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Helios Help Center
Activity Planning
Activities is Helios's visual Kanban task board, built for manufacturing teams to create, assign, and track daily work, maintenance tasks, and project-based activities in one structured view. Visualize work, stay aligned, and get things done, without adding another subscription to your stack.
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👥 Who Is It For?
🏭 Businesses
Replace whiteboards, group chats, and scattered spreadsheets with one visual Kanban board for your team's daily, maintenance, and project-based work.
🎬 Video Tutorial
⭐ Key Features
Kanban board with status columns: To Do, In Progress, Done, Pending, Blocked, Canceled
Filter the board by Projects or Equipments to see exactly what you need
Activity cards showing title, linked equipment, project tag, priority, due date, and assignee
Link tasks to equipment, projects, or both
Assign work to team members with due dates and priority levels
Notes, Checklist, Files, and History tabs on every activity
Global Search finds any activity instantly across your workspace
🏷️ Key Terms
ActivityA single work task or job item (for example, Motor and Bearing Check, or Fluid Replacement).
ProjectA grouping that organizes related activities together (for example, General Maintenance or Tooling Standardization).
Kanban BoardThe visual board showing activities grouped by their status columns.
🖥️ Understanding the Page Layout
The Activities board is organized into six status columns representing every stage a task can move through: To Do, In Progress, Done, Pending, Blocked, and Canceled. Each column displays a count of activities it contains. You can collapse any column by clicking the diagonal arrow (↙) icon next to the column header to free up board space, and expand it again with the expand icon (↗). You can also add an activity directly into a specific column by clicking the + button in that column's header. The new activity automatically inherits that column's status.
📋 Understanding the Left Sidebar
The left panel runs alongside the board and lets you filter activities by either Projects or Equipments using the two tabs at the top.
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Projects tab: Displays all active projects with activity counts. Clicking a project name filters the board to show only activities linked to it. An Archived section stores completed projects. A + button lets you create a new project directly from this panel.
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Equipments tab: Shows all equipment in your workspace with activity counts. Clicking a machine filters the board to show only activities linked to it. An Archived section stores decommissioned equipment.
To return to the full unfiltered board, click All Activities at the top of the left panel.
🔑 Step-by-step Guides
How to Create an Activity
You can initiate a new maintenance activity or task from three different locations on the platform:
Option A: From the Activities Board
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Click + Add Activity in the top-right of the Activities page.
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Enter the Activity Name, link it to Equipment or a Project, and set the Status, Priority, and Assignee.
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Enter the Planned Start Date and Due Date.
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Add a description in the Details field.
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Click Save & Exit (>>) to save.
Option B: From a Status Column
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Click the + icon at the top of any column on the Kanban board. The activity inherits that column's status automatically.
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Complete the remaining workflow details and save.
Option C: From an Equipment Record
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Open any equipment record and click the Activities tab.
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Click + Add Activity. The equipment link is mapped automatically.
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Complete the details parameters and save.
ℹ️ Activity Fields Explained
Left Panel
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Title: The name of the activity. Click the pencil (✏️) icon to edit it.
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Reporter: The person who created the activity, set automatically.
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Date Created: Set automatically; not editable.
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Equipment: Links the activity to a specific piece of equipment. Select from the dropdown or leave as No equipment.
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Project: Assigns the activity to a project from the dropdown.
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Details: A rich-text description field supporting bold, italic, underline, links, and lists. Up to 3,000 characters.
Right Panel
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Status: The current stage: To Do, In Progress, Done, Pending, Blocked, or Canceled.
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Priority: Urgency level: Lowest, Low, Medium, High, or Highest.
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Assignee: The team member responsible for the task.
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Planned Start Date: The date work is expected to begin.
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Due Date: The deadline for the activity.
How to Update an Activity's Status
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Click on the activity card on the board to open the detail view.
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Click the Status dropdown in the right panel and select the new status.
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The activity card automatically moves to the corresponding column on the board. No manual drag required.
💡 Pro Tip
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You can also click, hold, and drag activity cards horizontally directly across status columns on the main board overview to update their status parameters instantly.
How to Copy a Direct Link to an Activity
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Open the detailed panel view of the activity you want to share.
