How to Use the Projects List View in Obvious

The Projects list view is where you manage all your Obvious projects in one place. Switch between Grid, List, and Board layouts, configure columns, group by status or lead, create saved views, and take batch actions across multiple projects at once.

Projects List View is in beta. Email help@obvious.ai to request access.

Switch between view modes

The Projects list has three view modes: Grid view, List view, and Board view. Toggle between them using the view switcher in the top-right corner of the projects area.

Grid view shows projects as tiles — a visual overview well-suited for browsing a smaller number of projects. In grid view, project folders appear alongside projects, and saved view tabs are hidden.
List view shows projects as rows with configurable columns — ideal for scanning status, priority, and lead across many projects at once.
Board view organizes projects into Kanban-style columns you can stack by status or priority. Drag a project card into a different column to update that field.

Configure columns in list view

In list view, each project row displays a set of columns. The available columns are:

Name — Project name with folder context below it. This column is always visible and cannot be hidden.
Lead — Avatar of the assigned lead, or a dashed circle if unassigned.
Priority — The project current priority level.
Target date — The project target completion date.
Labels — Labels applied to the project.
Team — The team the project belongs to.
Last activity — The date and time the project was last active — updated automatically as work happens in the project.

The header row stays pinned as you scroll, so column labels remain visible in long lists.

Show or hide columns

Click Columns in the toolbar to open the column picker. Toggle any column on or off — your choices persist across sessions, so the list looks the same the next time you open it.

Column visibility works in two layers. Obvious automatically collapses less important columns on smaller screens to prevent overflow — this happens regardless of your preferences. On top of that, you control which columns appear when space allows. Name is always visible and cannot be hidden.

Adjust row density

Click the density toggle in the toolbar to switch between compact and default row heights. This preference persists across sessions.

Sort by column

Click any sortable column header — Name, Lead, Priority, Last activity, or Target date — to sort the list by that column. Clicking cycles through ascending, descending, and no sort. An arrow indicator shows the active sort direction.

Personalize the display

Your column visibility and density settings are saved per user, not per workspace — so changes you make do not affect what your teammates see. Set the list up the way you work and it will stay that way.

Set a project status

Each project starts with a Draft status. Six states are available: Draft, Planned, In Progress, Dormant, Completed, and Canceled.

To set a status:

Find the project in the list. Click the status icon on the left edge of the project row.
Select a status from the picker. The badge updates immediately.

Note: If a project has been In Progress for a long time with no recent activity, Obvious shows a nudge suggesting you update the status.

Assign a lead

Click the avatar (or dashed circle) in the Lead column.
Search for a workspace member by name or email.
Click their name to assign them. Their avatar appears in the column.

To remove a lead, open the picker and select Unassign.

Note: When you create a new project, you are automatically set as the lead. You can reassign or remove the lead at any time after creation.

Group and stack projects

List view and board view both let you organize projects by a shared attribute — grouping them into collapsible sections in list view, or stacking them into full Kanban columns in board view. In either mode, dragging a project into a different group or column updates that field automatically, when the field supports it.

Group in list view

Click Group by in the toolbar and choose a grouping field — projects collapse into labeled sections.

When grouped by Status, Priority, or Lead, you can drag a project from one group to another to change that attribute. For example, dragging a project into the In Progress group sets its status to In Progress. Groups for Team and Labels do not support drag reassignment.

Stack in board view

Board view organizes projects into columns and lets you drag cards between them to update the field the board is stacked by.

Choose the stacking field

Click Stack: Status in the toolbar to open the stacking menu, then choose Status or Priority. The board rebuilds its columns around your choice, and the button updates to show it — for example, Stack: Priority once priority defines the columns.

Sort cards within a column

Click Sort: Last activity to open the sort menu, then choose Last activity, Priority, or Target date to change how cards order inside each column. Click the option that's already selected again to flip between ascending and descending order.

Move projects between columns

Drag a project card into a different column to change its status or priority, whichever field the board is stacked by. Dragging a card into the No status or No Priority column clears that field instead of setting a value. If you drag an archived project into another status column, it becomes active again in its new status.

Add a project directly to a column

Click + at the top of any column to create a new project that's placed in that column right away.

Cards on the board

Each card shows the project's icon, title, and folder tag if it belongs to one. Click the Lead, Priority, Target date, or Labels directly on a card to update it without opening the project. A relative timestamp near the bottom of the card — for example, "Updated 2h ago" — shows when the project was last active.

Saved views

Saved views let you capture a specific filter, grouping (or stacking, in board view), sort, and column configuration as a named tab you can return to. Tabs appear across the top of list view. In grid view, saved view tabs are hidden.

New views are private by default — only you can see them. You can share them with others at any time.

Create a saved view

Set up your filters, grouping, sorting, and column visibility the way you want them.
Click Save view in the row of tabs at the top and give the view a name.
The view appears as a tab. Click it any time to restore that configuration.

Save view appears in the row of tabs at the top only when your current configuration differs from the defaults and you are viewing your own configuration (not a shared view owned by someone else).

Manage saved views

Right-click any view tab, or click ⋯ on the tab, to access these options:

Rename — change the view name.
Share with workspace — make the view visible to all workspace members. Click Make private to reverse this.
Share / Manage access — open the sharing dialog to grant access to specific people or teams. Copying a link from this dialog does not grant access — recipients without a grant see a no-access page.
Delete — remove the view. Deleting a shared view removes it for all workspace members.

If you are viewing a shared view you do not own, you can make local adjustments to filters, grouping, and sorting. Those changes are visible only to you. Use Reset to shared view to go back to the owner configuration, or Save as my view to save your version as a new private view.

Select and take batch actions

Select multiple projects

Click the checkbox on the left edge of any row to select it.
Click the header checkbox to select all visible projects.
Shift+click to range-select contiguous rows.

Batch action bar

When one or more projects are selected, the batch action bar appears at the bottom of the screen. From here you can set Status, Priority, Lead, or Labels across all selected projects at once.

Deselect all by clicking the header checkbox again.

Hover over any project row and click the ⋯ button that appears on the right edge to open the options menu. Available actions include Rename, Edit Icon, Duplicate, Copy Link, Favorite/Unfavorite, Move to Folder, Move to Workspace, Archive/Unarchive, Export, and Delete (owners only).

Work with folders

Folders appear in both list view and grid view. In list view, they show as rows with an expand/collapse toggle — click the folder row to expand or collapse the projects inside it. In grid view, folders appear as cards alongside your projects. Board view does not show folders — only individual projects appear as cards there, each tagged with its folder name when it belongs to one.

Folders nest visually — sub-folders indent beneath their parent, and their projects indent beneath them.

The Projects list supports full keyboard navigation:

Arrow Up / Arrow Down — move between rows.
Enter or Space — open the selected project.
Tab — move between interactive elements within a row.

Troubleshooting

A project I am looking for is not in the list. If you have applied a filter, the project may be filtered out — clear your filters and check again.

A field is not saving. Changes save automatically when a picker closes or focus moves to another field. If a save fails, a toast notification appears at the bottom of the screen. Refresh the page and try again. If the issue persists, contact help@obvious.ai.

Projects List View