Structure.Gantt is a Structure extension, which brings planning and resource management features to structures. It adds the power of familiar Gantt charts to Jira, so you can instantly visualize issue dependencies and timelines, and understand resource allocations on a global scale.
Getting Started
Creating Your First Gantt Chart
The first step to using Structure.Gantt is to create your own Gantt charts. You can use one of our Gantt Chart templates or add a chart to an existing structure. See Creating a New Gantt Chart for a step-by-step guide to each method.
Gantt Chart Configuration
The Gantt Chart configuration defines how the chart is built, including where the chart's information comes from and what fields are used to build it.
Structure.Gantt comes with a predefined "Default" configuration, with several predefined parameters. You can begin with the default configuration and customize it as necessary, or you can create your own custom configurations. See Gantt Configuration for more details.
Gantt Chart Elements
Your Gantt chart is composed of the following elements:
- Time Scale - Allows you to quickly navigate or focus your timeline to view a specific time frame. See Gantt Chart Elements | Time Scale for more details.
- Start Date - The project start date is indicated by a green vertical dashed line. Mouse over the point at the top to see the exact date.
- Current Date - The current date/time is indicated by an orange vertical line. Mouse over the point at the top to see the exact date.
- Task Bars - Structure items are represented in the chart with bars. Clicking the task bar will show the Task Details panel, which contains information about the task's timeline and resources. See Gantt Chart Elements | Task Bars for more details.
- Groups - If an element has children in a structure, it can be shown as a Group (solid black line that extends from the earliest Start Date to the latest Finish Date of its child tasks). See Gantt Chart Elements | Groups for more details.
- Dependencies - Dependencies are displayed as arrows between task bars. Clicking the arrow will display the Dependency Properties. See Dependencies for more information.
- Critical Path - Tasks included in the critical path are highlighted in red.
- Conflicts - Scheduling conflicts are indicated by a dark red line placed on top of the task bar. To review and resolve the conflict, open the Task Details panel. See Scheduling Conflict for more information.
- Display Options - The Display Options menu allows you to select what elements should be shown in the chart. See Gantt Chart Elements | Options for more details.
- Status Bar - If there are any inconsistencies in the source data, the Gantt Info link will be shown on the right side of the Structure status bar (next to the Structure Info link
at the bottom of the screen). Click the link to see details of the inconsistencies.
Working with Gantt Charts
Adjusting Start/Finish Date, Manual and Automatic Scheduling
If you have enabled Manual Scheduling and configured fields for the Start and Finish Dates in the configuration, you can adjust them by dragging a task to the desired location. You can also adjust them by changing Jira fields, either on the issue page or right in the structure (if you have added the columns containing the date fields to your view). If you have enabled sprint planning, you can reschedule a task by dragging it from one sprint to another.
See Scheduling Tasks for more details.
Managing Dependencies
Dependencies are defined based on Issue Links. Changing dependencies creates or removes links between issues, and vice versa.
To create a Finish to Start dependency:
- Mouse over the task bar until a black circle appears to the right of the bar
- Press the circle and drag your dependency line to the task you want to link to
- If you have more than one link type set up for Finish to Start dependencies, you may be asked to select the link type you wish to create.
To create other types of dependencies, use the Link button in the toolbar.
To remove a dependency:
- Click the link arrow between two tasks to display the Dependency Properties
- Click Remove
For more information about working with and configuring dependencies, see Working with Dependencies.
Managing Resources
Structure.Gantt allows you to track resource usage on a project (or multiple projects). You can assign resources to issues using a Jira field (such as Assignee or a custom Team field) or a Structure attribute, such as a value calculated through Formulas. Once resources are configured, Structure.Gantt can display the number of hours or percentage of availability assigned to each resource at a given time.
To view your assigned resources and their usage, click the Resources button or switch Layout to "Gantt + Resources."
To assign resources to your tasks, see Resources. For additional information, see Working with Resources.