SimpleScrumTools

Portfolios and projects

Project settings

The settings, phases, item types, epics and Definition of Done that shape how a project works.

Where these live

Everything on this page is on the project screen, below the Teams section. The order is Phases, Item types, Epics, Definition of Done, Import, Overrides and Settings. See Projects for the project itself and Importing a backlog for the import.

Most controls here need Manage the project on this project. Without it, you still see every list and every setting value, but the boxes, buttons and add forms are absent. Epics are one exception: they need Refine the backlog. Overrides are the other: the whole section is absent without Manage the project. See Roles and permissions.

Each list counts its rows in the section header, as 3 phases, 2 types, 5 epics and 3 active. Each add form works the same way. The button is inactive while the box is blank, and Enter submits the form.

Rename a phase, a type, an epic or a criterion

NeedsManage the project project_manage

The epic list needs Refine the backlog instead.

  1. Change the name in its box.
  2. Click another part of the screen, or press Tab.

The box saves when it loses focus. A blank box saves nothing, and a box you did not change saves nothing. When the product blocks the new name, the message appears above the list and the box keeps what you typed.

Phases

NeedsManage the project project_manage

Phases divide the backlog. Every item sits in exactly one phase. Add item on the backlog puts the new item in the phase whose tab is open. A new project starts with one phase, Phase 1, the default.

The backlog shows one tab per phase, in the order the list on the project screen shows them. See The Product Backlog. The product does not offer a way to reorder phases. The backlog tab shows a new name at once, and you rename the default phase like any other.

Add a phase

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Type the name in the box under the list.
  2. Click Add phase, or press Enter.

The blank box reads Add a phase, e.g. Launch. The new phase goes to the end of the list, and it is not the default. The backlog gains a tab for it. A name is at most 80 characters, and the product blocks a longer one with Invalid request body.

Make a phase the default

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Click Make default on the phase.

The Default pill moves to it at once, with no confirmation. Exactly one phase is the default at all times, so you can move the default but never remove it.

The default phase decides which tab the backlog opens on. It does not decide where a new item lands: Add item writes to the tab that is open. An imported row with a blank Phase cell lands in the default phase.

Remove a phase

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Click Remove on the phase.
  2. Click Remove Launch to confirm.

The first click changes the button to Remove Launch. A click anywhere else does not remove the phase. The button keeps its new label until you click Remove on another row or reload the page. The product then removes the phase for good, and the backlog loses that tab. The Remove buttons on item types and epics behave the same way.

To move an item to another phase:

  1. Open the item from the backlog.
  2. Pick another phase in the Phase select.

The Phase select needs Refine the backlog. Without it, the phase is plain text.

Item types

NeedsManage the project project_manage

A type is a label and a color, not a different kind of item. A person with Write items picks the type when they add an item, from a select in the backlog toolbar. That select carries no visible label. It sits beside Show Done and Add item, and it shows only when the project has more than one type. You cannot change the type after that, and the card and the item panel do not show it.

Every project starts with two built-in types, User Story and Task. Each row shows the name, the key in monospace and a color dot. A built-in row carries a Built-in pill, and a custom row carries Remove instead. You can rename both built-in types, and only the key is fixed. This screen offers no way to change the color of an existing type.

An import reads the type too. A row with a blank Item type cell gets the type with the key user_story, whatever its name is now. A filled cell matches a type by its name, and it ignores case, spaces and punctuation. It also matches a key, but only a key with no underscore. A cell that reads user_story matches the name User Story. After you rename that type, the product blocks the row with No item type named “user_story” in this project.

Add a custom type

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Type the name in the box under the list.
  2. If you want a color, pick one in the color box beside it.
  3. Click Add type, or press Enter.

The blank box reads Add a type, e.g. Bug report. The color box is the small swatch between the name box and Add type. It carries no visible label, and its default is gray.

The product makes the key from the name. It lowercases the name and turns each run of other characters, including spaces, punctuation and accented letters, into one underscore. It then drops everything before the first letter, drops underscores at the end, and keeps at most 32 characters. Bug report! becomes bug_report, and 2024 Bugs becomes bugs. The key never changes afterwards.

A name is at most 60 characters, and the product blocks a longer one with Invalid request body. The new type goes to the end of the list, and the backlog offers it at once.

Remove a custom type

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Click Remove on the custom type.
  2. Click Remove Bug report to confirm.

The first click changes the button. The product then removes the type for good.

Epics

NeedsRefine the backlog refine

Epics group items across phases. An item belongs to at most one epic, and an epic never decides where an item sits. Phases divide the backlog, and epics tag items. The list is alphabetical, and each row shows a color dot. This screen offers no way to change the color of an existing epic.

The Epics row in the Settings grid controls new epics. While it is off, the add form is absent, and an empty list reads Epics are turned off for this project. While it is on, an empty list reads No epics yet. Items can be grouped under one from the backlog once it exists. You can rename or remove an epic either way. Only a new epic needs the setting.

