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Planning

Planning

Owned by Wissal Ouerghi
Last updated: yesterday at 2:26 pm
9 min read

The planning module will be available on February 23rd 2025

Please read carefully this documentation before activating the feature.

 

The Planning module is a powerful feature that allows users to efficiently schedule and manage workplans within the system. It provides an organized way to allocate tasks, visualize workplans, and ensure proper time planning across teams. Each user can then convert the workplan to a worklog.

 

By default, the Planning module is disabled upon installation. Only users with Jira Administrator role can enable this feature and configure its settings.

Access and Activation

Who Can Enable Planning?

  • Only Jira Administrators or users with Administrator permissions can activate the Planning module.

  • Regular users can only view or interact with planning features once the feature is enabled and permissions given.

How to Enable the Planning Module

Follow these steps to activate the Planning Module in Timesheet Cloud:

  1. Open the Navigation Menu :

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  1. Navigate to the Administration section :

    • From the dropdown menu, select Administration.

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  1. Navigate to the Capabilities Section:

    • Then, select Capabilities to view the available features.

  1. Locate the Planning Features Section:

    • Scroll down to find the Planning Features section.

    • Toggle the switch to enable Planning Features.

    • Optionally, check the box to allow the creation of recurring workplans with no end date (this will impact report generation, All Time reportings will not be possible)

  1. Enable the Planning Feature:

  2. Once activated, the Planning module will become available in the Timesheet Tracking for Jira menu.Starting from this point, you need to manage permissions to make it available and can be used for end users.

If the Planning module is deactivated after a first activation, all existing planning data and associated permissions remain unchanged. Users will no longer have access to the Planning interface, but previously configured workplans and permissions will be preserved.

Permissions for planning feature allow administrators to control user access and define who can manage workplans by project. This section provides a step-by-step guide to configuring permissions effectively.

Accessing the Permissions Configuration

Step 1: Open Jira Settings

  1. Select Settings from the dropdown.

  1. In the Jira settings section, click on Issues.

Step 2: Navigate to Permission Schemes

  1. On the Issues page, scroll down to the left-side menu and click on Permission Schemes to access the list of available permission settings.

Step 3: Select the Relevant Permission Scheme

  1. Locate the Default Software Scheme or any other relevant scheme associated with the project and click on Permissions to modify the access rights.

Step 4: Assign Permissions for Workplans

  1. In the Time Tracking Permissions section, find the relevant permissions:

  • Manage All Workplans → Grants the ability to manage all workplans of the projects having the selected permissions scheme. By managing, it meant : Creation, Modification and deletion of workplans

  • Manage Own Workplans → Allows users to manage only their own workplans for projects applying the selected permissions scheme.

  1. Click Update next to the permission you want to modify.

Step 5: Assign Roles to Permissions

  1. A pop-up window will appear showing different role options for granting permission.

  2. Choose from the following options:

  • Project Role: Assigns permissions based on project roles such as Administrator or Developer.

  • Application Access: Grants access to users with a specific Jira application access level.

  • Group: Assigns permissions to a predefined Jira group.

  • Any Logged-in User: Grants access to all authenticated users.

  • Single User: Grants permission to a specific individual.

  • Project Lead: Allows only the project lead to manage workplans.

  1. Once the desired roles are selected, click Update to save changes.

Step 6: Validate Permissions in the Planning Module

  1. Return to the Planning Module in Timesheet Cloud.

  2. Have different users test their access to verify that permissions are correctly applied.

  3. If issues arise, revisit the Permission Schemes to adjust access rights.

 

Overview of the Planning Module

The Planning module provides a structured view of planned work, helping users manage tasks, optimize workload distribution, and track scheduled activities. This module is designed for efficient work planning and team collaboration.

The Planning module consists of several key sections:

  • Filters and Search Panel for the suggested issues (left side)

  • Accessing the Filtering and Search Bar (top-center)

  • Actions & Controls (top-right buttons)

  • Planning Table (center)

1. Filters and Search Panel

The Filters and Search Panel is located on the left side of the Planning module and allows users to efficiently refine their planning view. By default, we bring Last viewed issues by the connected user. But to make the suggestion list more accurate, the user may refine the suggestion issue list :

Available Filters

  • Assigned to me: Displays only the issues assigned to the current user.

