Configuring project settings

You use the Project Settings page to specify whether tasks should be locked automatically as soon as they are completed. You may wish to do this to preserve an accurate record of work that has been done, by preventing users from changing details of tasks that have been completed. Once a task is locked, users can view details of the task on the Edit Task dialog, but they cannot edit the task's details, delete it, or move it around the whiteboard. You also use this page to specify additional information to display on tasks when the whiteboard is fully zoomed out, and to specify whether baselines of a project's pull plans should be created automatically and, if so, configure how often they are created.

The settings you specify on this page apply only to the current project, not to all projects.

To access the Project Settings page:

  1. Click Projects in the left pane. The Projects page appears.
  2. Click a project in the list. The Project Details page appears.
  3. Click Settings at the top of the page.

To specify that tasks should be locked automatically as soon as they are completed:

  1. On the Project Settings page, click the Automatically Lock Completed Tasks toggle. If you turn this toggle on, all tasks in the project that are completed are locked, and all tasks that are currently incomplete are locked as soon as they are completed.

    If you turn this toggle off, tasks in the project are no longer locked automatically when they are completed, but any tasks in the project that are currently locked remain locked.
  2. Click Save Changes.

If you need to edit a task that has been locked, you can unlock it, provided your user permissions allow you to do this.

As well as being able to lock tasks automatically as soon as they are completed, you can lock individual tasks at any time to prevent users from editing them, regardless of the amount of progress that has been recorded against them.

When the whiteboard is fully zoomed out, each task on the whiteboard appears at its smallest so that as many tasks as possible can be displayed on the screen. The name of each task is displayed. You can display one additional item of information on each task to make it easier to identify each task. You can choose one item of information to display when swimlanes represent build locations, and one item of information to display when swimlanes represent project teams.

To specify that additional information should be displayed on tasks when the whiteboard is fully zoomed out:

  1. On the Project Settings page, select the information to display in addition to the task name when swimlanes represent build locations in the When swimlanes represent Build Locations field; select 'none' to display the task name only on each task in this situation.
  2. Select the information to display in addition to the task name when swimlanes represent project teams in the When swimlanes represent Project Teams field; select 'none' to display the task name only on each task in this situation.
  3. Click Save Changes.

To specify whether baselines of a project's pull plans should be created automatically:

  1. On the Project Settings page, in the Baseline Snapshot Schedule group, click the Enabled toggle. If you turn this toggle on, baselines will be created automatically for the project's pull plans. You use the remaining fields in this group to configure when the baselines should be created.

    If you turn this toggle off, baselines are not created automatically for the project's pull plans. If you disable automatic baseline creation, you can create baselines of the project's pull plans manually by editing the details of a pull plan and clicking Create Baseline Snapshot on the Pull Plan Details page.
  2. Specify how often you want a baseline to be created - daily, weekly or monthly - in the Frequency field.
  3. If you choose to create baselines monthly, specify the day of the month on which you want them to be created in the Day of the Month field.

    If you specify that baselines should be created on the 29th, 30th or 31st of the month and the current month does not have a 29th, 30th or 31st day, baselines are created on the last day of the month, whichever day that is.
  4. If you choose to create baselines weekly, specify the day(s) of the week on which you want them to be created using the Schedule Days check boxes: select a check box to create a baseline on that day.
  5. Specify the time at which you want baselines to be created in the Time of Day field.
  6. Click Save Changes.

Once a baseline of a pull plan has been created, you can display it on the Pull Plan Whiteboard page and compare the live pull plan data against it to see what has changed since the baseline was created.

To view details of the baselines that have been created of a project's pull plans, on the Project Settings page, in the Baseline Snapshot Schedule group, click Manage Baseline Snapshots. The Manage Baseline Snapshots dialog appears. You can use this dialog to specify whether individual baselines are available to be displayed on the whiteboard, and delete any baselines that you no longer need.

Related Topics:

Working with projects

Locking tasks to prevent them from being edited or deleted

Creating baselines and comparing pull plans against them

Managing a project's baselines