diff --git a/addons/board/static/src/js/dashboard.js b/addons/board/static/src/js/dashboard.js
index d14d85df28b..b1cbe86d5fa 100644
--- a/addons/board/static/src/js/dashboard.js
+++ b/addons/board/static/src/js/dashboard.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ var Domain = require('web.Domain');
 var FormController = require('web.FormController');
 var FormRenderer = require('web.FormRenderer');
 var FormView = require('web.FormView');
+var pyUtils = require('web.pyeval'); // do not forwardport this to 12.0
 var viewRegistry = require('web.view_registry');
 
 var _t = core._t;
@@ -243,7 +244,6 @@ FormRenderer.include({
      */
     _createController: function (params) {
         var self = this;
-        var context = params.context.eval();
         return this._rpc({
                 route: '/web/action/load',
                 params: {action_id: params.actionID}
@@ -253,18 +253,22 @@ FormRenderer.include({
                     // the action does not exist anymore
                     return $.when();
                 }
+                var rawContext = new Context(params.context, action.context);
+                var context = pyUtils.eval('context', rawContext);
+                var domain = params.domain || pyUtils.eval('domain', action.domain || '[]', action.context);
+                var viewType = params.viewType || action.views[0][1];
                 var view = _.find(action.views, function (descr) {
-                    return descr[1] === params.viewType;
-                }) || [false, params.viewType];
-                return self.loadViews(action.res_model, params.context, [view])
+                    return descr[1] === viewType;
+                }) || [false, viewType];
+                return self.loadViews(action.res_model, rawContext, [view]) // use context instead of rawContext when forwardported to > 11.0
                            .then(function (viewsInfo) {
-                    var viewInfo = viewsInfo[params.viewType];
-                    var View = viewRegistry.get(params.viewType);
+                    var viewInfo = viewsInfo[viewType];
+                    var View = viewRegistry.get(viewType);
                     var view = new View(viewInfo, {
                         action: action,
                         context: context,
-                        domain: params.domain,
-                        groupBy: context.group_by,
+                        domain: domain,
+                        groupBy: context.group_by || [],
                         modelName: action.res_model,
                         hasSelectors: false,
                     });
diff --git a/addons/board/static/tests/dashboard_tests.js b/addons/board/static/tests/dashboard_tests.js
index 8d30922fc8b..08a22237a93 100644
--- a/addons/board/static/tests/dashboard_tests.js
+++ b/addons/board/static/tests/dashboard_tests.js
@@ -188,6 +188,57 @@ QUnit.test('basic functionality, with one sub action', function (assert) {
     form.destroy();
 });
 
+QUnit.test('can render an action without view_mode attribute', function (assert) {
+    // The view_mode attribute is automatically set to the 'action' nodes when
+    // the action is added to the dashboard using the 'Add to dashboard' button
+    // in the searchview. However, other dashboard views can be written by hand
+    // (see openacademy tutorial), and in this case, we don't want hardcode
+    // action's params (like context or domain), as the dashboard can directly
+    // retrieve them from the action. Same applies for the view_type, as the
+    // first view of the action can be used, by default.
+    assert.expect(2);
+
+    var form = createView({
+        View: FormView, // replace by BoardView when forwarported to saas-11.3
+        model: 'board',
+        data: this.data,
+        arch: '<form string="My Dashboard">' +
+                '<board style="2-1">' +
+                    '<column>' +
+                        '<action string="ABC" name="51" context="{\'a\': 1}"></action>' +
+                    '</column>' +
+                '</board>' +
+            '</form>',
+        archs: {
+            'partner,4,list':
+                '<tree string="Partner"><field name="foo"/></tree>',
+        },
+        mockRPC: function (route, args) {
+            if (route === '/board/static/src/img/layout_1-1-1.png') {
+                return $.when();
+            }
+            if (route === '/web/action/load') {
+                return $.when({
+                    context: '{"b": 2}',
+                    domain: '[["foo", "=", "yop"]]',
+                    res_model: 'partner',
+                    views: [[4, 'list'], [false, 'form']],
+                });
+            }
+            if (route === '/web/dataset/search_read') {
+                assert.deepEqual(args.domain, [['foo', '=', 'yop']],
+                    "should use the domain of the action");
+            }
+            return this._super.apply(this, arguments);
+        },
+    });
+
+    assert.strictEqual(form.$('.oe_action:contains(ABC) .o_list_view').length, 1,
+        "the list view (first view of action) should have been rendered correctly");
+
+    form.destroy();
+});
+
 QUnit.test('can sort a sub list', function (assert) {
     assert.expect(2);