What are managed columns?
Managed columns are columns where a board admin has locked down either edit permissions, allowed values, or both. A common example is a Status column that only permits specific labels — for instance, “Done” and “Stuck” — with all other labels removed or hidden for regular users. You can identify a managed column by the lock icon visible on the column header. If you click the column settings and see a “Permissions” section, it’s a managed column.How managed columns work with SIMB
SIMB syncs managed columns the same way it syncs any other column — by matching name and type across boards. The extra layer to keep in mind is value-level permission. Even if the column names and types are identical on both boards, SIMB cannot write a value to the destination board if that value isn’t on the destination board’s allowed list. This is a monday.com platform restriction, not a SIMB limitation. The app faithfully tries to sync the value — but monday.com rejects the write if the value isn’t permitted.Example: why a sync might fail
Here’s a concrete scenario that illustrates the problem:- Board A has a managed Status column that only allows two labels: “Done” and “Stuck”
- Board B has a Status column with the same name that allows three labels: “Done”, “Stuck”, and “Working on it”
- A team member changes Board B’s Status to “Working on it”
- SIMB tries to sync that value to Board A — and silently fails, because “Working on it” is not an allowed value on Board A’s managed column
How to fix it
Open both boards side by side
Open the source board and the destination board in separate browser tabs or use monday.com’s split-view. You need to compare both columns directly.
Find the managed column on each board
Locate the column you’re trying to sync. Look for the lock icon on the column header to confirm it’s managed on one or both boards.
Compare the allowed values
Open the column settings on each board and review which values (labels, options, or permissions) are currently allowed. Write them down or keep both settings panels open at the same time.
Add missing values to the destination board
On the board that is missing a value, open the managed column settings and add the missing value. You need admin or owner permissions on the board to do this.
Ensure label names match exactly
If the column uses labels (like a Status column), confirm the label text is spelled exactly the same on both boards — same words, same capitalization.
Working on it and working on it are treated as different values.Quick checklist
Before reaching out to support, run through these checks:- ✅ Both columns have the same name (including capitalization)
- ✅ Both columns are the same column type
- ✅ The value you’re syncing is allowed on both boards
- ✅ Label names are spelled exactly the same on both boards
- ✅ You have sufficient admin permissions to edit the managed column settings