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How To Use The Lead Boards in WorkZen

All plansBeginnerVideo, 1:01Updated August 7, 2026

Lead Boards are kanban views of your pipeline. Click Boards on the Leads page, create a board with your own columns (or a template), drag leads onto it from the Add Leads panel, and move cards between columns as deals progress.

A spreadsheet can't show you where your pipeline is stuck. WorkZen's Lead Boards give you a visual kanban of every opportunity, so you can see at a glance what needs a call, an estimate, or a nudge to close.

Create a board

On the Leads page, click Boards, then New Board. Give it a name and pick under Choose a Starting Point:

  • Start Fresh: an empty board where you add your own columns.
  • A template: a ready-made set of columns for a common pipeline, listed so you can see the stages before you commit.
Plan availability

Board limits are per plan: 1 lead board on Zen (free), 3 on ZenGrow, unlimited on ZenAI. See pricing.

Columns are YOUR pipeline stages

Board columns are custom lists, not lead statuses. "To contact", "Estimate sent", "Negotiating", "Won": whatever matches how you actually sell. That means:

  • Add a column any time with New list.
  • Rename a column or change its color from the column menu.
  • Delete a column and WorkZen asks whether to move its cards to another column or remove them from the board.
  • Moving a card never changes the lead's status. A lead can sit in your "Negotiating" column and still be Assigned in the lead list. Statuses track ownership and conversion; columns track your sales motion.

Add leads to the board

Open the Add Leads to Board panel from the board. Search your leads, then drag any lead onto the column where it belongs ("Drag leads to any column to add them to the board"). Leads already placed are marked On Board so you don't double-add.

Removing a card from a board removes it from that board only. The lead itself is untouched.

Drag, drop, done

  • Drag cards between columns as deals progress. The move saves instantly.
  • Drag cards up and down within a column to prioritize; the order sticks for everyone.
  • Click a card to open its details without leaving the board.
Tip

Make the board your morning ritual: two minutes of dragging, and the whole team sees the same pipeline. A column that keeps growing is your bottleneck telling on itself.

Permissions

Users with the Manage Boards permission create boards, add and edit columns, and place cards. Users with View Boards see everything read-only, which is perfect for a wall-mounted pipeline screen.

When a lead in your "Won" column signs, convert it to a client and start the job.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open Lead Boards

    On the Leads page, click Boards. You'll see every lead board your company has created.

  2. 2

    Create a board

    Click New Board, name it, and choose a starting point. Start Fresh gives you an empty board; a template comes with ready-made columns.

  3. 3

    Build your columns

    Add columns with New list, one per pipeline stage (for example "To contact", "Estimate sent", "Negotiating", "Won").

  4. 4

    Add leads and drag them

    Open the Add Leads panel, search, and drag leads onto any column. Then drag cards between columns as each deal progresses.

See it in action

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Columns are your own pipeline stages, fully custom per board. Moving a card between columns changes its place on the board only; the lead's status (New, Assigned, Converted) is managed on the lead itself.
The free Zen plan includes 1 lead board, ZenGrow includes 3, and ZenAI is unlimited. The New Board button shows your usage and offers an upgrade at the limit.
Yes. Boards are independent views, so a lead can sit on a sales board and a follow-up board at the same time. The Add Leads panel marks leads that are already on the current board.
WorkZen asks what to do with the cards. You can move them to another column or remove them from the board. Removing cards from a board never deletes the leads themselves.
Creating boards and managing columns requires the Manage Boards permission. Users with View Boards can open boards read-only.

This article answers:

  • Does WorkZen have a kanban board for leads?
  • How do I move leads through the pipeline?
  • How do I add columns to a lead board?
  • How many lead boards can I create?
  • Does dragging a lead on a board change its status?

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