How can i divide a column into 2 or 3 more columns in Jira Kanban board?

[Ben Adeleke]

i want to have about 2-3 steps under each column of the steps. e.g 

credit screen, approval package should be two columns under tab i want to call Loan Application.

[Max Foerster - K15t · Accepted solution]

Hi Ben,

have you made yourself familiar with the overall board configuration in Jira and what a column represents on a board? Because a column represents a status in Jira. And therefore you'd need some additional statuses but you can't group columns like that. Because a change from one column to another also implies a transition is happening. Maybe boards are not even the best choice for your use case? Or it makes sense to use a board and display a specific phase like "credit screen" and "approval package" through a custom field. It all depends and I think we gladly discuss this here! I recommend reading through the Atlassian documentation "Configuring columns" article as well :)

Best, Max

[waqas Wilan2026]

In Jira's Kanban board, you can't directly split a single column into multiple columns. Each column typically represents a specific stage of your workflow. However, you can achieve a similar result by introducing sub-columns within a main column.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Add Statuses: If you want to divide a column into two or three more sections, you'll need to add additional statuses. Go to your project settings, then find the workflow associated with your board. Edit the workflow and add the desired statuses.

2. Configure Columns: After adding statuses, configure your board columns to map to these statuses. Go to your board settings, then Columns. Here, you can map each column to a corresponding status.

3. Adjust Workflow: Ensure that the workflow transitions are set up correctly. For example, if you're dividing a "To Do" column into "High Priority" and "Low Priority", make sure there are transitions from "To Do" to both "High Priority" and "Low Priority".

4. Customize Board Layout: Arrange the columns on your board to reflect the new structure. You may need to drag and drop columns to rearrange them accordingly.

This setup allows you to visually represent different stages within a single column, effectively dividing it into multiple sections. Keep in mind that this method works best when the sub-divisions represent distinct steps within your workflow.