Add an epic

NeedsRefine the backlog refine

  1. Make sure the Epics row in Settings is on.
  2. Type the name in the box under the list.
  3. If you want a color, pick one in the color box beside it.
  4. Click Add epic, or press Enter.

To change the Epics row you need Manage the project. The blank box reads Add an epic, e.g. Checkout, and the color box beside it carries no visible label. A name is 1 to 80 characters, and the product blocks a longer one with Invalid request body.

What an epic does for an item

NeedsRefine the backlog refine

  1. Open the item from the backlog.
  2. Pick an epic in the Epic select on the right, or pick No epic.

The change saves at once. The item's history gains put the item in an epic or removed the item from its epic. The Epic select is absent when the Epics setting is off, and also when the project has no epics yet. It is also absent in the panel that Sprint Planning opens, so file an item from the backlog.

The backlog card does not show the epic, and the backlog does not group or filter items by epic. An import can file rows into an epic by name, through its Epic column. See Backlog items and Importing a backlog.

Remove an epic

NeedsRefine the backlog refine

  1. Click Remove on the epic.
  2. Click Remove Checkout and unfile its items to confirm.

The product never deletes an item when it removes an epic. It unfiles every item in the same step, and each one gets the history line removed the item from its epic. Each of those items also gets a new version. A panel open on one of them then gets a conflict and does not overwrite the change. The screen does not show the number of items it unfiled.

The Definition of Done

NeedsManage the project project_manage

The Definition of Done is a checklist of criteria. An item cannot reach Done until somebody checks every active criterion on it, and each check carries the name of the person who made it. A project with no criteria has a gate that does nothing. The product blocks nobody until the team writes the first line. An empty list reads No criteria yet, so nothing stands between an item and Done. The gate turns on with the first line you write.

Add or edit a criterion

NeedsManage the project project_manage

  1. Type one short line in the box under the list.
  2. Click Add criterion, or press Enter.

The blank box reads Add a criterion, e.g. Peer reviewed. The line goes to the end of the checklist and is active at once. It appears in every item's panel with a checkbox. A criterion is 1 to 200 characters, and the product blocks a longer one with Invalid request body. The product does not offer a way to reorder criteria.

You change a criterion in its box, in the same way as a phase name. The product rewrites the same criterion, so items already checked against it stay checked, and every item panel shows the new wording. The item's history keeps the old wording, because each check line records the text as it was at the time. A retired criterion is plain text, and you cannot edit it.

Retire and reinstate a criterion

NeedsManage the project project_manage

There is no Remove button. The product retires a criterion and never deletes it.

  1. Click Retire on the active line.

It moves at once, with no confirmation, to a list headed Retired, with a retired pill and a Reinstate button. That list carries the note Kept, not deleted: an item finished under one of these still shows it in its history. Retired criteria gate nothing. A retired criterion is absent from every item panel, and the product blocks a check on one with That criterion has been retired.

  1. Click Reinstate on the retired line.

The line is active again. It gates Done from that moment, and earlier checks on it count again.

What the gate does to an item

NeedsWrite items item_write

When the project has active criteria, the item panel shows a Definition of Done section. It has a count such as 2/3, one checkbox per active criterion, and the name of the person who checked each one. While any line is clear, the section says One line outstanding, so this item cannot move to Done yet. The wording for more than one line is 2 lines outstanding, so this item cannot move to Done yet.

  1. Open the item from the backlog, or from Sprint Planning.
  2. Check each criterion when the item satisfies it.
  3. Move the item to Done with the Status select.

Each check and each clear saves at once. The item's history records a check as checked off “Peer reviewed” and a clear as cleared “Peer reviewed”. A second check on a checked line keeps the first person's name.

The board offers two more routes into Done. You drag the card to the Done column, or you pick Done in the select on the card. The board opens no item panel, so check the lines from the backlog or from Sprint Planning first. See The board and the Daily Scrum.

Overrides

NeedsManage the project project_manage

The Overrides section is the one exception in the permission model: one person, one capability, on this project alone.

  1. Choose a Person.
  2. Choose a Capability.
  3. Choose an Effect, Deny or Allow.
  4. If you want one, write a Reason.
  5. Click Set override.

When the person already has an override for that capability, the button reads Replace override. Clear on a row returns the decision to the person's roles. It asks first. The row shows Ana’s roles decide “Write items” here again. A red Clear and a Keep stand beside it.

An override cannot touch Manage the organization. You cannot name yourself in an override. Every rule, every message and the organization-wide list are in Project overrides.

Settings

NeedsManage the project project_manage

The Settings section is a grid of twelve rows. Each row has a label, one line about what it does, and a control: a checkbox, a select, a number box or a time box. With Manage the project, the section reads Each row says what it does. Changes save as you make them.

Without it, the section reads How this project is configured. Changing it needs the Project capability. Each row then shows its value as text, On or Off for a checkbox. One row reads wrong there: Sprint plan soft cap shows the word weeks after its number, as 40 weeks. The number alone is the cap.

  1. Change one control.
  2. For a number box or a time box, click another part of the screen or press Tab.

A checkbox or a select saves as soon as you change it. A number box or a time box saves when it loses focus. There is no Save button and no undo. To undo a change, set the control back to its old value.