  • Not resolved: Shows only unresolved tasks.

  • Search projects: Allows filtering based on specific Jira projects.

  • Search filters: Enables users to apply predefined Jira filters to narrow down the displayed results.

  • Order by: Users can sort tasks/issues based on different criteria such as Created Date, Updated Date, last viewed , amongst others

How to Use Filters

  1. Click on the filter panel to expand the options.

  2. Select the desired filters (Assigned to me, Not resolved).

  3. Use the search fields to refine results by project or custom filters.

  4. Adjust sorting using the Order by dropdown.

Using these filters, users can quickly locate the relevant issues where they have more chance to plan work on it in the upcoming hours or days.

Creating a Workplan Using the "+" Button

The "+" button located next to each issue on the left panel allows users to easily create a workplan. The process slightly varies depending on the user's permissions:

Case 1: Manage All Workplans Permission

If the user has Manage All Workplans permission, they can:

  • Select any user from the Author dropdown.

  • Create a workplan for themselves or any other team member.

  • Edit or delete existing workplans for all users.

This provides maximum flexibility for project managers and team leads who need to organize work across the entire team.

 

Case 2: Manage Own Workplans Permission

If the user only has Manage Own Workplans permission, the following restrictions apply:

  • The Author field is automatically filled with their own name and is not editable.

  • They can only create workplans for themselves.

  • Editing and deleting are only possible for their own workplans.

These limitations ensure that the user can only manage their own tasks without affecting other team members' work.

 

2. Accessing the Filtering and Search Bar

The filtering and search functionalities are available at the top of the Planning View, enabling users to refine displayed workplans dynamically.

There are three main filtering components:

  • Time Range Selector

  • Search by Filters

  • Search by Projects

3. Actions & Controls

Located at the top-right of the module, users have access to:

  • Plan work: Opens a dialog to create a new workplan entry. Here you need to select an issue before proceeding to the workplan

  • Export: Allows data extraction for reporting on CSV or Excel. The formats can be adjusted on the preferences section

  • Columns: Customizes the visible fields in the table.

  • Reset: Restores default table settings.

 

4. Planning Table

This is the main grid displaying all planned work depeding on the filters explained in the previous section and permissions. Key columns include:

  • Issue: Displays linked Jira issues.

  • Type: Categorizes work items (Normal or reccurent).

  • Work Description: Contains additional details about the task.

  • Creator : Identifies who created the workplan

  • Author: Identifies who is responsible of the workplan. So it is the user that have to perform the task. And convert it later to a worklog

  • Date planned : Indicates the scheduled date and time for the workplan.

  • Actions: Options edit or delete the workplan and convert to a worklog. These options apply the permissions explained above

Key Functionalities:

  • Column Customization: Users can modify which columns are visible using the Columns button.

  • Inline Editing: Certain fields can be updated directly from the table.

  • Bulk Actions: Users can select multiple workplans to edit or delete in bulk or convert to worklogs.

Planning Work through the Calendar

Timesheet Cloud allows users to create workplans directly from the calendar view. This feature provides a seamless way to organize work by adding workplans.

  1. Navigate to the Calendar tab in Timesheet Cloud.

  2. Ensure you are in My Calendar view.

1. Adding a Workplan from the Calendar

Step 1: Click on a Time Slot

  1. Click on the "+" (plus) button next to a specific date or time slot , or drag and drop the issue in the specific date.

  2. A New Workplan creation window will appear.

Step 2: Define Workplan Details

  1. Enter the following details:

    • Issue or Task Name: Link to an existing Jira issue or create a new entry.

    • Start Time: Specify when the workplan will take place.

    • Work Description: Add a short note about the planned work.

    • Assignee: Select the relevant user responsible.

Step 3: Save and Confirm

  1. Click Save to add the workplan.

  2. The planned work will now appear in the calendar under the selected date.

2. Manage Existing Workplans

  1. Click on an existing Workplan to open the context menu.

  2. Choose from the following options:

    • Convert: Transform the Workplan into a Worklog entry.

    • Edit: Modify details such as time, issue, or description.

    • Delete: Remove the Workplan from the calendar.

  3. Confirm the action and save changes if needed.

This video provides a step-by-step illustration of all these details.