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Kanban — Workflow

Overview

Kanban does not follow a linear approval pipeline. Instead, it provides a flexible task board where cards move freely between sections according to the team's process. The lifecycle of a card is defined by the sections the team creates — cards progress through them manually by dragging and dropping.

No fixed approval pipeline

Kanban sections and card movement are fully configurable by the team. There are no system-enforced status transitions. The team defines what each section means (e.g., To Do → In Progress → Done).

Note

For SARA's standard record lifecycle model, see: Workflows & Pipelines

Roles involved

  • Board member — a collaborator assigned to a board; can view the board, add and edit cards, and use calendar views.
  • Board editor — a collaborator with the edit permission; can also edit board settings and manage sections on non-template boards.
  • Kanban admin — a collaborator with the admin permission; can create and delete boards, manage templates, and edit all boards and sections regardless of template origin.

Card lifecycle

Cards do not have a fixed status field. Their state is expressed by:

  • Which section they are in — the team defines the meaning of each section (e.g., "To Do", "In Progress", "Done").
  • The completed checkbox — any user can mark a card as completed without moving it to a different section. Completed cards remain in their section and can be shown or hidden.

Typical card flow

  1. A board member creates a card in a section (e.g., To Do), assigns collaborators, sets priority, and optionally adds dates, checklist, tags, and a parent dependency.
  2. As work progresses, the card is dragged to the appropriate section (e.g., In Progress).
  3. When the task is finished, the card is either moved to a done section or marked as completed using the checkbox.

Card dependencies

A card can declare a dependency on another card using the Depends on field. This links the child card's start date to the parent card's end date:

  • The child card's date picker enforces the parent card's end date as the earliest allowed start date.
  • On the board, the child card's dates are displayed in green to indicate the inherited relationship.
  • Changing the parent card's end date does not automatically update the child — users must review the child card manually.

Board management workflow

Creating a board (admin only):

  1. Click New Kanban and select a type (Project, Department, or Personal).
  2. Optionally select a template to pre-populate sections.
  3. Select the linked project or department (if applicable) and assign collaborators.
  4. The board is created. If no template was selected, three default sections are created: To Do, In Progress, and Done.

Editing a board (edit or admin):

  • The Edit button on the board toolbar opens a modal to rename the board and manage its assigned collaborators.

Deleting a board (admin only):

  • Deletion removes the board, all its sections, all cards within those sections, and all associated files, notes, and checklist items. This action is irreversible.

Board deletion is permanent

Deleting a board cannot be undone. All cards, files, and notes within the board are also deleted.

Template workflow

Templates define a reusable set of section names that can be applied when creating a new board.

Managing templates (admin only):

  1. Open the Templates panel from the main header.
  2. Create a template by entering a name and clicking Add.
  3. Select a template in the table to manage its sections — add, rename, or delete section entries.

Applying a template:

  • When creating a new board, select a template from the Template dropdown.
  • The board is created with the template's sections instead of the default three.
  • On boards created from a template, section edit/delete controls are hidden for non-admin users. Only users with the admin permission can rename or delete sections on template-based boards.

Notifications

When a card is created and collaborators are assigned to it, the creator can optionally send a WhatsApp notification by checking Send notification in the New Card modal.

  • A WhatsApp message is sent to each assigned collaborator via the N8n integration.
  • Message content: "You have been assigned by [creator name] to a new Kanban card: [card title]", with a link to /kanban.
  • The notification is only sent at the moment of card creation. Editing an existing card and adding new assignees does not trigger a notification automatically.

Info

Email notifications exist in the system but are currently disabled. For global notification behavior, see: Notifications & Alerts

Audit logs

Changes to Kanban records are logged in SARA's standard audit log system. Logged events include:

  • Board created, updated, deleted.
  • Card created, updated, deleted.
  • Checklist items updated.

Logs for a specific card are visible in the Notes & Logs tab of the Edit Card modal.

Note

For the general logging system, see: Logs & History

Permissions

Permissions

Access and actions are permission-driven. See: Permissions