Setting up your first solution train in Kendis takes two steps: you create a Solution Area, then a Solution Board inside it. This article walks you through both, screen by screen.
What a Solution Area and a Solution Board are
A Solution Area is the folder for one solution train. It carries the name, colours, owner and the collections whose program boards may contribute to the solution. A Solution Board lives inside a solution area and shows the capabilities of the solution against the iterations of every linked PI board.
Level | Example in this guide | Where you manage it |
Solution Area | Retail Platform | Solution Boards page › Create Solution Area |
Solution Board | Retail Platform Solution Train (prefix RP) | Solution Boards page › Create Board on the area row |
Program (PI) boards | Web Store ART, Mobile App ART, Payments ART | Program Boards; linked from the board wizard or Board Settings |
Capabilities | K-1 Unified Checkout, K-2 Loyalty Wallet … | Capability list on the board |
The Solution Boards page. Each solution area is a row; expand it to see its boards and the short names of the linked PI boards (WS, MA, +1).
Create a Solution Area
Open Solution Boards from the left navigation and click + Create Solution Area (top right).
Enter a Title, for example Retail Platform, and an optional description that explains which trains deliver together.
Pick a Background Color and Text Color. The background colour tints the area row and the text colour is used for its title.
Choose an Owner. Pick Global, or the collection the area belongs to. An owner collection is added to the contributing collections automatically.
Under Collections click + Add Contributing Collections and tick every collection whose program boards may be linked into this solution. In the example only Default Collection is used, but you can add several.
Click Save. Title, Owner and at least one contributing collection are required. The new area appears as a row on the Solution Boards page.
Create Solution Area with title, description, owner and contributing collections filled in.
ⓘ Contributing collections matter later
Only program boards from the contributing collections are offered when you link PI boards, and the Link existing child picker searches features from all of them. Add every collection that will take part in the solution.
Create a Solution Board
Click + Create Board on the area row. The wizard has four steps.
Step 1 – Board and program boards
Give the board a Board Name and a Short Board Name (prefix). The prefix is shown on cards and chips.
Keep Show Solution Trains on Board ticked to work with solution iterations: a header row above the swimlanes, bands on the timeline and an Iterations tab in the board settings. If you untick it, the wizard skips Step 3. Each linked PI board is drawn as its own swimlane either way.
Under Program Boards choose a Collection, then pick a board in Select Program Boards To Add. Give it a Short Board Name and a colour and click + Add Board. Repeat for every ART.
Added boards are listed under Selected Program Boards with their prefix and board state. Drag the handle to reorder swimlanes, use the pencil to edit, or the cross to remove.
Click Next.
Step 1: board name, prefix and the first program board added from the Default Collection.
Step 2 – Terminology
Rename the four levels if your organisation uses other words. Defaults are Capability / Feature / Iteration / Story with their plurals. The words you choose appear everywhere on the board, in popups and in analytics.
Step 2: terminology used on this board.
Step 3 – Iterations
Kendis proposes the iterations as soon as you reach this step. It takes the earliest and the latest sprint date of the linked PI boards and splits that span into evenly sized iterations. Change the Start date, End date, Number of sprints or Duration and the list is rebuilt at once. Then edit any row with the pencil, or add an extra one with + Add New Sprint. Rebuilding the list discards row edits, so set the dates and the number of sprints first. Each iteration has a title and a short label (S1, S2 …), and you need at least one to continue.
Step 3: six iterations generated between 24 Aug and 6 Nov 2026, matching the linked PI boards.
Step 4 – Preview and save
The preview shows each PI board under the solution iterations so you can check that the sprints line up. Click Save to create the board.
Step 4: preview of PI board iterations against the solution iterations.
Frequently asked questions
Can one program board belong to two solution boards?
Can one program board belong to two solution boards?
Yes. A PI board can be linked into several solution boards; features are shared, but the capability edges are stored per solution board.
Do I need to create iterations manually?
Do I need to create iterations manually?
No. The wizard takes the first and last sprint date of the linked PI boards and proposes evenly sized iterations for that span. It does not copy each PI sprint. You can still edit them on the Iterations tab of Board Settings later.
Can I change the prefix after creating the board?
Can I change the prefix after creating the board?
Yes, under Board Settings › Configuration. Existing keys keep their numbers.
Who can create solution areas?
Who can create solution areas?
Super administrators. Who can see an area is decided by its contributing collections.