The activity feed records every change here as project.settings_updated. Each row saves on its own, so three changed rows make three entries. The feed never names the row, so those three entries read the same. The phase, type, epic and criterion lists write no activity. See The activity feed.

The grid never sends a value the product blocks. The number box saves only a whole number inside its own range, and only one that differs from the saved value. The time box saves only a time that differs from the saved value, and never an empty box. Otherwise the box keeps what you typed, nothing saves, and no message appears.

When a save fails for another reason, the section shows the message, such as You do not have permission to perform this action. A checkbox or a select then returns to the saved value, and a number box or a time box keeps what you typed.

To make the project take your value after this message:

  1. Set the row to another value.
  2. Set the row back to the value you want.

Both changes save, so the row holds the other value for a moment.

The entries below follow the grid order. Each quotes the row's one-line description first, then says what the row does. Three are the sprint defaults: Sprint length, Sprint plan soft cap and Unfinished items go to. See Sprints and Sprint planning.

The product saves and shows five rows but reads none of them. They are Size unit, Drag to reorder the backlog, Book the Sprint Review automatically, Book the Daily Scrum automatically and Daily Scrum time.

Sprint length
Whole weeks, Monday to Friday. Scrum caps a Sprint at one month. A select with 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks. The default is 2 weeks. The product reads it when it creates a sprint. An existing sprint keeps its length.
Size unit
What an estimate is counted in. Changing it does not convert existing sizes. A select with Points and Hours. The default is Points. No screen shows the unit. A size appears as a bare number everywhere.
Sprint plan soft cap

Sprint Planning warns past this. Advisory — it never blocks a plan. A number box, and the default is 40. The box holds a whole number from 1 to 999. The setting itself holds a whole number from 1 to 999999, and the box is the only control that writes it. A project already set above 999 shows that number in the box, and the box then saves nothing and shows no message.

The product copies the cap onto each sprint when it creates it, so a later change does not touch existing sprints. When the total size of a sprint is more than its cap, the sprint card turns amber and warns: Oversized: 46 against a cap of 40. The product blocks nothing.

Unfinished items go to

Where an item that misses the Sprint lands when the Sprint closes. A select with Next sprint and Backlog. The default is Next sprint. The product reads it each time a sprint closes, so a change applies to every later close. When the team has no later sprint, every unfinished item goes to the backlog, whatever this row says.

The Close sprint… dialog offers a destination for each unfinished item, from this row, and you can change any item. Its button is on an Ended sprint's expanded card on Sprint Planning, and it needs Run sprints. When you activate a sprint, by hand or by the hourly job, and that closes an earlier one, the setting alone chooses. There is no per-item choice. A Cancelled sprint always returns its unfinished items to the backlog. See Sprints.

Require a size to leave Draft
An unsized item stays a Draft and cannot be planned into a Sprint. A checkbox, off by default. When the row is on, an item with no size cannot leave Draft. The product blocks the move with This project requires a size before an item leaves Draft. It also blocks you when you clear the size on an item that already left Draft. The second half of the row's line is not true: Sprint Planning accepts a Draft item.
Drag to reorder the backlog
Off means order changes only through the item, not by dragging cards. A checkbox, on by default. Nothing reads it. Everybody with Refine the backlog can drag a card, whatever this row says.
Epics
Off hides the epic field and the grouping it drives. A checkbox, on by default. When the row is off, the add form in Epics is absent and the item panel has no Epic select. An import then skips every row with an Epic cell, with Epics are turned off for this project. Existing epics keep their items and return when the setting is on again.
Book the Sprint Review automatically
Places it on the Sprint’s final Friday when the Sprint is activated. A checkbox, on by default. Nothing reads it. The product never books a Sprint Review. See Scrum Events.
Book the Daily Scrum automatically
A daily 15-minute slot at the time below, in the team’s timezone. A checkbox, off by default. Nothing reads it, and nothing books a Daily Scrum on its own. A person with Run sprints starts one by hand with Start Daily Scrum on the board. See The board and the Daily Scrum.
Daily Scrum time
Team-local, 24-hour. The event itself is capped at 15 minutes. A time box in HH:MM. The default is 09:15. Nothing reads the time.
Assign items to individuals
Off — the Scrum Team owns the Sprint Backlog, so items are assigned to the team. Turning this on works against that. A checkbox, off by default. When the row is on, a board card shows the assignee's name when the item has one. Nothing in the product assigns an item to a person, so the row changes nothing you can see.
Show an imported system’s ID

Off — cards show the internal key, PROJ-127. Only useful after an import. A checkbox, off by default. When the row is on, the backlog, Sprint Planning, the board and the Sprint Review show an item's external id when the item has one. See Sprint Review. Otherwise they show the internal key, such as PROJ-127.

An item with no external id then cannot leave Draft. The product blocks the move with This project displays external ids, so one is required before an item leaves Draft. Only an import sets an external id. The item panel has no field for it, so an item added by hand cannot leave Draft while this row is on.