Create or open a whiteboard

A whiteboard in Bulk is a free-form drawing canvas for brainstorming, sketching, and visual planning — the place to map a line layout, rough out a changeover sequence, or capture ideas from a workshop before they become structured work. This article covers the two ways you start working on a whiteboard: creating a new blank board, and opening one that already exists.

Whiteboards belong to your whole workspace rather than to a single site. Every board you have access to appears in the same picker, no matter which plant or entity you currently have selected.

Before you start

• The Whiteboard module must be enabled for your account. If your organization has not turned on whiteboards, the module does not appear on your home screen.
• Creating a whiteboard requires the create-whiteboards permission. In Bulk's default roles, the Super user, Entity admin, and Manager roles can create whiteboards. Roles built for the shop floor, such as Operator, cannot create them by default. Ask an administrator if you need this permission added to your role.
• Opening a whiteboard requires access to that specific board. You can always open a board you created. Any other board must be shared with you before you can open it. Sharing is covered in Collaborate on a whiteboard.

Open the whiteboard picker

Both creating and opening start from the same page — the whiteboard picker.

1. From the Bulk home screen, select the Whiteboard module (labelled "Brainstorming & sketches").
2. The picker opens at /whiteboard/home. Its header reads Open a whiteboard. and shows a New whiteboard button on the right.

The picker lists every whiteboard in your workspace as a card. Each card shows a preview of the canvas, when it was last updated, who created it, and how many people are viewing it right now.

whiteboard.create-open-01

Create a new whiteboard

1. On the picker, select New whiteboard in the page header, or select the Start fresh tile at the front of the grid. Both open the same dialog.
2. In the Create Whiteboard dialog, enter a Name. A name is required — if you leave it blank, Bulk shows a "Name is required" message and does not create the board.
3. Optionally, add a Description to help others recognise the board in the list.
4. Select Create.

Bulk creates an empty board, shows a "Whiteboard created" confirmation, and opens the new board full-screen so you can start drawing straight away. You are the board's owner, which means you have full control over it, including sharing it with others later.

whiteboard.create-open-02

Example: a changeover workshop at Granite Peak

Dana Winters, a production manager at Granite Peak Manufacturing's Leeds Fabrication Plant, is running a changeover-reduction workshop for Press Line 3. She opens the whiteboard picker, selects New whiteboard, enters the name Press Line 3 changeover kaizen and the description SMED workshop - 12 July, and selects Create. The blank board opens immediately, and Dana sketches the current changeover steps so the team can spot the ones to shorten. Because Dana owns the board, only she can open it until she shares it with the rest of the workshop group.

Open an existing whiteboard

1. Open the whiteboard picker at /whiteboard/home.
2. Find the board you want. Type in the search box (Filter whiteboards by name or owner...) to match on the board name or the person who created it, or use the scope filter to narrow the grid:
   • All — every board in the workspace you can see.
   • Mine — boards you created.
   • Shared — boards other people created and shared with you.
   • Starred — boards you have marked as favourites with the star on the card.
3. Open the board by double-clicking its card, or by selecting the card with a single click and then pressing Enter. A single click on its own only highlights the card; it does not open the board.

The board opens full-screen in the editor. To go back to the picker, use the back control in the whiteboard header.

whiteboard.create-open-03

Feature state

Creating and opening whiteboards is generally available. It does not require a beta opt-in. The only gate is that the Whiteboard module is enabled for your organization and that your role includes the create-whiteboards permission when you want to make a new board.

Troubleshooting

• You cannot find a board you expected to see. Check that the scope filter is set to All rather than Mine, Shared, or Starred, and clear the search box. When a filter or search hides everything, the picker shows a "No whiteboards match." message with a Clear filters button that restores the full list.
• A card is greyed out and will not open. The board has not been shared with you; it shows No access and Request access. Ask the person who created it to share it. See Collaborate on a whiteboard.
• Creating a board fails with an error. Your role does not include the create-whiteboards permission. The New whiteboard and Start fresh controls are visible to everyone, but the board is only created if your role allows it. Ask an administrator to grant the permission, or ask someone with the Manager, Entity admin, or Super user role to create the board and share it with you.

Related guidance

• Whiteboard — overview of the whiteboard module.
• Edit a whiteboard — draw and change content on the canvas.
• Collaborate on a whiteboard — share a board and work on it with others.
• Use files and media on a whiteboard — add images and files to the canvas.