Meet the new BigPicture navigation
A faster, smarter, and more intuitive way to work is here. We’ve redesigned BigPicture navigation to give you a smoother experience and better access to what matters most.
→ Discover what’s new, explore key improvements, and review feature name updates on the New navigation page.
→ The rollout will happen gradually, and the previous navigation will be retired in September 2026.
Move box in box hierarchy
BMove a box in a box hierarchy (old navigation)
You can move a project box and place it under another one. This action changes the box’s position in the hierarchy and gives it a new parent.
Move a box
Go to the Overview module on the root, program, or portfolio level (depending on the location of the box you want to move)
Grab a box you want to move and drop it under a new parent. If you select a parent box, all its sub-boxes will be highlighted to indicate the boxes that will be moved together with a parent.
Change in the hierarchy - validation error
If a selected box cannot be moved under a specific parent box, you will see a validation error.
The app verifies if the new parent box's current scope settings are compatible with the sub-box and checks the box type parent settings. You must have sufficient permissions in both boxes (parent and child) to move a box.
Validation rules
The box-moving operation depends on:
Security roles
Box type configuration, you decide the possible parents of each box type. Parent box types determine how to build the box hierarchy (nest boxes) and prevent users from making mistakes and mixing methodologies.
Each box type has scope type settings (None, Own scope, Sub-scope).
Sequentiality (box type settings)
Box status (under a "closed" box, you can place only other "closed" boxes)
Security and access
You need sufficient security role permissions in both the box that is being moved and the box that will become the new parent in the hierarchy.
You have to be an Admin of the box being moved (remember, since roles are inherited, if you are an Admin in an upper-level box, you are automatically an Admin of all sub-boxes lower in the hierarchy).
The App admin has full permissions in all boxes and can perform the action.
In the new upper-level (parent) box, you must be an Admin or a sub-box creator (once again, the Admin role can be inherited from an upper-level box; the sub-box creator role is not inherited).
For example, Paul is an Admin of "ALFA" but only an Editor of "OMEGA." He will not be able to move "ALFA" and nest it under "OMEGA" - his current set of permissions is insufficient.
Parent Types
Remember to adjust possible parents for each box type. If the list of possible parents doesn't allow the change, you won't be able to move a box. Settings of a box type have to allow for a new parent relationship.
For example, Drew is an App admin, so he has full Admin access to all boxes. However, when he tries to place the "ALFA" box in "OMEGA," he can't do it. "ALFA" is an "Agile Project" box type and can't be placed under "OMEGA" (the "Program" box type).
For this move to be possible, a new parent would have to be added for the "Agile Project" box type.
Box status
Under a "Closed" parent box, you can place only other "Closed" boxes.
| parent "Not started" | parent "In progress" | parent "Closed" |
|---|---|---|---|
child "Not started" | YES | YES | NO |
child "In progress" | YES | YES | NO |
child "Closed" | YES | YES | YES |
Scope Types
In general, if moving a box would drastically impact its scope, the change will not be permitted. This means that boxes with the "Sub-scope" cannot be moved in the hierarchy, as their scope depends entirely on their parent; all work done in boxes with "Sub-scope" is intrinsically tied to the upper-level box. boxes that utilize the "Sub-scope" have to be created directly where you intend to use them.
Under boxes with "None" scope, you can place:
other boxes with "None" scope
boxes with "Own" scope
Under boxes with "Own" scope, you can place:
boxes with "None" scope
other boxes with "Own scope"
Take a look at the matrix below to see what kinds of changes are possible:
The scope type is set during box creation. It is based on the box type settings and can't be changed afterward.
For example, the "Program Increment" box type is set to have a "Sub-scope." If Jessica tries to move a "Program Increment 4" from one box to another, she will receive an error.
Sequentiality
Sequentiality settings affect same-level boxes (can potentially prevent box periods from overlapping).
Auto bottom-up and auto scope-based boxes are never sequential - they can always overlap.
Only "manual" and "auto top-down" boxes can be sequential—if set to 'sequential,' sequential boxes at the same level can't overlap.
Period mode
Box type period mode can affect if a new child box can be created with a specified start/date.
Period of a box vs period mode of its sub-boxes
boxes in an "auto bottom-up" period mode are affected by the period of their sub-boxes (regardless of a sub-box period mode).
Period of a box vs period mode of its parent
An "auto top-down" parent →
limits the period of an "auto top-down" child box
child boxes in "manual"/ "auto scope-based" period mode are not affected
"auto bottom-up" child overrides an "auto top-down" parent
Effects of the parent box period mode on a child box period are outlined in the table below.
Parent box → | box period |
|---|---|
auto bottom-up | unaffected (regardless of child period mode) |
auto scope-based | unaffected (regardless of child period mode) |
auto top-down | An "auto top-down" parent limits the period of an "auto top-down" child Period of an "auto bottom-up" child unaffected ("auto bottom-up" child has priority over an auto "top-down parent") Periods of "manual" and "auto scope-based" boxes unaffected |
manual | unaffected (regardless of child period mode) |
Bulk Move
You can use the multi-select function to move multiple boxes simultaneously. Validation is performed for each box - if any of the boxes can't be moved, the entire operation fails, and no boxes are moved. In other words, the system will either successfully move all the boxes or none at all.
