Configuring the Portfolio Board

Create a New Plan

Click to create a new plan in your Portfolio directly from the board.

If you create a new plan from the board view, it may not display on the board immediately, as the new plan will likely not fit into the board view configuration.

If you would like to view the new plan on the board, you need to go to the Portfolio List view, locate the new plan, and update the plan information so it fits into the columns and lanes of the board.

Set Board Columns

Use Columns to group plans visually.

Use the Column menu to select the plan field want to use for the columns in the board. For example, I will click on the Column menu, and select Goals from the drop-down. Now the Goals plan field will be used for the columns in the board.

Add Lanes to the Board

Use Lanes for an extra layer of organization.

Select the plan field want to use for the lanes in the board. For example, I will click on the Lanes menu, and select Program from the drop-down. Now the board will have swim lanes to group the cards by the Program they belong to.

Color-Code Cards

Use Color By to make status stand out.

Use the Color By menu to select the plan field want to use to color-code the cards on the board. For example, I will click on the Color By menu, and select Process Step. Now the cards on the board will be color-coded by the project or epic's current process step.

Show Column Totals

Use Totals to display aggregated values at the top of each column.

Use the Totals menu to select the plan field want to use as the column totals. For example, I will click on the Totals menu, and select Benefits from the drop-down. Now the column total value is a sum of the Benefits values of all of the projects and epics in the column.

Choose Plan Types

Use the Plan Type menu to decide which types of plans appear as cards.

For example, I will click on the Plan Types menu, and in the drop-down, you can see that I could display Portfolios, Programs, Projects, and Epics. These are the different plan types that are available in the My Portfolio area currently. Here I will select Projects and Epics. This means that all of the cards on the board represent a project or epic from my portfolio of work.

Apply Filters

Use Filter to select plan fields to use as filters to limit the number of items that appear in the board.

For example, I might set a filter on the Status field, and only load in projects and epics with a Status of On Track.

In the screenshot below, you can see the board with the Status > On Track filter applied. Notice that the Filter icon is highlighted blue. This means that there is a filter applied. To remove the filters, simply click on the Filter icon, then select Clear Filters (the first option in the Filter drop-down). This will remove all filters.

Adjust Card Size

Use Zoom to select the size of the cards on the board. Options here include Small, Medium, and Large (default).

• Small cards look like this:

  

• Medium cards look like this:

  

• Large cards look like this:

  

Set Constraints

Run quick “what-if” scenarios by setting constraints.

The constraints are based on the value you selected for the Totals. So, in the example I've been using throughout this article, the Totals, and thus the Constraints, are based on the Benefits values of the projects and epics in the board. To set constraints in the board:

1. Click Constraints , the Edit [Selected Totals] Constraints form will open.

2. Select the Constraint Goal. Options include None, Above Constraint, or Below Constraint. Because in this example I am working with Benefits as my Total values, I want to be above the constraint value I will set, as more benefits from projects and epics = more money for the organization. So, I will select Above Constraint.

3. Set the constraint values for each column. Again, I am working with Benefits in this example. So for each column, I want to set the minimum benefits I want to see from all of the projects and epics in a column. To set these constraint values, click into the Constraint field for each column, and enter the desired value.

   

4. Once the constraints are all set, click Save. Now, when you hover over the column title, you can view the column Total value compared to the column Constraint value to see if you are hitting your goals.

   

    

Customize Card Fields

Use Fields to select the plan fields you would like displayed on the cards on the board.

Out of the box, the Benefits, Budget, Business Unit, and Prioritization Score fields are displayed on the cards.

For this example, I will also add the Funding Available and Overall Health fields to the cards. To do this, click Fields , then select the desired fields (Funding Available and Overall Health) from the drop-down. The data from the selected fields will now be displayed on the cards on the board.