Board Card Colors - Visual Status
Overview
Configure Jira boards to visually highlight issues assigned to team members who are out of office. This feature uses card colors to provide instant visibility of potential assignment conflicts, helping teams identify work that may need reassignment or attention.
Understanding Board Card Colors
What are OOO Card Colors?
Out of Office card colors are visual indicators on Jira board cards that automatically change based on the assignee's availability status. This feature leverages the Out of Office Assistant's JQL functions to dynamically update card appearance.
Key Benefits:
🎯 Instant visibility of unavailable team members
🚦 Color-coded warnings for different OOO timeframes
📊 Better workload management and planning
🔄 Automatic updates as OOO statuses change
How it Works
The system uses special JQL queries that integrate with the Out of Office Assistant to check assignee availability:
- assignee.outofoffice.today=1 → Card turns red (out today)
- assignee.outofoffice.tomorrow=1 → Card turns orange (out tomorrow)
- assignee.outofoffice.soon=1 → Card turns yellow (out soon)
Configuration Requirements
Prerequisites
⚠️ Important: This feature requires a Company-managed project. Team-managed projects do not support custom card color configuration.
Before you begin, ensure:
✅ You have board administrator permissions
✅ The project is company-managed (not team-managed)
✅ Out of Office Assistant is installed and configured
✅ Team members have their OOO schedules set
Step-by-Step Configuration
1. Access Board Settings
Navigate to your Jira board
Click the ⋯ (meatball menu) in the top-right corner
Select Board settings
2. Navigate to Card Colors
In the board settings sidebar, locate and click Card colors
The card colors configuration page will open
3. Configure Color Method
Select Queries as the color method
This enables JQL-based color rules
![Card Colors Query Selection - 800x500 placeholder]
4. Add OOO Query Rules
Add the following queries with their recommended colors:
Basic Configuration (Single Status)
Status | JQL Query | Recommended Color | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Out Today |
| 🔴 Red | Highest |
Out Tomorrow |
| 🟠 Orange | Medium |
Out Soon |
| 🟡 Yellow | Low |
Advanced Configuration (Multiple Statuses)
For boards using multiple color rules, ensure queries are mutually exclusive:
Status | Advanced JQL Query | Color |
|---|---|---|
Out Today |
| 🔴 Red |
Out Tomorrow Only |
| 🟠 Orange |
Out Soon Only |
| 🟡 Yellow |
5. Save and Test
Click Save to apply the color rules
Return to your board to see the changes
Cards with OOO assignees will now display the configured colors
![Board with Colored OOO Cards - 1000x600 placeholder]
Configuration Examples
Simple Setup Workflow
- Board Settings
- └─> Card Colors
- └─> Queries
- └─> Add Query: assignee.outofoffice.today=1
- └─> Color: Red
- └─> Save
Multi-Status Setup
- Priority 1: Out Today (Red)
- Query: assignee.outofoffice.today=1
- Priority 2: Out Tomorrow (Orange)
- Query: assignee.outofoffice.tomorrow=1 AND assignee.outofoffice.today=0
- Priority 3: Out Soon (Yellow)
- Query: assignee.outofoffice.soon=1 AND assignee.outofoffice.today=0
- AND assignee.outofoffice.tomorrow=0
Visual Indicators Guide
Color Meaning Reference
- ┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬──────────────────┐
- │ 🔴 RED │ 🟠 ORANGE │ 🟡 YELLOW │
- ├─────────────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────┤
- │ Out Today │ Out Tomorrow │ Out Soon │
- │ Urgent Action │ Plan Ahead │ Be Aware │
- │ Reassign Now │ Check Progress │ Monitor Status │
- └─────────────────┴─────────────────┴──────────────────┘
Best Practices
Color Selection
DO:
✅ Use high-contrast colors for visibility
✅ Follow traffic light convention (red → yellow → green)
✅ Test colors with your team's theme preferences
✅ Consider colorblind-friendly palettes
DON'T:
❌ Use similar shades that are hard to distinguish
❌ Override existing critical status colors
❌ Use more than 3-4 OOO color variations
Query Optimization
Performance Tips:
Keep queries simple and focused
Use indexed fields (assignee.outofoffice.*)
Avoid complex nested conditions when possible
Test queries in Issue Navigator first
Query Order:
Place most specific queries first
Order by urgency (today → tomorrow → soon)
Ensure mutual exclusivity for multiple rules
Team Communication
Before Implementation:
📢 Announce the new visual system to the team
📋 Document color meanings in team wiki
🎯 Train team on interpreting colors
📊 Gather feedback after initial rollout
Advanced Configurations
Custom Time Windows
Create custom OOO windows using date functions:
- # Out this week
- assignee.outofoffice.date >= startOfWeek()
- AND assignee.outofoffice.date <= endOfWeek()
- # Out next week
- assignee.outofoffice.date >= startOfWeek(1w)
- AND assignee.outofoffice.date <= endOfWeek(1w)
Department-Specific Rules
Combine OOO status with team filters:
- # Development team OOO
- assignee in membersOf("development-team")
- AND assignee.outofoffice.today=1
- # Support team OOO tomorrow
- assignee in membersOf("support-team")
- AND assignee.outofoffice.tomorrow=1
Troubleshooting
Cards Not Changing Color
- Symptoms:
- - OOO status is set but cards remain default color
- - Some cards change color but others don't
- Diagnosis:
- 1. Verify board is company-managed (not team-managed)
- 2. Check JQL query syntax in Issue Navigator
- 3. Confirm OOO Assistant permissions
- 4. Test with a known OOO user
- Resolution:
- - Ensure queries are saved properly
- - Clear browser cache and refresh
- - Check for conflicting color rules
- - Verify assignee field is populated
Multiple Colors Not Working
- Symptoms:
- - Only one color shows despite multiple rules
- - Wrong color priority applied
- Diagnosis:
- 1. Check query mutual exclusivity
- 2. Review rule order/priority
- 3. Test each query independently
- Resolution:
- - Add AND NOT conditions for exclusivity
- - Reorder rules by specificity
- - Combine related conditions
Performance Issues
- Symptoms:
- - Board loads slowly after adding colors
- - Cards flicker between colors
- Diagnosis:
- 1. Review query complexity
- 2. Check number of active rules
- 3. Monitor board size (number of issues)
- Resolution:
- - Simplify JQL queries
- - Reduce number of color rules
- - Use board filters to limit issues
- - Consider splitting large boards
Integration with Other Features
Quick Filters
Combine card colors with quick filters for enhanced visibility:
- # Quick filter: Show only OOO-assigned issues
- assignee.outofoffice.today=1 OR
- assignee.outofoffice.tomorrow=1 OR
- assignee.outofoffice.soon=1
Dashboard Gadgets
Create dashboard gadgets that complement board colors:
OOO Summary: Count of issues by OOO status
Timeline View: Visual calendar of upcoming OOO
Assignment Health: Issues needing reassignment
Automation Rules
Trigger automations based on OOO status:
Auto-comment when assignee goes OOO
Flag high-priority OOO-assigned issues
Send notifications to team leads
Board Card Colors Status: ✅ COMPLETE
Next Step: Configure OOO Quick Filters