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Kanban Board

The Kanban board shows your document requests as cards organized into columns, where each column is a workflow stage. Every team member can use it to see where work stands and move requests forward with drag and drop. Owners and Admins configure the stages and automation behind the board in Workflows & Automation.

Opening the board

There are three ways in:

  • Click Kanban Board in the sidebar.
  • On the Requests page, click the Kanban button in the toolbar (shown on desktop, next to the grid/list view toggle).
  • On a phone, open the More menu in the bottom navigation and tap Kanban Board.

Checkpoint

You should see the Request Management board: one column per workflow stage, arranged left to right in your workflow order, with your requests as cards inside them.

Reading the board

Columns

  • Columns match your workflow stage order.
  • Each column header shows the stage's color, name, and how many requests it holds.
  • If a stage has a work-in-progress limit, the header also shows the count against the cap (for example "4/5 items") — see Stage limits.

Cards

Each request card shows:

  • The request title, with a colored left edge matching its stage.
  • The client (avatar and name).
  • The due date, with a warning icon when the request is overdue.
  • The assignee — "Assigned to" a person, the assigned team, or Unassigned. See Teams, Assignment & Sharing.
  • Priority and tags.
  • A link-expiry chip when the request's link has an expiry date — it turns red as expiry approaches.
  • An SLA dot when the stage has an SLA configured — see SLA indicators.
  • A visibility chip when the request isn't visible to everyone: Team, Private (lock icon), or Shared. See visibility levels.

Click any card to open the request in a drawer, where you can review and edit it.

Default stages

Every organization starts with these stages: Sent, Read, Partial, Needs Review, Approved, Closed, Expired, and Archived. Owners and Admins can add custom stages alongside them — see Creating a stage.

Moving cards

Drag a card from one column to another to move the request through your workflow:

  1. Click and hold the card (on touch screens, press and hold briefly, then drag).
  2. Drag it over the target column.
  3. Release to drop.

When you move a card, FileOnion:

  1. Checks whether the move is allowed by your transition rules.
  2. Moves the card immediately if it is.
  3. Runs any automated actions configured for that transition in the background — emails, webhooks, assignments, and status updates.

The board also updates live as your teammates work, so cards move and appear without refreshing the page.

When a move is blocked

If a transition rule prevents the move, the card snaps back and an error explains why:

Message Why
"This transition is not allowed." The rule for this move is set to Blocked.
"This transition is not configured." Rules exist for the current stage, but none covers this exact move.
"Requires one of these roles: …" The move is restricted to the listed roles.
"This transition requires approval. …" The rule requires approval, so the move can't be completed with a drag.

If you believe a move should be allowed, ask an Owner or Admin — they can adjust the rule under Settings → Workflows → Transition Rules.

Filtering the board

Use the toggle at the top of the board to control which requests you see:

View What it shows
All Every request you have access to
Mine Requests assigned to you or created by you
My Team Requests assigned to your teams

Note

The My Team option only appears if you belong to at least one team. See Teams, Assignment & Sharing.

SLA indicators

When a stage has an SLA deadline configured, cards in that stage show a colored indicator:

Indicator Meaning
Green dot Within SLA — plenty of time remaining
Amber dot + "Xh remaining" Warning — approaching the deadline
Red dot + "SLA breached" Breached — the deadline has passed

Owners and Admins set SLA deadlines and warnings per stage — see SLA tracking.

Stage limits (WIP)

Stages can carry a work-in-progress limit (Maximum Items, set by an Owner or Admin when creating or editing the stage). On the board:

  • The column header shows the current count against the cap, for example "5/5 items".
  • When the column is at or over its limit, a red Full tag appears in the header.

The limit is a signal, not a lock — treat a Full column as a prompt to clear work in that stage before pulling more in.

Quick actions

  • Manage Stages (Owners and Admins) — opens a dialog to add, edit, or reorder stages without leaving the board.
  • Board Settings (Owners and Admins) — jumps to the full Settings → Workflows page.
  • New Request — starts a new document request.
  • Click any card to open and edit the request.

Kanban on a phone

The board adapts to small screens:

  • Columns scroll horizontally — swipe left and right to move between stages.
  • Cards use a compact layout.
  • To move a card, press and hold it briefly, then drag it to the target column and release.
  • Use the new-request button in the bottom navigation to create a request.