Aviary Project Operations: Slack Connect + Trello

Overview

Aviary requested near-real-time visibility into project progress — roughly every two days — without adding more recurring meetings. The agreed solution is a two-layer async system: a Slack Connect channel for communication and deliverable sharing, and a Trello board for structured task tracking with timelines.

This approach was chosen over ClickUp (past friction with client-facing views) and over more frequent syncs (too disruptive for both sides).

Slack Connect: aviary-team

Purpose: Primary async communication channel between Asymmetric and the Aviary team. All updates, deliverable links, and progress notes go here.

Setup:
- Channel name: aviary-team (named to feel inclusive, not "external")
- Created via Slack Connect (external org invite)
- Initial invitee: Aaron Grossman (agrossman@helloaviary.ai)

Pending:
- Add Blessin and Justin to the channel
- Begin posting concise progress updates and artifact links immediately after setup

Cadence goal: Near-daily visible activity; Blessin should be able to check in passively and see forward motion without needing to ask.

Trello Board

Purpose: Central source of truth for all Aviary workstream tasks — owners, status, priorities, start/end dates, and timelines.

Views available:
- Board (Kanban) — drag-and-drop status management
- Gantt chart — timeline view showing start/end dates and progress
- Calendar — date-based overview
- List — flat task view

What to capture per card:
- Task description
- Owner (Mark, Sebastian, or other)
- Priority level
- Start date and target end date
- Comments for async coordination (e.g., tagging Mark for timeline estimates)

Client sharing policy: Populate and stabilize the board internally first. Share with Aviary only once it is client-ready — clean, accurate, and presentable. This avoids exposing half-formed or inaccurate timelines.

Access: Sebastian to populate initial task list from meeting next steps; Mark to fill in timeline estimates via card comments when tagged.

Roles and Responsibilities

Key Decisions

• Async over meetings: Client wants progress visibility every ~2 days; Slack updates satisfy this without scheduling overhead.
• Trello over ClickUp: ClickUp client-facing views have caused friction in the past; Trello is simpler and purpose-fit for this use case.
• Internal-first on Trello: Do not share the board with the client until it reflects accurate, stable data.
• Channel naming matters: aviary-team (not aviary-external) signals partnership rather than separation.

Related

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