DenchClaw Kanban: Managing Your Sales Pipeline Visually

DenchClaw's kanban view gives you a drag-and-drop board for any CRM object — Contacts, Deals, Projects, whatever you're tracking. Cards are organized by a status or enum field, so moving a deal from "Qualified" to "Proposal" is one drag. Here's how to set it up and get the most out of it.

What Is the Kanban View?#

The kanban view renders CRM entries as cards arranged in columns. Each column maps to a value in a status or enum field — for a sales pipeline, that's typically Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Closed Won / Closed Lost.

Unlike spreadsheet-style views, kanban is optimized for workflow. You see where everything stands at a glance, and you move things forward by dragging cards between columns. No forms to fill out, no menus to navigate.

DenchClaw's kanban is configured per-object in your .object.yaml file under view_settings.kanbanField. Once configured, the kanban option appears in the view switcher next to table and calendar views.

Setting Up Kanban in 5 Steps#

1. Open your object configuration#

Navigate to the object you want to configure — for example, your Deals object. In the DenchClaw interface, open the object settings or locate the .object.yaml file in your workspace.

2. Add a status or enum field#

If you don't already have one, add a field with type status or enum. Give it the stages you want as columns:

fields:
  - name: stage
    type: status
    options:
      - Lead
      - Qualified
      - Proposal
      - Closed Won
      - Closed Lost

3. Configure kanbanField in view_settings#

view_settings:
  kanbanField: stage

Save the file. DenchClaw picks up the change automatically.

4. Switch to kanban view#

In the DenchClaw UI, open your Deals object. Click the view switcher (top right) and select Kanban. You'll see your entries distributed across columns based on the current value of the stage field.

5. Drag to update#

Drag any card to a new column. The underlying field value updates immediately in DuckDB. That's it — no save button, no confirmation dialog.

Designing Your Pipeline Columns#

The columns you choose depend on your process, but here are a few patterns that work well:

Simple sales pipeline:

• Lead → Contacted → Qualified → Proposal → Closed Won / Closed Lost

SaaS trial pipeline:

• Trial Started → Activated → Evaluating → Ready to Buy → Customer / Churned

Agency project tracker:

• Scoping → Proposal Sent → Contract Signed → In Progress → Delivered → Invoiced

Keep it to 5–7 columns. More than that and the board becomes hard to scan.

Card Display#

By default, kanban cards show the entry's primary display field (usually a name or title). You can configure additional fields to appear on each card — for example, showing the deal value, owner, and next follow-up date alongside the contact name.

In .object.yaml:

view_settings:
  kanbanField: stage
  kanbanCardFields:
    - deal_value
    - owner
    - next_followup

This turns each card into a mini-summary without cluttering the board.

Filtering and Grouping#

The kanban view respects all active filters. If you've filtered to show only deals owned by a specific person, the board shows only those deals. Useful for:

• Daily standup: Filter to "my deals" and walk through what's moving
• Pipeline reviews: Filter to "created this month" and see progression
• Stale deal audits: Filter by last-modified date to find deals that haven't moved

Using the AI Agent with Kanban#

Here's where DenchClaw goes beyond a standard kanban tool. You can talk to the AI agent — via Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, or the web chat — and ask it to:

• "Move all Leads that were created more than 30 days ago to Closed Lost"
• "Show me deals stuck in Proposal for more than 2 weeks"
• "Create a new deal for Acme Corp in the Qualified stage"

The agent updates the DuckDB database directly. You refresh the board and see the changes. It's a text interface layered on top of your visual interface — useful when you're on mobile or working quickly.

Kanban vs Table View: When to Use Each#

Both views operate on the same underlying data. Switching between them is instant.

Combining Kanban with Calendar View#

For deal-driven workflows, the kanban + calendar combination is powerful. Use kanban to track pipeline stage, and switch to calendar view to see upcoming close dates and follow-up tasks laid out on a timeline.

The views guide covers all available views and how to configure them together.

Common Mistakes to Avoid#

Too many columns. If you have 10+ stages, the board becomes unreadable on standard screens. Consolidate or use sub-stages via a separate field.

Wrong field type. Kanban works best with status or enum fields that have a fixed set of options. Don't try to use it with a free-text field.

Not configuring card fields. The default card shows only the name. Add 2–3 key fields so you don't have to click into every card to see what's relevant.

Ignoring the Closed Lost column. It's tempting to just delete dead deals. Don't. Keeping closed lost deals with notes on why they lost is valuable data for improving your process.

FAQ#

Can I have multiple kanban views for the same object? Yes. DenchClaw supports multiple saved views per object. You could have one kanban for pipeline stage and another for deal owner, for example.

What happens if I delete a status option? Entries with that status value will appear in an "Unknown" column on the kanban board. They won't be lost — just uncategorized until you update the field value.

Can I set a WIP limit per column? Not natively yet, but you can use the AI agent to query "how many deals are in Proposal right now?" at any time. WIP limits as a first-class feature are on the roadmap.

Does kanban work on mobile? DenchClaw is a PWA (Progressive Web App) at localhost:3100. The kanban view is responsive and works on mobile browsers, though drag-and-drop is optimized for desktop.

Can I color-code cards by field value? Color coding by status column is automatic. Custom colors per card based on other fields (e.g., deal value threshold) is configurable in .object.yaml via kanbanCardColor.

Ready to try DenchClaw? Install in one command: npx denchclaw. Full setup guide →