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The task structure or hierarchy within a Box box can be generated automatically by the AppBigPicture. You can set suitable rules to structure your tasks , by activating respective structure builders.

The order of structure builders reflects the levels of the hierarchy, or in other words, the first structure builder determines the highest level within the structure.

Security and access

Only a user with a minimum Box admin security role can access and change the Box configuration.

To change the task structure configuration, go to Box configuration > Tasks > Task structure.

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Jira Structure builders

Info

An Index corruption might result in a loss of structure on Jira server, if a user opens one of the Boxes and the synchronization is triggered.

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Custom

When you modify the advanced Advanced configuration, you automatically switch to custom settings. 

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On the right-hand side of the advanced settings Advanced configuration, you can see the preview of the tree structure.

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A warning appears on the right if the structure can't be generated because of conflicts.

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Constraints:

  • only Only built-in structure builders are visualized on the right.

  • linkLink-based structure builders can't be visualized on the right.

Types of structure builders

There are two types of structure builders - built-in and link-based. When you activate one of the built-in structure builders, a task representing a Sprint, Component, Version, Project will be automatically added in the task types box in the automated rules of the Scope definition page. The link-based structure builders use a Jira link to define the parent/child relation. Soft links which that are marked in the App (go to dependency configuration to check the link mapping) can be used as structure builders.

Info

Parent's movement in the structure does not replace custom Links by Epic Link. The Epic Link for the task is not changed.

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Expand
titleSee the example

Task structure configuration example:

image-20240313-145338.png

Result - when you reposition a task in a tree, a pop-up appears:

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Manually moving a task (task fields are updated to match structure builder values)

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Move tasks manually

When manually repositioning a task in the task structuretask fields are updated to match structure buildersThe sync mechanism is responsible for mirroring the changes done by the user in the task structure in BigPicture in Jira issues. In other words, if the user indents, outdents or drags & drops tasks within the task structure, relevant changes in tasks' fields responsible for their position are done automatically. The fundamental prerequisite for the changes to be made is active Structure Builders.

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Expand
titleSee the example

For example, let's generate a hierarchy resembling how data is presented on a Trello Board - task are organized into lists on the BigPicture Power-Up Public Roadmap:

To generate such a hierarchy, enable the ‘Boards' Boards' and 'ListClearLists’.

As a result, tasks are organized just as on the Trello board.

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If the automatic WBS rules are in place and a change of a task position would require a change of task fields, the indentation is blocked. 

Automated structure building -

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algorithm

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explained

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titleExpand to see more

Structure builders - basic rules

Below are some main points worth remembering when using structure builders:

  • The order in which the elements are listed corresponds to the order in which they will be nested (it defines the sequence of the parent finding loops).

  • The order of active builders can be changed - once you activate the elements you wish to use, you can drag them to a different spot on the list.

  • Once the structure builders are defined and the tasks loaded in the Box, the structure is preserved by the App until a change is forced to rebuild the structure (for example by manually moving the tasks or resetting the structure and implementing a new order of structure builders) - un-toggling elements will not undo changes previously saved and implemented.

  • Rearranging the structure builders does not mean that the remembered task structure is reorganized (the system always applies the rules to the existing state of things, so if you already have a structure in place it won't be overriden - rules will apply only wherever possible).

  • Tasks already in the scope of a Box may have different parents than those newly added (even though they have the same potential parents, like links or projects) as it depends on the structure builders' settings at the moment of adding a task. 

  • Tasks newly added to the scope of a Box follow the rules currently defined in the structure builders' settings.

  • It is important to pay attention to inverse option while using the 'Link based' structure builders to get the parent child relations represented correctly in the task structure.

  • The "Relates to" Link structure builder may be misleading as it is difficult to see the difference between inward and outward links.

When a full-sync is executed, the following steps regarding structure building are performed:

  1. The App adds all additional tasks (all tasks which are not Jira issues, Projects, Components, Versions, Agile Backlogs, Agile Sprints, in case of Trello, Boards, Lists, Checklists Checklist Items) to have all tasks in the scope (and as a consequence: all potential parent tasks in the scope).

  2. A App executes two following loops to build a proper task structure: 

    1. a loop for all active structure builders,

    2. a loop for all tasks in the scope.

  3. It means that: 

    1. At first, the App tries to find a parent task for every task consecutively based on the first active structure builder,

    2. Then it tries to find a parent task again for every task consecutively based on the second active structure builders etc. until all active structure builders are verified.

  4. The following rules are Applied by finding a parent task for a given task within a consecutive structure builder: 

    1. the App always respects an already built structure by indenting a task (if an indent of the task would be contradictory to its current parent tasks, then an indent is not executed so that a structure builder never overwrites the current task structure)

    2. an indented task is always moved with all its child tasks.

Info

Please note, that the final result of the automatically built task structure based on the active structure builders can be different depending on the structure at the moment of the full-sync.

If you want to reorganise your task structure entirely after it was already built, follow the steps:

  1. switch of all structure builders,

  2. select "reset Work Breakdown Structure" option,

  3. click on "Save and sync".

After taking those steps, your scope will be flattened. Activate the new structure builders to build a respective task hierarchy again.


Illustrative example

The input data is presented in the table below:

#1 Tasks in the scope:

Task

Jira project

Fix Versions

Epic link

Project A

na.

na.

na.

Version 1.0

A

na.

na.

Version 2.0

A

na.

na.

Epic-1

A

-

na.

Epic-2

A

1.0

na.

Story-1

A

1.0

Epic-1

Story-2

A

-

Epic-1

Story-3

A

-

Epic-2

Story-4

A

1.0

Epic-2

Story-5

A

2.0

Epic-2

#2 Active structure builders:

  1. Project

  2. Version

  3. Epic

#3 The list of the tasks at the beginning of the WBS building is flat (no parent tasks).

Output data (automatically built structure):

1st level

2nd level

3rd level

4th level

Explanation of the task position in a structure

Project A




the task does not have a parent resulting from active structure builders


Version 1.0



the parent is Project A, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met



Epic-2


the parent is Version 1.0, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is met




Story-3

The parent is Epic-2, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Epic structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is not applicable (Epic1 does not have a version specified)




Story-4

The parent is Epic-2, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Epic structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is met



Story-1


The parent is Version 1.0, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is met

  • "Epic structure builder" condition is ignored ie. version structure builder has a higher priority and Epic builder would cause a conflict (Epic-1 is not included in Version 1.0)


Version 2.0



The parent is Project A, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met



Story-5


The parent is Version 2.0, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is met

  • "Epic structure builder" condition is ignored ie. version structure builder has a higher priority and Epic builder would cause a conflict (Epic-1 is not included in Version 2.0)


Epic-1



The parent is Project A, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is not applicable (Epic-1 does not have any version specified)



Story-2


The parent is Project A, as:

  • "Project structure builder" condition is met

  • "Version structure builder" condition is not applicable (Epic-1 does not have any version specified)

  • "Epic structure builder" condition is met

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