Gantt chart Manual

Agile Parts

November 26, 2023

Contents
1 Introduction 3

2 Installation 3

3 Authenticating users 3

4 Creating a Gantt Chart 4

5 Chart settings 5

6 Updating Work Items from the Gantt Chart 6

7 Date Calculations 8
7.1 Determining the Start Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.2 Determining the Estimate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7.3 Determining the End Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
7.4 Determining the Target Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

8 Sorting of Work Items 12

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1 Introduction
The Gantt chart plugin for Azure DevOps is a tool to visualize project time-
lines and dependencies.

2 Installation
The Gantt chart plugin is available on the Azure DevOps marketplace1 . Click
the green button labeled “Get” to start the installation process.

3 Authenticating users
Users must be authenticated to use the plugin. This can be done from the
Organization settings page in Azure DevOps, which you can access from the
link at the bottom left corner.
1
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=AgileParts.gantt

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4 Creating a Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart plugin is build on top of the queries functionality in Azure
DevOps. Follow these steps to create a chart:
1. Create a query: In the Azure DevOps menu, go to ’Boards’, ’Queries’.
Click on ’New Query’.
2. Select query type: The default query type is a ’flat list of work
items’. If you want to see a hierarchical overview, select ’tree of work
items’. This will give you some extra options, where you can set the
type of tree to ’Parent/Child’.
3. Configure the filters: The query filters determine which work items
show up the chart. If, for example, you want to see all children of a
single Epic, use a hierarchical query and filter the top-level items on
the ID of the Epic work item. Run the query to verify that the result
contains the desired work items.
4. Save the query: The Gantt chart plugin works on saved queries
only. Save your query in the ’Shared Queries’ folder if you want your
colleagues to be able to view the chart.
5. Generate Gantt chart: With your query in place, navigate to the
’GANTT’ tab within the plugin. Click on it to initiate the automatic
generation of the Gantt chart. This chart will visually represent the
selected work items and their dependencies.

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5 Chart settings
The Gantt chart plugin for Azure DevOps offers a range of settings to cus-
tomize the appearance and functionality of your Gantt charts. Access these
settings by clicking the ’Settings’ button located above the chart, which opens
a settings panel on the right side of the interface.
The settings panel has two tabs: ’Visualization’ and ’Planning’. Settings
under the ’Visualization’ tab include:
• Scale Slider: Adjust the scale of the Gantt chart to display data in
days, weeks, or months.
• Annotation Dropdown: Add text annotations after the bars. Vari-
ous fields are available for annotation.
• ’Work Item Color Based On’: Select a field from the dropdown to
set the color of work items. Colors are automatically determined based
on the unique values present in the chart.
• ’Show Extra Columns’: Customize the columns that appear on the
left side of the chart by adding fields from work items. Changes made
here apply immediately to the chart.
• ’Save as Query Default’: Save the current settings for the chart,
which will be applied exclusively to the current query.
• ’Save as Organization Default’: Save the settings for all queries
within the organization. Queries with previously saved settings will
continue to use those settings, but new queries will inherit the organi-
zation’s default settings.
The following setting is available under the ’Planning’ tab:
• ’Velocity’: This numeric field serves as a multiplier for the ’Story
Points’ and ’Effort’ fields. It influences the planning process by allowing
for adjustments to these relevant numeric values.
These settings enable users to tailor their Gantt charts to their specific
project needs, enhancing visualization and planning capabilities in Azure
DevOps.

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6 Updating Work Items from the Gantt Chart
To update work items directly from the Gantt chart, follow these steps:
• Click on a work item in the Gantt chart, which will open a panel on
the right side of the interface. In this panel, you’ll find several fields
that you can modify:
– ’Starts’: This field represents the start date of the work item.
It may not necessarily match the start date set in the work item
itself, as it could be calculated. A brief description just below the
field will indicate the source of this value.
– ’Ends’: This field corresponds to the end date of the work item.
It may not necessarily match the closed date or finish date set
in the work item, as it might be calculated. A brief description
below the field will specify the source of this value.
– ’Estimate’: The estimate of the work item is calculated based
on various factors, such as ’Initial estimate,’ ’Completed work,’
’Remaining work,’ ’Effort,’ and ’Story Points.’ The specific calcu-
lations depend on the process chosen for the project and custom
project settings.
– ’Target’: This field represents the target date, indicating when a
work item must be ready at the latest. It might finish earlier, as
denoted in the ’Ends’ field. If available, it is linked to the ’Target
date’ field in the work item.
– ’Predecessors’: This is a list of work items that must be com-
pleted before this work item can start. In the work item, these
can be found under ’Related Work’, using the ’predecessor’ type.
– ’Successors’: This field lists work items that must start after
this work item is finished. In the work item, these can be found
under ’Related Work’, using the ’successor’ type.
• You can make changes to these field values in the panel. As you do so,
a red label will appear on the ’Changes’ button located in the top bar,
indicating that there are unsaved changes.
• Click on the ’Changes’ button to review a list of the modifications
you’ve made. To permanently save these changes, use the ’Save changes’
button. This action will update the work item data within Azure De-
vOps, ensuring that your project information remains up-to-date and

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 aligned with the Gantt chart.
This feature streamlines the process of managing and updating work items,
allowing for seamless integration between your Gantt chart and Azure De-
vOps project data.

