1. Introduction
This article describes integrations between Kanbanize (https://businessmap.io) and external software solutions using Маке (https://make.com). If you are not familiar with Make, it is a web automation tool that allows you to connect different applications using an extensive range of built-in modules.
You can create integrations with Make to automate the actions you need to perform. Each integration has a trigger - an event that starts it - and a body, where the actions are executed sequentially by Make. There are lots of modules available for you to use, allowing you to build all kinds of integrations and connections. Make has different size packages based on your needs and it also has a package that allows the execution of up to 1000 modules (triggers and actions) per month for free.
You can learn more about how Make works in their website. In their app directory, you can find a full list of apps that can be integrated with Kanbanize using Make.
A potential reader of this article is expected to be familiar with Kanbanize (boards, cards, business rules, etc.). However, if you have any questions or encounter some difficulties along the way, do not hesitate to contact the Kanbanize Support team at support@kanbanize.com.
2. Integration Capabilities
Kanbanize integrations with Make can be in any direction — from Kanbanize to a third party, or from a third party to Kanbanize. We will review both cases here.
From Kanbanize to other software solutions
We support 3 general triggers:
1. Watch New Task — This trigger will fire up instantly when a new card or initiative is created in Kanbanize.
2. Watch Task Updated — This trigger will fire up instantly when a card or initiative is updated in Kanbanize.
3. Watch Task Moved — This trigger will fire up instantly when a card or initiative is moved to a different lane or column in Kanbanize
From other software solutions to Kanbanize
Our Make connector supports multiple actions. Here is a list of them with a short description of what action can be used and what for:
4. List Tasks — Returns all cards and initiatives for a given board.
5. Get a Task — Return the details for a single card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID and internal card ID. Optionally, you can get the card's history and comments.
6. Create a Task — Creates a new card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID and the title. Optionally you can specify description, priority, color, size, tags, deadline, external link, and position. You can also select to return the task details after creation for further processing.
7. Move a Task — Moves a card or initiative to a different lane or column. You need to specify the board ID, task ID, column, and lane. Optionally, you can specify the position of the task in the new column.
8. Update a Task — Updates a card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID and task ID. With this activity, you can update the assignee, type, title, description, priority, color, size, tags, deadline, external link, and custom fields.
9. Delete a Task — Deletes a card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID and the task ID.
10. Create a Subtask — Adds a subtask to an existing card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID, card ID, and a subtask description. Optionally, you can add an owner.
11. Update a Subtask — Updates a subtask. You need to specify the board ID, task ID, and subtask ID. With this activity, you can update the description and owner, or mark the subtask as completed.
12. Create a Comment — Adds a comment to an existing card or initiative. You need to specify the board ID and card ID and set the comment to be added.
13. List Links — Returns all links for a given card or board. You need to specify either the card ID or the board ID.
14. Update a Link — Creates a link between two cards or initiatives. You need to specify the board ID, card ID, linked card ID, and the action or type.
15. List Projects and Boards — Returns a list of all projects and boards.
16. Log Time — Logs time to a card, initiative, or subtask. You need to specify the board ID, task ID, or subtask ID and the number of hours to log.
3. Prerequisites
In order to use Kanbanize actions and triggers in Make, you need to obtain the subdomain for the account and have a username and password. The subdomain is the first part of the kanbanize URL: https://{subdomain}.kanbanize.com.
4. Implementation
To begin with the integration, you need to create a new scenario in Make. You can create a scenario by logging into your Make account and clicking on the “Create a new scenario” button in the top right side of your screen.
This will create a new scenario and load it in the Make editor window. Scenarios are created with 1 trigger and at least 1 action.
Once the scenario has been created, you need to add a triggering activity. Select the plus icon and choose your trigger. Each trigger has a different setup required. In this article, we will explore the Kanbanize triggers. For the Kanbanize trigger to work, you need to create a connection to a Kanbanize account and a webhook. Once you select the trigger as one of the Kanbanize triggers, you will be asked to create a webhook.
Click on the “Add” button and it will ask you for a webhook name and a connection. The connection to each account only needs to be set once. If it has been previously set up, you can choose it from the dropdown.
Otherwise, press “Add” next to the connection dropdown and it will ask you for your subdomain, username, and password.
Once your trigger has been set, it will show up as your first activity in the scenario with a “+” sign on its right side. From there you can add actions.
Each action requires a connection, so if this is your first scenario in Make and you haven't used it as the trigger, you may need to follow the steps from above to set up your connection with your subdomain, username, and password.
Once you have added all your activities, press the save button from the bottom panel and you can click “Run once” to test it. This will start the scenario and it will wait for the triggering activity to receive a new request. For example, if your triggering activity is “Watch New Task” and you have started your scenario, you can head to Kanbanize and create a new task on a board. This will start the actual execution of the scenario and it will complete all subsequent activities.
5. Common Scenarios
Here is what some of the most common scenarios would look like:
Google Calendar
The below video shows an integration between Kanbanize and Google Calendar, where a Google Calendar event is created when a Kanbanize card is created in a specific lane. It takes the title, description, owner, start date/time, and end date/time from Kanbanize and uses them in the creation of the event in Google Calendar.
JIRA
The below video shows an integration between Jira and Kanbanize, where a Kanbanize card is created in a specific workflow and column when a Jira issue has been opened. It takes the summary, description, and assignee from Jira and records them in Kanbanize, but it also supports all the default and custom fields from Jira. It also adds a hyperlink to the Jira issue in Kanbanize.
PipeDrive
The below video shows an integration between PipeDrive and Kanbanize, where a Kanbanize card is created in a specific workflow when a PipeDrive deal has been opened. The board in Kanbanize has the same columns as the Deals panel in PipeDrive, so it dynamically creates the card in the same column as in PipeDrive. It also moves the card in Kanbanize, when the card is moved in PipeDrive. It takes the title and deadline from PipeDrive and records them in Kanbanize, but it can also support all the default and custom fields from PipeDrive. Additionally, it adds a hyperlink to the PipeDrive deal in Kanbanize.
6. Building Your Integrations
At Businessmap, we offer to design and build custom integrations for our clients. If you are interested in purchasing a support package that includes hours for integrations, please contact us at support@kanbanize.com.