• Boards: Select the related boards you want to include.

Once you click Create, the Portfolio is ready to use. From there, you can start tracking progress across the selected boards and organizing work at a broader level.

Step 2: Manage Connected Boards

After creating a Portfolio, you can update which boards are included at any time. This is useful when your initiative expands, a new team becomes involved, or a board no longer belongs in the Portfolio.

To manage connected boards:

1. Open the Portfolio you want to update.
2. Click Connected in the top-right corner.
3. In the Connected Boards window, review the boards currently included in the Portfolio.
4. Click + Add board to connect another related board.
5. To remove a board, click the disconnect icon next to that board.
6. To remove all boards at once, click Disconnect All.

Use this step to keep your Portfolio focused. Only connect boards that support the same initiative, department, client, product line, or business goal.

Step 3: Work Across Portfolio Views

After connecting boards to your Portfolio, switch between views to manage the same work from different perspectives. Each view supports a different part of portfolio management, from checking overall progress to planning timelines and tracking execution.

To add a new Portfolio view:

1. Open the Portfolio you want to manage.
2. Click the + icon next to the existing views.
3. Choose the view you want to add from the Board views menu.
4. The selected view will be added to the Portfolio view bar.

Portfolio views include:

• Overview: Monitor board metrics and progress across connected boards. Use this view to check overall Portfolio health.
• Table: See tasks from connected boards in a structured list. Use this view to review and compare work in bulk.
• Kanban: Track task progress through workflow stages. Use this view to manage execution across teams.
• Gantt: Visualize dependencies and the critical path. Use this view to plan timelines and coordinate cross-board work.
• Schedule: Schedule resources and balance workload. Use this view to manage capacity across connected boards.

Step 4: Group Tasks by Board and Map Dependencies

When a Portfolio includes multiple connected boards, group tasks by Board to quickly see where each task belongs. This makes it easier to understand how work is distributed across boards and how one board’s progress may affect another.

To group tasks by board:

1. Open a Portfolio view such as Table, Gantt, or Kanban.
2. Click the Group button in the toolbar.
3. Select Board from the grouping options.
4. Review tasks under each board group.

In the Gantt view, you can also manage cross-board dependencies more clearly:

• Map dependencies between tasks to show what needs to happen first and which tasks may be affected if the schedule changes.
• Enable Auto-scheduling so connected tasks adjust automatically when dependent tasks are moved.
• Turn on Critical Path to highlight the tasks that have the biggest impact on the overall timeline. Critical path tasks are shown in red, making them easier to spot.

Step 5: Create a Dashboard to Track Portfolio Progress

After setting up your Portfolio, you can create a Dashboard using the same connected boards. This gives you a separate tracking space where you can monitor progress, task status, and key updates across the boards included in the Portfolio.

To create a Dashboard for your Portfolio:

1. Go to Dashboards in TaskFord.
2. Create a new Dashboard.
3. Add the same boards that are connected to your Portfolio.
4. Add widgets or charts based on what you want to track.
5. Review the Dashboard regularly to monitor progress across the Portfolio boards.

For example, if your Financial Operations Portfolio includes Budget Tracker, Expense Tracking, and Cash Flow Management, you can create a Dashboard with those same three boards to track work status and progress in one place.

This step helps teams turn Portfolio structure into ongoing visibility, especially when managers or stakeholders need a quick way to follow progress across related boards.

Tips for Managing Portfolios Effectively

Use these tips to keep your Portfolio clean, scalable, and easier to manage as work becomes more complex:

• Know what belongs in the Portfolio before adding boards.
• Create separate Portfolios for unrelated goals or workflows.
• Make sure every connected board has a clear owner.
• Review dependencies before changing task dates.
• Use dashboards when stakeholders need a quick progress summary.

These practices help your team keep Portfolios focused, reliable, and useful as projects scale.

What You’ll Achieve with Portfolio

With Portfolio in TaskFord, teams can bring related boards together and manage them as one connected workflow. They can see how work fits together, coordinate timelines, and spot dependencies before they become blockers.

The result is a clearer, more organized way to manage projects at scale, where every board supports a bigger goal, and every team understands how their work contributes.