Kanban: drag-and-drop stage mapping

What you’ll learn

How drag-and-drop works in Kanban, how each column maps to a product stage, and what gets updated across D2C Lab when you move a card forward or backward.

The big idea

Kanban is not just a visual board.

When you drag a card to a new column, D2C Lab uses that column as the source of truth and updates the product’s stage everywhere (especially in the Master List).

Column → Stage mapping

This is the exact mapping D2C Lab uses:

Sourcing column → Stage Sourcing
Sampling column → Stage Sampling
Negotiating column → Stage Negotiating
Production column → Stage Production
QC column → Stage QC
Shipping column → Stage Shipping
Launched column → Stage Launched

Simple rule:
Kanban column name = product stage name (1:1).

What happens when you drag a card

Move forward (example: Sampling → Negotiating)

When you drag a card forward:

The card moves to the new column
The product stage updates to match that column
The Master List stage pill updates automatically

Move backward (revert) (example: QC → Production)

When you drag a card backward:

The card moves to the earlier column
The product stage reverts to match that column
Master List stage pill updates automatically

Tip: If you revert a card, add a one-line note in the card modal explaining why.

How this relates to Launch Ready

Launch Ready is a stage that can be set from the Calculator using “Ready for launch”.

Important:

Clicking Ready for launch sets stage to Launch Ready
It does not automatically move the Kanban card
Kanban’s final execution column is Launched

Common flow:

Use Kanban to move through execution
Use Launch Ready as your final checkpoint before going live
Move to Launched once it’s live (or move the Kanban card to Launched when the pipeline is complete)

What does NOT map through Kanban

Some stages exist across the app but aren’t part of the Kanban pipeline:

Raw / Validating / Calculating (these happen before execution tracking starts)
Killed (killed ideas are not meant to be in active Kanban execution)

Remember:

A Kanban card appears only after a supplier contact is added.

Portfolio filters can hide cards

Kanban respects your portfolio filter.

If you don’t see a card you expect:

confirm you’re viewing the correct Portfolio (or “All”)

Best practices

Only drag a card when a real milestone is done (keeps your board honest).
If you move a card backward, leave a short note explaining why.
Use Kanban weekly to unblock products stuck in one column.

Troubleshooting

Stage didn’t update after dragging

Try:

Refresh once
Move the card forward one column and back again
Confirm you’re not filtered into a different portfolio

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

I can’t drag a card