Introduction to the Portfolio Board

This article explains what the Portfolio Board is, why it matters, and when to use it compared to other views like Roadmap or List.

What is the Portfolio Board? 

The Portfolio Board is a visual tool designed to help you manage and prioritize plans across your organization. It provides a clear, configurable view of your entire portfolio of work, making it easier to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and align work with strategic goals. 

The Portfolio Board displays your portfolio as a set of columns and cards. Each column typically represents a category such as a Business Unit (for example, IT, Product Development, and Marketing). At the top of each column, you’ll see aggregated metrics like the total budget for all items in that column, helpful for quick financial insights.

How It Works

• Cards Represent Plans Within the Portfolio
  Each card corresponds to a plan in your portfolio. Cards are color-coded by status and display key details such as Benefits, Budget, Business Unit, and Prioritization Score.
  
• Progress and State Indicators
  At the bottom of each card, you’ll find a progress bar showing % Done, the number of days in the current stage, and a state indicator dot (light gray = Proposed, blue = Active, yellow = On Hold, dark gray = Closed). A speech bubble icon allows you to add comments for collaboration.
  
• Dependencies
  Lines connecting cards represent dependencies between projects or epics. The arrow direction indicates the predecessor relationship, while line color shows the type of dependency (blue = standard, red = blocker).
  
• Drag-and-Drop Updates
  Move cards between columns or lanes to quickly update plan status.
  
• Configurable Layout and Colors
  Customize your board by choosing values for columns and lanes to match your workflow. Define how cards are color-coded and what indicators represent status and priority.
  

Why Use It?

Using the Board view to analyze your Portfolio of work allows you to easily:

• Gain a quick, visual snapshot of portfolio health.
• Identify dependencies and risks early.
• Align work with strategic objectives.

The board is fully configurable, allowing you total control of the columns, color coding, dependency lines, and displayed metrics. This flexibility means you can tailor the Portfolio Board to match your organization’s workflow and priorities.

When to Use Board vs. Other Views

Use the Portfolio Board when you need a visual, interactive view of plans. For timeline-based planning, consider the Roadmap view, and for detailed data analysis, use the List view.

Next Steps

Ready to use the Portfolio Board to manage and track the status of your portfolio of work? Check out the following articles to get started: