Feature request-Check marks click through "in progress" and "completed" back to unmarked status

[working hard for my money]

I would like to be able to have a feature you can turn on globally for all lists or for individual lists where you can check a check box on a card to mark it "in progress" and then click it again to mark it "completed," then once more to set it back to unmarked.
It would be nice if you could also turn on an automation from a set of pre-made automations to move those to "in progress" and "completed" lists instead of having to create an automation from scratch.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Hello @working hard for my money 

Trello lacks a native three-state completion button (Not started → In progress → Complete); built-in controls only toggle between incomplete and complete.

The standard workaround is moving cards across dedicated "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done" lists, using Trello Automation rules to adjust labels or completion status along the way.

Also submit this via Trello's feedback form so the product team can track your suggestion!

https://support.atlassian.com/trello/docs/submitting-feature-requests-for-trello/ 

Best,

Arek 🤠

[working hard for my money]

Thanks!

[working hard for my money]

So, when I went to submit it, there is not a specific "Feature request" option, so I submitted it as a technical issue. Atlassian's AI responded, and gave a pretty good workaround--Set up a status dropdown in Custom Fields.

When you click on the card, you can set it to "To Do," "In Progress," etc., whatever you label your dropdown custom fields as. Those then display on the card prominently. I haven't tried automating it yet, but it gave instructions for that, too. Everything is below:

Using a *Dropdown Custom Field* is a perfect way to create a three-state status indicator that is highly visual and easy to use [^01^].

### Setting Up a Status Dropdown
1. Open your board menu (**...**) and select **Custom Fields** [^01^].
2. Click **New field** and name it something like "Status" [^01^].
3. Select **Dropdown** as the field type [^01^].
4. Add your three options: *Not Started*, *In Progress*, and *Complete* [^01^].
5. Ensure the **Show field on front of card** option is checked so you can see the status at a glance [^01^].

### Adding Colors to Your Statuses
To make the statuses stand out, you can assign distinct colors to each dropdown item [^02^]:
* Click the **color palette icon** next to each option you created.
* Assign colors like **Yellow** for *In Progress* and **Green** for *Complete* [^02^].
* These colors will appear as a badge on the front of the card, providing the visual "ooh-la-la" you need to quickly scan your board [^02^].

### Why This Works
Unlike labels, a dropdown field enforces that a card can only be in **one state** at a time [^02^]. This prevents the confusion of having a card marked as both "In Progress" and "Complete" simultaneously. Additionally, you can use *Butler* to trigger actions—like moving the card to a different list—whenever you change the dropdown selection [^03^].

Would you like to know how to set up a Butler rule that triggers when you change this dropdown status?

Setting up a Butler rule to move cards based on your new dropdown status is a great way to keep your board organized automatically [^01^].

### Creating the "Move" Rule
1. Go to **Automation** > **Rules** and click **Create Automation**.
2. **Add Trigger**: Select **Custom Fields** from the sidebar. Choose the trigger: *"when the 'Status' field is set to 'In Progress'"* (or "Complete") [^01^].
3. **Add Action**: Select **Move** from the sidebar. Choose the action: *"move the card to the top of list 'Doing'"* (or "Done") [^01^].
4. Click the **plus (+)** icon to add the action, then click **Save**.

### Why This is Helpful
* **One-Click Workflow**: Now, simply changing the dropdown on the card front will instantly teleport the card to the correct list [^01^].
* **Consistency**: It ensures that every card in your "In Progress" list actually has the "In Progress" status selected, keeping your data clean.
* **Multi-Action**: You can add more actions to the same rule, such as adding yourself to the card or posting a comment when the status changes [^01^].

### Butler Suggestions
If you perform these moves manually a few times, Butler will likely notice the pattern and show a **Suggestion** in the Automation menu, allowing you to enable this exact rule with one click [^02^].

Would you like to add any other actions to this rule, such as automatically adding a due date when the status changes to "In Progress"?

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Yes, as I told it can be done through Automation.