How Kanban starts automatically (supplier contact rule)

What you’ll learn

When a Kanban card is created, what triggers it, where it appears first, and how this rule keeps execution tracking automatic and consistent.

The rule (simple)

A Kanban card is created as soon as any supplier contact is added to a product.

It does not depend on:

choosing a winner,
finishing validation,
completing the calculator.

Once a supplier contact exists, Kanban starts.

Why this rule exists

The goal is to avoid manual steps.

The moment you start supplier outreach, the product has entered execution mode — so D2C Lab automatically creates a Kanban card and places it in the first column.

This ensures:

every “real” product (with supplier work started) is tracked,
you don’t forget which ideas are actively being sourced,
your Master List stage and Kanban stage stay aligned.

What counts as “supplier contact”?

A supplier contact means you have added at least one supplier entry for that product in the Suppliers tab.

Typically this includes:

company name
contact person (or any basic supplier info)

You don’t need to fill all operational fields (unit cost, MOQ, lead time) to trigger Kanban.

What happens when the rule triggers

When the first supplier contact is added:

D2C Lab creates a Kanban card for that product
The card is placed in Sourcing
The product is now trackable across the full pipeline:
Sourcing → Sampling → Negotiating → Production → QC → Shipping → Launched

Does selecting a Winner matter?

No.

Winner selection is just a decision marker.

It helps you document your preferred supplier.
It does not create Kanban cards.

Kanban creation is triggered by supplier contact, not winner.

If you add multiple suppliers

You will still have only one Kanban card for the product.

The Kanban card represents the product execution stage — not a specific supplier.

Best practices

Add suppliers early (even basic info) so the product appears in Kanban and stays visible.
Keep supplier details updated in Suppliers while you move the Kanban card through stages.
Use Notes in the Kanban modal to record key timeline decisions.

Troubleshooting

I added a supplier but I don’t see the Kanban card

Try these quick checks:

Confirm the supplier was actually saved (not just typed)
Refresh once
Make sure you’re viewing the correct portfolio filter (Kanban is filtered by portfolio too)

If it still doesn’t appear, report it here:
feedback.d2clab.co → Bug Reports

Add and manage suppliers (Suppliers tab)
Kanban: columns and what each means
Move through production stages (Kanban)
Portfolios: filtering across all tabs