Outcomes and journeys
A group is a named set of cards. It answers “which cards belong together, and why.” CardBoard has two kinds of group, and both can coexist on the same board:
- An outcome is defined by a boundary. Every card inside the boundary’s region belongs to it. On a story map, each slice is an outcome.
- A journey is defined by selection. You pick the cards and group them yourself, wherever they sit on the canvas.
Outcomes
Section titled “Outcomes”An outcome is the group a boundary creates. Its members are the cards in the boundary’s region: drop a card into the region and it joins; move it out and it leaves. The boundary’s name is the outcome’s name. Rename one and the other follows.
On a story map, the boundaries are slices, so each release slice is an outcome: “Release 1: pilot one plant” is both the line across the map and the group of every card beneath it.
An outcome only exists while its boundary does. Delete the boundary and the outcome goes with it. The cards stay on the canvas.
Journeys
Section titled “Journeys”A journey is a group you make by hand. Select the cards you want (click and drag on empty canvas to lasso them), then group them and give the journey a name. Nothing moves: the cards stay where they are, and the journey records which ones belong.
Use a journey when the grouping cuts across the layout. On a story map, a journey traces one kind of user’s path through the map, picking a card from this column and that slice. On any map type, it can be “everything that touches billing” or “the cards I’m demoing Friday.”
Because membership comes from selection, not position, moving a card doesn’t change which journeys it’s in. Add or remove members from the Groups drawer.
Choosing between them
Section titled “Choosing between them”| Outcome | Journey | |
|---|---|---|
| Defined by | A boundary’s region | Cards you select and group |
| Membership changes when | A card moves in or out of the region | You add or remove it |
| On a story map | A release slice | A path through the map |
| Deleted when | Its boundary is deleted | You delete it |
A card can belong to several groups at once, with no exclusivity. The same card can be in the “MVP” outcome (its slice) and the “Demo Friday” and “New admin” journeys.