The Project Structure view allows the Project Manager/Product Owner to define not only the teams but also the roadmap of the Product Backlog or, more precisely, the different dates for the deliverables.
This involves defining the different releases of the project Backlog and then breaking them up into iterations (or creating the iterations and grouping them by Release).
Regardless of the selected tab, the project’s main information is displayed on the left-hand side of the view along with all the key information regarding the selected project.
The panel can be displayed or hidden using the following buttons:
The following project Key Facts are provided:
Epics | Indicates the number of completed Epics as opposed to the total number of Epics for the selected project. |
Iterations | Indicates the number of completed Iterations as opposed to the total number of Iterations for the selected project. |
Releases | Indicates the number of completed Releases as opposed to the total number of Releases for the selected project. |
Epics, Iterations, and Releases can be created in the Project Structure full screen view.
The project progress indicators are then displayed:
Project Backlog Items | Provides the % Completed, the corresponding progress bar, the number of Completed Backlog Items, and the total number of Backlog Items. | |
Project Story Points | Provides the % Completed, the corresponding progress bar, the number of completed Story Points, and the total number of Story Points. |
In the How’s the project doing? section, the user will find the following information: Remaining Issues & Defects, Defect Removal Efficiency, Average Velocity, Cycle Time, and the Projected Finish Date.
The bottom of the panel provides the following links:
Advanced Attributes | Opens the Agile Advanced Attributes popup. |
Project Team | Opens the Project Administration dialog box, Team folder. This link is only available when the Teams tab is selected. |
The Iterations tab provides a spreadsheet that lists all the project’s Iterations.
The following attributes for the Iterations are displayed: #, Name, Start Date, Finish Date, Budget Points, Assigned Points, Baseline Points, Workflow State Vote, Release, and Team.
If a Team is assigned to an Iteration, the Team Manager will automatically be set as the Iteration Owner, and the Budget Points field will be automatically filled in with the Team Budget Points.
Keep in mind that two Iterations attached to the same Team (or with no Team) cannot be started at the same time. In other words, assigning Iterations to different teams is the only way to have several current Iterations.
The following commands are available:
New | Displays the Iteration dialog box, enabling the user to enter information regarding the iteration. Upon creating a new Iteration, the Iteration Start date will be automatically set to the Monday following the nearest Finish date of the other Iterations. | |
Delete | Allows the user to delete the selected Iteration(s). Only available if at least one Iteration has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). | |
Planning of Iterations | Displays a calendar with the Iterations. | |
Import from Gantt | Allows the user to create Iterations from Gantt Tasks. Only Tasks that are not already linked to an Agile object are available for selection. | |
Update from Gantt | Allows the user to Synchronize the Iteration Start and Finish dates with the corresponding Gantt Task dates. Only available if at least one Iteration has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). | |
Menu | Provides access to the following commands:
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Upon creating a new iteration, the # field will be automatically filled in. The user can then modify it if he/she wishes to do so.
The Releases tab provides a spreadsheet that lists all the project's Releases.
The following attributes for the Releases are displayed: Name, Target Start, Target Finish, Current Start, Current Finish, Owner, and Workflow State Vote.
The following commands are available:
New | Displays the Release dialog box, enabling the user to enter the information for the Release. | |
Delete | Allows the user to delete the selected Release(s). Only available if at least one Release has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). | |
Planning of Releases | Displays a calendar with the Releases. | |
Import from Gantt | Allows the user to create Releases from Gantt Tasks. Only Milestones that are not already linked to an Agile object will be available for Import. | |
Update from Gantt | Allows the user to Synchronize the Release Start and Finish dates with the corresponding Gantt Task dates. Only available if at least one Release has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). | |
Edit | Displays the Release dialog box for the corresponding release. The button for each Release is located in the rightmost column of the spreadsheet. |
Stories may sometimes be very detailed user cases. Subsequently, it might be difficult to get a feel for the progress of the modules or functions of the final product from them.
Epics are hierarchical objects (such as Project tasks within a WBS) that will help the Project Manager/Scrum Master break down the Product into the different components to which Backlog Items can then be attached.
The Epics tab spreadsheet displays the main Epic attributes: Name, Owner, Priority, Target Start, Target Finish, Current Start Date, Current Finish Date, and Workflow State Vote.
The following commands are available:
New | Displays the Epic dialog box, enabling the user to create a new Epic. | |
Delete | Allows the user to delete the selected Epic(s). Only available if at least one Epic has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). | |
Indent | Allows the user to move the Epic to one level lower in the hierarchy. | |
Outdent | Allows the user to move the Epic to one level higher in the hierarchy. | |
Move Up | Allows the user to move the Epic up in the list. | |
Move Down | Allows the user to move the Epic down in the list. | |
Insert After | Allows the user to insert an Epic after the currently selected one, at the same hierarchical level. | |
Insert Before | Allows the user to insert an Epic before the currently selected one, at the same hierarchical level. | |
View Epic Tree | Displays the Epic Tree popup. This shows the hierarchical objects that will help the Project Manager/Scrum Master break down the Product into the different components to which Backlog Items can be attached. | |
Edit | Displays the Epic dialog box. |
The Teams tab gives the user the opportunity to create various teams and assign resources to them. When using this capability, please note that:
The Default Budget Point of each resource is automatically fulfilled in the Budget Points field when the user imports Team Members into an Iteration in the Iteration Details view.
Each Iteration can then be assigned to a Team.
Keep in mind that two iterations attached to the same Team (or with no Team) cannot be started at the same time. In other words, assigning Iterations to different teams is the only way to have several current Iterations.
The Teams tab is split into two sections:
The Teams List on the left-hand side, and
The Team Details on the right-hand side.
The Teams List section comes with a toolbar with the following commands:
Team cards display the following information: the Team Name and the Budget Points.
The Team Details view allows the user to enter information into or edit the fields for the Name, Description, and Manager of the Team.
Below these three fields, the Team Members spreadsheet lists all the users belonging to the current Team, with their corresponding Default Budget Points.
When accessing the view for the first time, the following options to add Team Members are available:
Create Team from Scratch | Allows the user to add new Team Member(s) to the current Team. Note The prompted User list displays users who belong to the Project Team. |
Import the Project Team | Allows the user to import the users from the Project Team. This option is only available when the “Import from Assignments” option is not available. |
When at least one Team Member is defined, the following commands are available to manage the Team:
New | Allows the user to add a new Team Member to the current Team. Note The prompted User list displays users who belong to the Project Team. | |
Delete | Allows the user to delete the selected Team Members. This command is only available if at least one Team Member has been selected (i.e., the corresponding checkbox is ticked). |
A resource can be assigned to several Teams.