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Sort by Rank and manual changes to Rank field

Sort by Rank and manual changes to Rank field

BigPicture: Sorting Tasks by Rank and Synchronizing Manual Changes

Summary

This article addresses two distinct scenarios related to task ordering in BigPicture: the application of JQL ORDER BY clauses for default sorting and the behavior of manual task reordering (drag-and-drop) in relation to the Jira "Rank" field. It clarifies current system limitations and the intended design for synchronization between the app and Jira.

Environment

  • Product: BigPicture / BigPicture Enterprise

  • Platform: Cloud

  • Module: Gantt, Box Configuration (Scope Definition)

Problem

Users have reported issues when attempting to manage task order using the Jira "Rank" field within BigPicture:

  1. JQL Sorting Not Respected: Adding ORDER BY Rank DESC to the Box scope JQL query does not consistently maintain the desired sort order on the Gantt module, especially after page refreshes or manual filtering.

  2. Manual Reordering Sync: Moving tasks manually within the BigPicture Gantt chart (drag-and-drop) does not update the "Rank" field in Jira, even when the Rank field is added as a column.

Cause

  • Use Case 1 (JQL Sorting): Currently, BigPicture's Gantt module prioritize's its own Task Structure and Sort By settings over the JQL ORDER BY clause. The app does not fully respect JQL-defined sorting in the current version.

  • Use Case 2 (Rank Synchronization): This is a design choice. BigPicture allows for independent task structures within different Boxes (even if they share the same Jira project). To prevent conflicts where one Box's manual sorting would disrupt another Box or the Jira global rank, synchronization of manual reordering back to the Jira "Rank" field is not implemented.

Solution/Workaround

Scenario 1: Default Sorting via JQL

If you are attempting to use ORDER BY in your Box JQL query (e.g., ORDER BY Rank DESC as shown below), please be aware of the current limitations.

Current Status:
A feature request exists to allow BigPicture to respect the JQL ORDER BY clause for default sorting. At this time, the order defined in JQL is often overwritten by the module's internal hierarchy and sorting settings.

Recommended Approach:
To sort tasks by a specific field, use the built-in Sort by functionality within the Gantt module:

  1. Open the Gantt module.

  2. Click on the Sort by icon in the top toolbar.

  3. Select the desired field (e.g., Rank or a custom field) and the sort direction.
    Note: Sorting is a "second tier" setting that follows the Task Structure (hierarchy) rules.

Scenario 2: Synchronizing Manual Rank Changes to Jira

When you manually drag and drop tasks to change their position within the Gantt list, these changes stay within the BigPicture Box and do not update the Jira "Rank" field.

Key Facts:

  • One-way Sync: Synchronization for the Rank field is one-way: from Jira to BigPicture.

  • Designed Behavior: Because the same Jira tasks can exist in multiple BigPicture Boxes with different structures, manual reordering in one Box does not update the global Jira Rank.

  • No Current Feature: There is no setting to enable two-way synchronization for the Rank field via drag-and-drop in BigPicture.

Alternative:
If you need to update the Jira Rank specifically, you must do so directly within Jira (e.g., on a Jira Board or Backlog). These changes will then be reflected in BigPicture upon synchronization.

Additional Resources