A flexible layer around structured work
Creative Canvas is the spatial workspace for thinking that is not yet a linear task list. Use it to explore a project, group work into phases and sprints, make decisions and risks visible, and then hand committed work into the structured delivery system.
The canvas is object-based rather than a flattened image. Text, cards and connectors remain editable and readable while the viewport pans and zooms.
Choose the right object
| Tool | Use it for | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Sticky / Text | Notes, evidence and labels | Keep early thinking lightweight and editable |
| Phase / Sprint | Grouping work by delivery structure | Place related objects inside a meaningful project boundary |
| Task | A candidate delivery commitment | Refine it, connect it and send it through Handoff when ready |
| Expense | A possible project cost | Keep commercial context near the work that creates it |
| Decision | A chosen direction | Connect the evidence and downstream work affected by the choice |
| Risk | A threat or constraint | Link it to the tasks, assumptions or decisions it can affect |
| Idea | An option worth exploring | Develop or reject it before it becomes committed work |
Make relationships explicit
Choose Connector, drag from one object to another, then select the line to edit its meaning and color. A connection should explain why two objects belong together, not simply decorate the board.
| Connection | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dependency | One object depends on another |
| Handoff | Work or evidence moves between people, teams or stages |
| Decision path | The object contributes to or follows a decision |
| Risk link | The risk can affect the connected object |
| Idea flow | Ideas evolve or combine along this path |
| Blocked by | The connected work cannot move yet |
Use the right panel for the current decision
- Object edits the selected card, text, section, task candidate or connector.
- AI helps develop selected work using the board and project context; review generated changes before treating them as commitments.
- Handoff turns prepared task candidates and project objects into structured delivery data.
- Access controls who can view, comment or edit the board. When the viewer cannot manage access, the same area becomes Comments.
- Boards opens saved canvases; New starts a separate board; Save persists the current board and its attached teams.
A practical canvas workflow
- 1Name the board
Use a project or decision name that another participant can recognize later in Boards.
- 2Map evidence before tasks
Add notes, ideas, decisions and risks, then group them into phases or sprints.
- 3Connect meaning
Use typed connectors so the map communicates dependencies and handoffs without a meeting.
- 4Invite the right people
Attach project teams and grant View, Comment or Edit access only where required.
- 5Convert committed work
Use Handoff when an object is ready to become part of delivery, rather than recreating it manually.
- 6Save and reconnect safely
Confirm the live status after a network interruption before continuing shared edits.
Navigate without losing control
- Select mode moves and edits objects; Pan mode moves the field without selecting cards.
- Use the fixed zoom controls for precise zoom in, zoom out and Fit. Trackpad and touch gestures operate inside the field.
- Collapse the inspector when you need more spatial room; reopening it does not change object positions.
- On mobile, use deliberate tap versus drag gestures so opening an object does not conflict with moving it.