Chart settings tab

Here, you define what data will be included into a Gantt chart.

 

Quick tip: By hovering over a label with a question mark, you can read more details regarding that particular setting. Please see an example below.

 

General

  • Name - chart’s name

  • Description - is optional

  • Start/End date - is optional. The dates define chart boundaries. In most cases, data outside this range is not visible, and chart can only be scrolled within this range.
    These dates can be left blank. In this case, app will try to determine dates based on chart tasks. But this might be inconvenient when creating a chart since task dates aren’t yet defined and chart range would be too narrow.

Scheduling options

  • Scheduling - select either Standard or Agile. In Standard scheduling planning is performed by project(s) and in Agile scheduling planning is performed by project board(s).

  • Projects/Project boards - one or multiple Jira projects or project boards to show on a chart

  • JQL filter - Jira JQL query, allows to narrow down the task selection for a chart.
    Gantt Suite attaches JQL filter to its own query. The resulting query can be viewed by clicking view generated link below the label. If JQL filter contains “OR” keyword, please wrap the query in parentheses ( ), like shown below. Otherwise, the resulting JQL will return incorrect results from Jira. Also, please note that “order by …“ clause stays out of parentheses.

In case the tasks are sorted by JQL that includes order by, the parent tasks may be located incorrectly.

  • Scheduling mode- in “By task start” mode, task end date is calculated as a sum of the task start date and task duration; in “By task end“ mode, task start date is calculated as task end date minus task duration.

We strongly recommend you to use the scheduling mode by task start as scheduling by task end may significantly slow down a chart loading.

Task options

  • Start field - defines Jira field to store task start date/time

  • End field - defines Jira field to store task end date/time

  • Deadline field - defines Jira field to store the task deadline. This field is optional.

 

Duration calculation

Duration calculation defines how task duration is calculated.
There are two options:
1) Calculated based on start and end dates only
Task duration is calculated as task end date minus task start date. Default duration of one day will be set if start or end date aren’t provided. This option requires Task start field and Task end field (see above) to be configured. Otherwise, an error will be shown.
2) Calculated based on provided estimates, otherwise based on start and end dates
Task duration equals task estimates. The task estimates come from Jira standard time tracking fields (remaining estimate, time spent, etc.). If estimates are missing, task duration will be calculated as end date minus start date.

 

  • Mode
    Defines default behaviour for tasks with children (e.g. parent tasks). The behaviour can be overridden for each task, when viewing and editing a chart. Most likely, your optimal selection is “Bottom-up“ (the default one).

    • Bottom-up - initially auto-selected task mode. In this mode, parent tasks are defined solely by their children tasks. Meaning, parent task ignores its information that is provided in Jira (e.g. start/end dates, work, etc.) and calculates itself based on data taken from children tasks. To put it simply, the parent task starts where the first child task starts, and the parent task ends where the last child task ends. The task progress and work are also calculated based on children tasks. Moving a child task outside its parent’s boundary will result in resizing the parent task. The parent itself can’t be resized.

    • Manual - the parent task duration is independent from its children tasks. In this mode, the parent task reads its estimate, progress, work, etc. from Jira rather than calculating based on children tasks. Unlike in “Bottom up“ mode, this mode allows resizing the parent tasks directly.

Screens

 

  • Screens - is a convenient feature that allows user to assign configured Jira fields to Jira project screens directly from the chart configuration, without the need to navigate to project settings.

The app will try to detect and insert screens automatically, once a project is selected. Once Add fields button is clicked, the app will add configured Jira fields (task start, task end, task deadline, resource assignment) along with Time Tracking field to populated screens.