For example, if Jessica creates a "Portfolio" (using a "Portfolio" box type), she will be able to place both "ALFA" and "OMEGA" boxes in it. The "Portfolio" has a "None" scope, while the "ALFA" and "OMEGA" boxes were created with the "Own" scope. She can select both and place them in the portfolio.
If any of the boxes can't be moved, the entire operation fails (no boxes will be moved), regardless of which validation check failed.
For example, the "CUSTOM" box type can't be placed under "Portfolio."
Move a box in a box hierarchy (new navigation)
You can move a project box and place it under another one. This action changes the box’s position in the hierarchy and gives it a new parent.
Move a box
Go to the Overview module and open the Main box.
Grab a box you want to move and drop it under a new parent. If you select a parent box, all its sub-boxes will be highlighted to indicate the boxes that will be moved together with a parent.
Change in the hierarchy - validation error
If a selected box cannot be moved under a specific parent box, you will see a validation error.
The app verifies whether the new parent box's current scope settings are compatible with the sub-box and checks the parent settings for the box type. You must have sufficient permissions in both boxes (parent and child) to move a box.
Validation rules
The box-moving operation depends on:
Security roles
Box type configuration, you decide the possible parents of each box type. Parent box types determine how to build the box hierarchy (nest boxes) and prevent users from making mistakes and mixing methodologies.
Each box type has scope type settings (None, Own scope, Sub-scope).
Sequentiality (box type settings)
Box status (see the Box status section on this page)
Security and access
You need sufficient security role permissions in both the box that is being moved and the box that will become the new parent in the hierarchy.
You have to be a Box Admin of the box you want to move (because roles are inherited, being an Admin in an upper-level box automatically grants you Admin status for all sub-boxes lower in the hierarchy).
The App Admin has full permissions in all boxes and can perform the action.
In the new upper-level (parent) box, you also must be a Box Admin or a Sub-box Creator (again, the Admin role can be inherited from an upper-level box; the Sub-box Creator role is not inherited).
Parent Types
Remember to adjust possible parents for each box type. If the list of possible parents doesn't allow the change, you won't be able to move a box. You need to allow for a new parent relationship in the box type settings.
For example, say you are a Box Admin of the “New mobile app” Agile project box. However, when you attempt to move that Agile box under the “New program” Program box, you receive a validation error.
For this move to be possible, you need to add Program as the new parent type in the Agile Project box type.
Box status
| parent box status: Not started | parent status: In progress | parent status: Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
child box status: Not started | YES | YES | NO |
child box status: In progress | YES | YES | NO |
child box status: Closed | YES | YES | YES |
Scope types
In general, if moving a box would drastically impact its scope, the change will not be permitted. This means that boxes with the Sub-scope cannot be moved in the hierarchy, as their scope depends entirely on their parent; all work done in boxes with Sub-scope is intrinsically tied to the upper-level box. boxes that utilize the Sub-scope have to be created directly where you intend to use them.
You can place the following box scope types under boxes with the None scope:
other boxes with the None scope
boxes with the Own scope
You can place the following box scope types under boxes with the Own scope:
boxes with the None scope
other boxes with the Own scope
Take a look at the matrix below to see what kinds of changes are possible:
The scope type is set during box creation. It is based on the box type settings and can't be changed afterward.
For example, say you have set the Program Increment box type to a Sub-scope. If you then try to move a Program Increment box from one parent box to another, you will receive an error.
Sequentiality
Sequentiality settings affect same-level boxes (which can potentially prevent box periods from overlapping).
Auto bottom-up and auto scope-based boxes are never sequential; they can overlap.
Only manual and auto top-down boxes can be sequential
Sequential boxes at the same level cannot overlap.
Period mode
Box type period mode can affect whether a new child box can be created with a specified start/date.
Period of a box vs period mode of its sub-boxes
Boxes in the auto bottom-up period mode are affected by the period of their sub-boxes (regardless of the sub-box period mode).
Period of a box vs period mode of its parent
An auto top-down parent →
limits the period of the auto top-down child box
the manual or auto scope-based child boxes are not affected
an auto bottom-up child box overrides an auto top-down parent
The effects of the parent box period mode on the child box period are outlined in the table below.
Parent Box → | New Box (child) |
|---|---|
Auto bottom-up | Unaffected (regardless of the child's period mode) |
Auto scope-based | Unaffected (regardless of the child’s period mode) |
Auto top-down |
|
Manual | Unaffected (regardless of child period mode) |
Bulk move
Just like with tasks, you can use the multi-select feature to move multiple boxes at once. Validation is performed for each box; if any box can't be moved, the entire operation fails, and no boxes are moved. In other words, the system will either successfully move all the boxes or none at all.
For example, say you created a Portfolio box using the Portfolio box type. If you want to move an Agile Project and Program boxes under a Portfolio box, you will be able to do it. That’s because the Portfolio box is the None scope box type, while the Agile and Program boxes were created with the Own scope. In such a case, you can select both and place them under the portfolio.
If you want to move multiple boxes and at least one of those boxes cannot be moved, the entire operation fails (no boxes will be moved), regardless of which validation check has failed.