Working with Elements in Gantt Planning Views

After creating a Gantt view, Planners with the correct rights can create elements directly in the view, move elements to reflect different project start and end dates, and filter and sort the sections of the Gantt to better organize the view.

An element does not display in the Gantt view if any of the following are true:

  • The element has neither a start nor an end date. The Gantt can be configured to view by either the start and end date in the element or date metrics in the element.
  • The element's start date is after the Gantt's end date or the element's end date is before the Gantt's start date.
  • The element does not contain the metric selected for the Gantt's vertical axis.
  • You do not have the security assignments to access the element.

As you make changes to element details in the Gantt view and the Canvas view, including changes to dates, titles, links, and metric values, you can revert your changes by clicking Undo Icon in the top right corner of the view header. The undo functionality does not apply when you delete an element or component such as a planning view. The undo icon is disabled if the change cannot be undone.

Note:  Undoing changes is available in the view (Gantt or Canvas) that currently displays. If you navigate away from the view, undo resets to only undo the changes in that view. For example, if you modify dates on an element in the Canvas view, and then display a Gantt view, you can no longer undo the date change made within the Canvas view.

Changing Planning Element Dates in Gantt Views

Planners who are assigned as the element's Team Leader, or Process Managers with Manage Process rights can change the element's start and end dates by dragging the element.

If a calculated metric defines the project start date, end date, or both, you cannot change the date by dragging the element. For example, if the calculated metric defines the start date, you can drag the end date, but you cannot drag the entire element.

To change an element's start or end dates by dragging in the view:

  1. From the Planning menu, select Planning Board.
  1. Create a view or display a saved Gantt view.
  2. Point to the left or right end of the element.
  3. When the cursor changes to Two Point Cursor Icon, click and drag the end of the element to a new start or end date.

Important! If you change a date on an element that results in violation of a relationship link or dependency, the system alerts you that there is a conflict with the relationship. You can select to break the relationship before continuing with the date change, or change the date even though there is a conflict.

If you choose to ignore the relationship conflict, the conflict status is indicated by the Warning Icon icon displayed next to the element's name within the view. Clicking on the icon will open a dialog that displays the details and options for resolving the conflict.

You can also change an element's start and dates by moving the entire element to a new location (see below) or by hovering over the element and clicking Menu Icon to change the element's details. If the Lock dates when moving spans option is set for the Gantt view, you can only change the element's dates through the element details. See Entering Planning Element Details, Metrics, and Matrix Values.

Moving Elements in Gantt Views

Note:  Only the element's Team Leader, or a Process Manager with Manage Process rights can move an element in a Gantt view. Use the Lock dates when moving spans option in the Gantt view settings if you plan to move elements between sections, but do not want to change the element dates.

You can change the values of list metrics, date metrics, start dates, and end dates in an element by dragging the element to a different location within the Gantt or by hovering over the element and clicking Menu Icon to change the element's details.

Using drag and drop, you can do the following:

  • If the Gantt view's vertical axis is set to a metric, drag and drop an element to a different metric section in the Gantt to change the metric value for the element.
  • In any Gantt view, drag and drop an element to a different point on the Gantt timeline to change the start date and end date. You can also expand an element that represents a span of time to change the duration.
  • In any Gantt view, drag and drop an element to a different position on the same line as other elements within the Gantt. For example, you could have multiple elements that show different projects for the same effort, or attributes tied to a single project that have with different metric values.
    • You can move elements next to one another on the same row; however, you cannot stack elements on top of each other.
    • Milestones and phases that extend past an element's start or end dates may overlap another element in the same row.
    • If dates change for an element outside of the view, when you open the view, the element displays in a new row in the appropriate position within the row.

Filtering and Sorting Sections

After you have defined a Gantt view and the view is displayed, you can filter the sections within the view without having to redefine the view criteria. Using filters allows you to remove the sections that contain no data so you can focus the view to only the items you want to see. In addition, you can rearrange the sections within the Gantt so they display in an order that is most meaningful to you within the view.

To reorder the sections within a Gantt view:

  1. From the Planning menu, select Planning Board.
  1. Create a view or display a saved Gantt view.
  2. Click and drag the section to the new location.
  3. Click Save in the top right corner of the view to save your changes to the view.

To filter the sections within a Gantt view:

  1. From the Planning menu, select Planning Board.
  1. Create a view or display a saved Gantt view.
  2. Click Gears Icon next to the view name to open the Edit Gantt Settings dialog.
  3. Click Filter Icon next to the Row field to select the filters to apply to the view.
  4. Click Create to display a new view, or Refresh View to apply the changes and refresh an existing view.

  5. Click Save in the top right corner of the view to save your changes to the view.

Notes:   

  • Hovering over an element's gate or milestone icons will display the project name, gate or metric name, and the date. These metrics can be changed by hovering over the element and clicking Menu Icon to change the element's details.
  • In a Gantt or composite Gantt view, the In Trouble Icon icon displayed on the element indicates a project that is flagged as In Trouble.
  • In a hierarchy Gantt view, if you move a parent section, the child sections of that parent move with it. You can move child sections within their parent; however, you cannot move a child section to a different parent.
  • In a hierarchy Gantt view, you cannot change an element's type by dragging it in the Gantt, nor can you drag an element to a child section or to a different parent within the Gantt.
  • The Gantt view is part of Accolade Roadmapping, an optional Accolade component that you may not have access to. To implement this solution, contact Sopheon Customer Support.