Hierarchy mode

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.

Hierarchy mode

Hierarchy mode (old navigation)

About the Hierarchy view mode

The structure of boxes in the Hierarchy mode is visualized in a column view, which shows a hierarchy of boxes and their attributes.

Overview module, root box, hierarchy mode.

Actions in the Hierarchy mode

You can carry out the following actions while in the Hierarchy mode in the Overview module:

Change box hierarchy

The hierarchy of boxes visualized in the Hierarchy mode reflects the relationships between the parent boxes and child boxes (sub-boxes). Those relationships, represented as nestings, are governed by the parent type boxes.

You can rearrange the box hierarchy by manually moving (dragging) the boxes from one place to another. This can be especially helpful when you want to quickly organize stand-alone projects into programs and portfolios.

Manage box lifecycle (context menu)

Jira/App/Box Admins can change the status of the box and archive it. This can be done by:

  • prompting the context menu under the More actions () button next to the box

  • right-clicking the box swimlane (anywhere but the box name link)

context menu with the box status options.

Manage boxes (context menu)

Jira/App/Box Admins can manage their boxes by using the same context menu to:

  • configure a box

  • edit a box

  • duplicate a box

  • archive a box

  • delete a box

In addition, they can click the Add new (+) in the upper menu to create a new box.

Open a box in the last module used

Click the box name to open it in the last module used. Alternatively, right-click and open it in a new browser window or tab to keep the screen with the box hierarchy open.

Box links highlighted.

Open a box in a specific module

Click the Open in module button and select the module from the list to launch your box in that module. Module availability depends on the box type or box configuration.

Mark a box as favorite

Open the box switcher and click the star icon next to the box name to mark it as a favorite. It will help you find the marked box easily later. The list of favorite boxes is local and not shared among other users. 

Filter the box hierarchy

Use the search and filter functionalities to narrow down the scope of visible boxes.

  • When the parent boxes do not fit the applied filter or search criteria, they are faded.

Parent boxes are slightly faded when a filter is applied.
  • If it is the child boxes that do not fit the filter or search criteria, the children will not be displayed.

when a parent box is a match, its children are hidden.

Adjust the view

Under the View options, you can adjust the layout of the column view by setting it to:

  • Compact

  • Regular

  • Wide

In addition, you can also check the Show archived boxes option to see archived boxes in the box hierarchy.

View settings in the Overview module, hierarchy mode.

Sort the boxes

Click the Sort by button to sort the boxes by:

  • Name

  • ID

  • Type

  • Status

  • Start date

  • End date

  • Leader

  • Manual (re-order boxes using a drag-and-drop mechanism).

You can switch between sorting and manual modes without losing the manual data order. 

Sort boxes by option.

Export the view

Click the Export button to export your current view to:

  • pdf (image)

  • csv

  • xlsx

Hierarchy mode (new navigation)

About the Hierarchy view mode

The structure of boxes in the Hierarchy mode is visualized in a column view, which shows a hierarchy of boxes and their attributes.

Screenshot of the Hierarchy mode in the Overview module.

Actions in the Hierarchy mode

You can carry out the following actions while in the Hierarchy mode in the Overview module:

Change box hierarchy

The hierarchy of boxes visualized in the Hierarchy mode reflects the relationships between the parent boxes and child boxes (sub-boxes). Those relationships, represented as nestings, are governed by the parent type boxes.

You can rearrange the box hierarchy by manually moving (dragging) the boxes from one place to another. This can be especially helpful when you want to quickly organize stand-alone projects into programs and portfolios.

Manage box lifecycle (context menu)

Jira/App/Box Admins can change the status of the box and archive it. This can be done by:

  • prompting the context menu under the More actions () button next to the box

  • right-clicking the box swimlane (anywhere but the box name link)

Screenshot of changing the box status in the Overview module.

Manage boxes (context menu)

Jira/App/Box Admins can manage their boxes by using the same context menu to:

  • configure a box

  • edit a box

  • duplicate a box

  • archive a box

  • delete a box

In addition, they can click Create new in the upper menu to create a new box.

Open a box in the last module used

Click the box name to open it in the last module used. Alternatively, right-click and open it in a new browser window or tab to keep the screen with the box hierarchy open.

Box links highlighted.

Open a box in a specific module

Click the Open in module button and select the module from the list to launch your box in that module. Module availability depends on the box type or box configuration.

Mark a box as favorite

Open the box switcher and click the star icon next to the box name to mark it as a favorite. It will help you find the marked box easily later. The list of favorite boxes is local and not shared among other users. 

Filter the box hierarchy

Use the search and filter functionalities to narrow down the scope of visible boxes.

  • When the parent boxes do not fit the applied filter or search criteria, they are faded.

  • If it is the child boxes that do not fit the filter or search criteria, the children will not be displayed.

Adjust the view

Under the View > Layout options, you can adjust the layout of the column view by setting it to:

  • Compact

  • Regular

  • Wide

In addition, you can also check the Show archived boxes option to see archived boxes in the box hierarchy.

Screenshot of the Layout options in the Overview module.

Sort the boxes

Click the View > Sort button to sort the boxes by:

  • Name

  • ID

  • Type

  • Status

  • Start date

  • End date

  • Leader

  • Manual (re-order boxes using a drag-and-drop mechanism).

You can switch between sorting and manual modes without losing the manual data order. 

Screenshot of the Sort options in the Overview module.

Export the view

Click the Export button to export your current view to:

  • pdf (image)

  • csv

  • xlsx

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