To start working in BigPicture, you need to create a box and add tasks to this box.
It is not required for tasks to have the start and end dates defined:
Tasks have dates if the “Start Date” and “End Date” fields are set in Jira and the field mapping is configured. For more information, refer to the field mapping article.
Tasks without dates (the “Start Date” and “End Date” fields are not set in Jira) can be also added to a box in BigPicture (from the 8.19 version of BigPicture).
Add dates to tasks without dates in BigPicture
There are multiple ways to add dates to tasks without dates. You can add both dates (“Start Date” and “End Date”) or only one of them. A task with one date is semi-transparent as presented below:
No “Start Date”:
No “End Date”:
Hover the mouse cursor over a task on the Gantt timeline and click the “+” icon to add dates to a task.
Edit the “Start Date” and “End Date” fields in the column view (make sure that these columns are added to the current column view).
Edit the “Start Date” and “End Date” fields in the column view (make sure that these columns are added to the current column view).
Right-click “Edit” to add dates to a task in the card view.
For iterations with precise alignment, move a task to such an iteration (dates to a task are added automatically based on dates for an iteration).
Unscheduled tasks are visible in the sidebar on the right. Drag tasks onto the grid or double-click to edit the dates.
Right-click “Edit” to add dates to a task in the card view.
Delete dates from tasks in BigPicture
You can delete dates from tasks. As a result, such tasks (without dates) disappear from the Gantt timeline, the Resources module, and the Calendar module.
Edit dates of tasks in BigPicture
Apart from modifying the “Start Date” and “End Date” fields of a task in Jira, you can change dates by the following actions in BigPicture:
Edit dates:
in the column view
in the card view (Board and Risks modules)
Move a task:
on the Gantt timeline
in the Resources module
in the Calendar module
Inline edit dates:
in the Gantt module
in the Resources module
Changes in dates caused by other mechanisms
Scheduling
Tasks without dates and tasks where dates have been deleted are excluded from the scheduling mechanism (are considered locked tasks).
Tasks with one date (“Start Date” or “End Date”) are included in the scheduling mechanism.
Auto bottom-up mode
A task without dates in the scheduling mode set to auto bottom-up can get dates when dates for children tasks are added.
A task with dates in the scheduling mode set to auto bottom-up can lose dates when dates for children tasks are deleted.
“Start Date” or “End Date” set to estimate
If dates are calculated based on an estimate:
Setting the “Start Date” or “End Date” to a task results in calculating the other date automatically.
Deleting the “Start Date” or “End Date” of a task results in deleting the other date automatically.
Auto top-down and Locked modes
Tasks in the scheduling mode set to auto top-down or locked can modify the dates of their children.
Task period alignment
When the task period alignment of a sub-scope is set to precise alignment, after adding a task to such a sub-box, the dates of a sub-box are assigned to a task automatically.
Conversion to milestones
Constraints
Overdue tasks
Tasks that have start and end dates
Tasks that have only an end date (the task is semi-transparent)
The overdue tasks feature does NOT work for:
Tasks without start and end dates
Tasks with a start date, but no end date
Critical path
tasks with start and end dates
tasks with one date (either start or end date)
When many tasks are linked by dependencies on the critical path, and one of the tasks loses start and end dates, the critical path may be disrupted. Once the task has dates assigned again, the critical path will appear.
