In this section, you can determine how periods of new tasks added to the scope react to other changes (e.g., task dependencies or parent/child relationship in the task structure) and align your tasks with the start/end dates of created Boxes.

Security and Access

• Only a user with a minimum Box admin security role can access and change the Box configuration.

Configuration

• You can set the period mode for each Box in Box Configuration > Tasks > Scheduling. To access this page, you need the Box Administrator security role.

You can set the default period mode when you create a new Box by configuring a Box type in App administration > Box types. You need an App admin security role to access the Box type configuration.

• The period mode can synchronize with Jira using a custom field - Select List (single choice) type, created during the installation. You can add this field to issue screens and change the period mode by editing the issue without opening the App.

Period mode

The period mode applies to newly created tasks only. A newly created task is added to the scope of a Box for the first time. If the task is already within the scope of any Box, its period mode will not be overwritten.

There are different ways to add tasks that will be treated as new. These include:

• using the '+' (add task) button in different modules,
• changing the Box scope - for example, adding a new filter to the automatic rules,
• updating the task to fit within the Box scope definition - for example, moving the task to a project added to the Box scope.

Note: Versions and Sprints are always created as auto top-down to prevent them from being automatically rescheduled upon creation. This behavior occurs regardless of the default period mode set.

We recommend using the 'Manual' period mode to assure that your task will not be automatically rescheduled based on the configuration of structure builders and dependencies. You can always enable the automation at any time, but you might not revert changes easily.

For example, all tasks are in the auto bottom-up period mode, and the manual mode is set for newly added tasks - OA-135: 

Task period alignment

You can adjust the start and end dates of the task assigned to a Box (or sub-Box) so that they start and finish within the Box period. Switching to 'Precise alignment' or 'Smart adjustment' will reschedule all the tasks already assigned to those Boxes.

This configuration applies to the particular Box and not to its sub-Boxes. If you want to align tasks only on, for example, the Iteration level: use the option - 'Set alignment on lower levels' described below.

Please note that this sync mechanism is:

• unidirectional: planning tasks when using Boxes (for example, Program Increments or Iterations) updates the tasks to fit within the Box duration. However, updating the task date estimates does not add a task to the Box;
• single-shot operation: a task period is always updated once the task is planned for a Box (e.g., using Board module), but if you adjust the task period once it is planned for a box (e.g., on the Gantt module), the App will not validate the adjustment even if the new period would not fit the Box period.

The above-mentioned update of the task period will be adequately executed only if all task scheduling rules (parent-child relation, period mode, inward dependency, etc.) allow the operation to be executed. E.g., if a Story has a parent task in the task structure with the Locked mode set, the App may not update the Story period if it exceeds the parent period after the update. 

Note: Once a task period is rescheduled, it may trigger a rescheduling of related tasks (either linked tasks or parent/children in the task structure).

Set alignment on lower levels

This configuration applies to the sub-Boxes, and you can set the alignment for two levels of sub-Boxes.  For example, PI Planning Program-type Box consists of Program increment sub-Boxes, consisting of Iteration sub-Boxes.

Task scheduling options

To learn more, go to Task period alignment.

To update the date estimates at the task level, use the Precise alignment or Smart adjustment.

 The two Iterations have different task alignment settings:

• Iteration 1 has the alignment set to 'Precise alignment.' In this case, when a task is added to Iteration 1 using the Board module or by editing the synchronized field, the App will update the task date estimates so that it starts on the first working day of the Iteration period (23rd) and end on the last working day of the Iteration period (9th). The App will change the duration of the tasks to match the Iteration period.
• Iteration 2 had the alignment set to "Smart adjustment." In this case, the task duration will remain unchanged unless it exceeds the duration of the timebox. Other applicable rules are described in task period alignment (smart adjustment section of the document).