The Kanban view gives you a column-based snapshot of your backlog, where each column represents one value of the field you are grouping by. Moving a card from one column to another updates the item's field value directly - so the view is not just for visibility, but for active planning and workflow management.
Use the Kanban view when you want to see work distribution at a glance, run a planning session by dragging items into sprints or assigning them to team members, or track progress by moving items through workflow stages.
Craft.io offers both shared, collaborative views for all members of a workspace, and personal views. Before creating your first Kanban view, understand how to manage the different views and what is required.
Creating a Kanban view
Follow these steps:
Navigate to New view at the bottom of the left sidebar
Select Kanban view
A new view opens grouped by status by default. You can change the grouping at any time from the view toolbar.
What's on a card
Each card displays the following fields by default:
Item Title - the name of your Epic, Feature or Story (based on how your hierarchy is structured)
Status - view and update the item's current workflow status
Assignee - view and update the team member or team assigned to the item
Importance - view and update the item's priority level
Dependencies - see how many dependencies the item has; a red icon indicates a blocking dependency. Click the icon to open the dependencies panel.
Custom field values also appear on cards when they are part of your item configuration. Click any card to open the full item detail panel on the right side of the screen, where you can view and edit all properties.
Grouping columns
Each column in the Kanban view represents one value of the field you are grouping by. Changing the grouping gives you a completely different perspective on the same backlog - without changing any underlying data.
Common groupings and when to use them:
By Status - for tracking progress through your workflow. Drag cards between columns to update their status as work moves forward.
By Assignee - for reviewing work distribution across your team and identifying who has capacity.
By Quarter or Sprint - for planning sessions where you need to move items between time periods.
To change the grouping, click Group By in the view toolbar and select a field.
Drag and drop
Drag and drop lets you move cards between columns and reorder them within a column. Moving a card to a different column updates the grouped field value on that item automatically - for example, dragging a card to a different Sprint column changes the item's assignment.
Layout options
The Kanban view has two layout options, accessible from the Layout button in the view toolbar:
Default - standard card height showing all key fields. Best for day-to-day work where you want full visibility of each item.
Compact - reduced card height with more cards visible on screen at once. Useful when reviewing a large backlog, presenting a broad picture, or taking a screenshot for a stakeholder presentation. In Compact mode, columns with single-select field groupings are divided into subgroups to keep the view readable.
You can add and remove fields from view in the Layout for both Default and Compact layout styles. Select Layout and tick (or untick) the relevant fields.
Filtering
Filters narrow the Kanban view to a relevant subset of items. While grouping controls how columns are organized, filtering defines which items appear at all.
To apply a filter, click Filter in the view toolbar and select your criteria. You can filter by status, assignee, importance, type, or any custom field. Filters are saved as part of the view so you do not need to re-apply them each session.
Updating items
You can update items directly from the Kanban view without opening the full item panel:
Drag a card to a different column to update the grouped field value
Click a field value on a card to edit it inline
Click a card to open the full item detail panel on the right, where you can scroll through and edit all properties
Use the + button on a card to create or add a new item directly from the Kanban view
Converting to a Swimlanes view
When you want to view your backlog across more than one dimension at the same time, you can convert your Kanban view directly into a Swimlanes view. The same grouping and filters carry over, with horizontal lanes added for a second dimension - so you can see, for example, which quarter items belong to and which team owns them, all in one view.
Follow these steps:
Click Actions in the view toolbar
Select View as Swimlanes
Configure the Swimlanes to visualize your data by a second dimension
This is useful when the column grouping alone is not enough context, or when you want to present a more structured breakdown to stakeholders without building a new view from scratch.
What comes next?
Using the Table view - spreadsheet-style view for bulk edits, data cleanup, and structured backlog management
Using the Timeline view - time-based view for roadmapping, dependency management, and stakeholder communication
Using the Swimlanes view - visualize work across multiple dimensions simultaneously
Configuring your views: hierarchy, grouping, sorting, and filtering - go deeper on view configuration options
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