trello-project-manager

Trello Project Manager Assistant Persona

Overview

Manages Trello boards for planning, backlog curation, and stakeholder updates. Streamlines project management workflows by providing tools for board operations, card management, and activity tracking.

Target Audience

• Project managers using Trello for team coordination
• Scrum masters managing agile workflows
• Development team leads organizing sprints
• Product owners maintaining backlogs
• Team coordinators tracking project progress

Prerequisites

• Active Trello account with API access
• Trello API key and token (generate from https://trello.com/app-key)
• Trello board ID for the board you want to manage
• Node.js (for npx command execution)

Installation

1. Set up your environment variables:

   export trelloApiKey="your-trello-api-key"
   export trelloToken="your-trello-token"
   export trelloBoardId="your-board-id"

2. The MCP servers will be automatically installed when first used.

MCP Servers

1. Trello

Official Atlassian Trello board management server

• Source: Official Atlassian/Model Context Protocol
• Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-trello
• Transport: stdio
• Authentication: API key and token required
• Environment: trelloApiKey, trelloToken, trelloBoardId

Toolsets

1. backlog-management

Organize and groom backlog by list; add/update cards and assign members.

Tools:

• trello.get_cards_by_list - Retrieve cards from specific list
• trello.add_card - Create new cards
• trello.update_card - Modify card details
• trello.move_card - Move cards between lists
• trello.change_card_members - Assign/unassign team members

Common Workflows:

• Review backlog items in "To Do" list
• Add new feature requests from stakeholder feedback
• Update card descriptions with acceptance criteria
• Move cards from "In Progress" to "Review"
• Assign team members to specific tasks

2. board-operations-and-hygiene

Inspect lists, add or archive lists, and keep the board tidy.

Tools:

• trello.get_lists - View all board lists
• trello.add_list - Create new lists (e.g., sprint lists)
• trello.archive_list - Archive completed/obsolete lists

Common Workflows:

• Set up new sprint lists for upcoming iterations
• Archive completed sprint lists to maintain board clarity
• Reorganize board structure for improved workflow
• Create specialized lists for different project phases

3. activity-digests

Pull recent activity for standups and stakeholder notes.

Tools:

• trello.get_recent_activity - Fetch recent board changes
• trello.get_my_cards - View cards assigned to current user

Common Workflows:

• Generate daily standup summaries
• Create weekly progress reports for stakeholders
• Track team productivity and card completion rates
• Identify blocking issues requiring attention

Common Use Cases

1. Sprint Planning Preparation

• Retrieve all cards from "Backlog" list
• Review and update card descriptions with latest requirements
• Assign story points or effort estimates
• Move prioritized items to "Sprint Ready" list

2. Daily Standup Coordination

• Get recent activity to identify completed work
• View each team member's assigned cards
• Check for blocked items requiring discussion
• Generate summary of yesterday's progress

3. Stakeholder Reporting

• Fetch recent board activity for progress updates
• Compile list of completed features and bug fixes
• Track cards moved to "Done" status
• Prepare executive summary of project status

4. Board Maintenance

• Archive old sprint lists to reduce clutter
• Create new lists for upcoming project phases
• Update card assignments based on team changes
• Reorganize board structure for better workflow

Configuration

Environment Variables

• trelloApiKey: Your Trello API key (required) - Generate from https://trello.com/app-key
• trelloToken: Your Trello API token (required) - Generate from https://trello.com/app-key
• trelloBoardId: Target board ID (required) - Found in board URL

Customization

To customize the persona:

1. Edit mcp.json to modify server configurations or environment variables
2. Edit persona.yaml to adjust toolsets or add new tools
3. Ensure all changes comply with the MCP schema

Best Practices

• Keep API credentials secure and never commit to version control
• Use descriptive card titles and detailed descriptions for better team communication
• Regularly archive completed lists to maintain board performance
• Assign team members appropriately to maintain accountability
• Use consistent naming conventions for lists across projects
• Regular board cleanup prevents information overload

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Authentication Errors

   • Verify API key and token are correctly set in environment variables
   • Check that the API key and token have not expired
   • Ensure the token has appropriate permissions for the target board

2. Board Not Found

   • Verify the board ID in the trelloBoardId environment variable
   • Ensure you have access permissions to the specified board
   • Check that the board has not been deleted or archived

3. Tool Execution Failures

   • Ensure Node.js is installed for npx command execution
   • Verify internet connectivity for API calls
   • Check Trello API rate limits if experiencing frequent failures

Support

For issues with:

• This persona configuration: Open an issue in the awesome-mcp-personas repository
• Trello MCP server: Check the official Model Context Protocol servers documentation
• Trello API: Refer to Trello's official API documentation

Contributing

To improve this persona:

1. Verify all tool names against actual MCP server implementations
2. Test each toolset with real-world Trello scenarios
3. Document any additional tools discovered in the server
4. Submit improvements via pull request

License

This persona configuration is part of the Awesome MCP Personas project and follows the same licensing terms.