BigPicture is a BigApp. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Jira add-on that offers project portfolio management in such a comprehensive way, as well as solutions for resource planning, risk management, and portfolio planning in the form of Gantt charts, boards, and roadmaps – all while being SAFe-compliant. But how can you get to know the ins and outs of such a BigApp? Lucky for us, we were invited to a BigPicture expert training, a three-day certification program hosted by SoftwarePlant, the makers of BigPicture.
Joined by three other Atlassian Solution partners, kreuzwerker learned the inner workings of SoftwarePlant’s product offering: BigPicture, BigPicture Enterprise, BigPicture Trello, BigGantt, and BigTemplate.
So, what did we learn on our journey?
Gantt
Here you have a portfolio-level overview of all your projects, regardless of whether you use Waterfall, Agile or a hybrid. From seeing the bigger picture with the mini-map to deep-diving into the finer details, the Gantt module allows you to see all of your work in one place. With features such as auto-scheduling, you can simply set your milestones, stages, and dependencies and BigPicture will do the rest. On top of that, Gantt will aggregate data and roll up values across issues, projects, and programs. For just the Gantt, look for BigGantt, SoftwarePlant’s standalone add-on for just this module.
Tip: Want even more flexibility? Artificial tasks let you group and aggregate any way you like
Resource planning
Whether you use story points or time values, the Resource Management module ensures that you can allocate resources effortlessly and make long and short-term planning with ease. This module allows you to identify any over or under-allocated resources and make necessary adjustments. Plan as detailed as you’d like by creating teams and adding skills to get a better understanding of who’s available for what task.
Tip: Already have teams set up in Tempo? There’s an integration to sync your Tempo teams with BigPicture
Boards
Whether you work in sprints or program increments, the Board module accommodates any methodology and is SAFe-compatible. It lets you see at a glance where your dependencies lie, as well as doing some quick team performance reporting with charts. Switch to the Capacity Planning view to see both team and individual capacity for even better planning at a granular level, while taking in information from your Workload, Holiday and Absence plans.
Tip: Don’t do double work: Boards can sync with your Jira team board, creating sprints for you and your team
Risk management
You can ensure that all possible risks get addressed in time with this risk registry and matrix. Risk cards are configurable, so you can choose what information is most relevant for you when making decisions. And you can see the risk consequence and probability on the issue itself, as well.
Tip: Looking to narrow in on specific risks? Use quick filters or date filters to see exactly what you need when you need it
We couldn’t possibly cover all we learned here in one blog post.
There are more modules, more configuration options, and more importantly, more features. To find out more about BigPicture and all of SoftwarePlant’s apps, feel free to reach out at atlassian@kreuzwerker.de, our Atlassian Services Team is happy to help.
Source: Irfan Simsar Unsplash