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Locate and click the chain link (🔗) icon at the top of the open activity panel view.
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The unique URL is copied directly to your clipboard, ready to paste and share.
👥 Team Collaboration
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Share this direct link with a teammate; clicking it will take them straight to that specific activity layout instantly within their workspace.
How to Search Activities
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Click the search (🔍) icon in the top-right area of the board to open the search panel.
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Type your search query into the entry field and press Enter to apply the filter.
ℹ️ Search Modes & Features
Three search modes are available to help refine your results:
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Keyword (Default): Finds activities containing specific words in their title or description.
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Phrase: Search for an exact phrase match.
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Exclude: Filter out activities matching certain terms.
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AI (Coming Soon): Natural language search.
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When a search is active, a Reset button appears in the panel view. Click it to clear your query terms and restore the standard unfiltered overview instantly.
How to Filter Activities
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Click the filter (funnel) icon located next to the search button to open the Filters dropdown menu.
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Select your desired parameters from the dropdown options to update your board overview automatically.
ℹ️ Available Filter Options
You can refine your active view using the following criteria:
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Priority: Show only activities of a specific urgency level.
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Reporter: Filter by who created the activity.
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Assignee: Filter by who the activity is currently assigned to.
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Created At: Filter by the exact date the activity was created.
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Task Period: Filter by a specific planned start or due date range.
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To clear all active view modifications at once, click the Reset Filters button located at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
How to Manage Projects
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Locate your active entries in the left panel under the Current Projects header.
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Click any project name to automatically filter the Kanban board to show only its linked activities.
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Use the search field in the left panel to find a specific project quickly by name.
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Click the + icon next to the project search bar to add and configure a new project.
📁 Project Lifecycle
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Archived projects appear under the dedicated Archived section located at the bottom of the left panel layout.
🗂️ Using the Tabs Inside an Activity
When you open an activity record, the detail panel contains the following tabs to help manage subtasks, documentation, and history.
Notes
Add internal comments, updates, or observations. Notes are visible to all team members with access.
Checklist
Break the activity into subtasks. Check off items as they are completed. A percentage progress bar at the top updates automatically.
Files
Attach supporting documents, photos, or references to the activity.
History
An automated log showing all changes made to the activity: status updates, edits, and reassignments — with timestamps.
⚡ Activity Card Quick Actions
Hovering over any activity card on the board reveals a three-dot menu (···) in the top-right corner of the card.
View details
Opens the full activity detail view.
Delete
Permanently removes the activity from the board.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Projects and Equipments filter views?
Both views display the same activities, just organized differently. Projects groups tasks by operational workstreams or initiatives. Equipments groups tasks by the machine they are linked to — ideal for maintenance teams reviewing asset-specific work.
Can I assign an activity to multiple team members?
Currently each activity has a single Assignee. For shared tasks, use the Notes or Checklist tabs to coordinate responsibilities within the activity.
Can I link an activity to more than one piece of equipment?
Each activity is linked to a single piece of equipment. If the work spans multiple machines, create separate activities for each.
How do I see only my assigned activities?
Use the filter icon and filter by Assignee to show only activities assigned to you.
🔧 Troubleshooting
An activity I created isn't appearing on the board.
Check that you haven't filtered the board by a specific project or equipment. Click All Activities at the top of the left panel to clear any active filters.
I accidentally archived a project with open activities.
Navigate to the Archived section in the left panel, find the project, and use the unarchive option to restore it.
The board isn't loading.
Check your internet connection and refresh the page. If the issue persists, try logging out and back in.
💡 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Activities
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Use Projects to group related tasks by department or initiative and Equipments to link tasks to specific machines. Both views display the same activities, just organized differently.
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Set Planned Start Dates and Due Dates consistently so overdue and upcoming tasks are easy to spot when filtering by Task Period.
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Use the Checklist tab for complex activities with multiple steps. The percentage progress bar updates automatically as items are checked off.
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Use the History tab to understand what changed and when. It logs every status update, reassignment, and title edit with timestamps.
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Use the Exclude search mode to hide noise from the board. For example, excluding a project tag to see everything outside of it.
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Use Priority levels consistently across your team so the board reflects what truly needs attention first.