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7 Date Calculations
The Azure DevOps Gantt chart plugin incorporates dynamic date calcula-
tions for work items within the chart. This feature ensures that the Gantt
chart can generate meaningful representations, even when specific date-related
fields are not explicitly filled in. The chart derives start and end dates for
work items from multiple sources, including inherent work item information,
dependencies, project hierarchy, and iteration scheduling. This approach
simplifies creating Gantt charts with minimal manual data entry while pro-
viding a reliable view of project timelines. This section will provide a detailed
explanation of the dynamic date calculation mechanism for users.
Many fields are used in the calculations. These fields may or may not be
visible on the work item details page, depending on the process (e.g. scrum
or agile) and work item type (e.g. feature, user story, or bug). Advanced users
may change which fields appear on which work item types using ’Boards’,
’Process’ in the organization settings.

7.1 Determining the Start Date

The start date in Gantt charts is a crucial aspect of project management,
and various factors influence its determination. Here’s an overview of the
criteria that impact the calculation of the start date in the Gantt chart:
1. Source Start Date: The primary source for the start date is the
’source.startDate’ value associated with the work item.
2. Children’s Start Dates: If the work item has child items, the start
date is derived from the earliest start date among its children.
3. Finished Work Items: If the progress of the work item is 100%, the
start date is determined by subtracting the estimate from the earliest
value among:
(a) The finish date of the work item, or one of the work item’s parents.
(b) The closed date of the work item, or one of the work item’s parents.
(c) The current date and time.
For example, when closing a work item with an estimate of 4 hours,
the start date will be set to 4 business hours before closure, provided
the parent does not have an earlier finish date.
4. Work In Progress: For work items with progress ranging between

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 0% and 100%, the start date is calculated based on the current date
and time minus completed work (difference between the estimate and
remaining work). In case of predecessors which are not finished, the
actual start date may be moved forward to their finish date.
5. Not Started: When progress is at 0% (or unknown), the start date is
determined by selecting the latest value from the following sources:
(a) Explicit start date of all parent work items.
(b) Explicit target date of predecessors, including predecessors of all
parent work items.
(c) Finish date of predecessors, including predecessors of all parent
work items.
(d) The first result from:
i. Start date of the current iteration.
ii. Start date of the parent work item’s iteration.
(e) The current date and time minus the remaining work.
6. Target Date Calculation: If none of the previous criteria apply,
the start date is calculated as the target date minus the estimate or
remaining work.
7. Next Business Day: In cases where no other data is available the
next business day, start of business, is used as a last resort.

7.2 Determining the Estimate

The ’Estimate’ field in Gantt charts is crucial in project planning and schedul-
ing. Its value is determined by specific criteria as follows:
1. Completed Work and Remaining Work: If both ’Completed work’
and ’Remaining work’ fields are filled in (possibly with a value of 0), the
’Estimate’ is calculated as the sum of ’Completed work’ and ’Remaining
work’.
2. Original Estimate and Remaining Work: When ’Original esti-
mate’ is filled in, the ’Estimate’ is determined as the maximum value
between ’Original estimate’ and ’Remaining work’.
3. Effort, Story Points, or Size (Multiplied by Velocity): If any of
the fields ’Effort’, ’Story Points’, or ’Size’ are filled in, the ’Estimate’ is

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 calculated by multiplying the value by the project’s velocity (from the
Gantt chart settings).

7.3 Determining the End Date

The end date signifies the date when a work item is either completed or
expected to be completed. The determination of this date follows specific
criteria:
1. Source Finish Date: The primary source for the end date is the
’Finish Date’ value associated with the work item.
2. Children’s Start Dates: If the work item has child items, the end
date is derived from the latest end date among its children.
3. Work In Progress: For work items with progress ranging between
0% and 100%, the end date is the current date plus remaining work. In
case the work items has predecessors which are not finished, the date
may be later because remaining work continues after the finish date of
the predecessors.
4. Estimate: The end date may be determined by the start date plus
estimate or remaining work.
5. Target Date: The end date may be determined by the target date.
This is especially the case when no estimates are set, e.g. planning is
done by explicitly setting start and target dates.
6. Closed Date: The end date is maximized by closed date, i.e. when
the work item is closed, the work item’s end date will not be after the
date the state was changed.
It’s important to note that the ’Finish date’ is a default field in the CMMI
process only and is not found by default in projects using the agile or scrum
process. Consequently, the end date is typically determined by factors such as
’Closed date’, ’Remaining work’, ’Target Date’, or ’Start Date’ plus estimate,
taking into account similar factors for child work items. Advanced users may
add a rule (within the ’Organization Settings’, ’Boards’, ’Process’) to set the
’Finish date’ when the state changes to a state like ’Done’ or ’Resolved’.

7.4 Determining the Target Date

The ’Target Date’ in Gantt charts represents the deadline by which a work
item should be completed. The determination of this date follows specific

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criteria:
1. Source Target Date: The primary source is the ’Target Date’ set
within the work item. This value indicates the deadline set for the
work item’s completion.
2. Successor-Based Calculation: If there are successor work items
linked to the current work item, the ’Target Date’ is determined by
selecting the earliest date among the following options for each succes-
sor:
• Successor’s Start Date: The ’Target Date’ may be determined
by the ’startDate’ of the successor work item. This suggests that
the current work item should be completed before the successor’s
start date.
• Earliest Date Among Successor’s Children: If the successor
work item has child items, the ’Target Date’ is influenced by the
earliest ’startDate’ among all of its children. This reflects the
deadline considering the entire scope of the successor work item.
• Successor’s Latest Acceptable Start Date: The ’Target Date’
may be based on the ’Latest Acceptable Start Date’ of the suc-
cessor work item. This date signifies the latest point at which the
current work item should be completed to align with the succes-
sor’s requirements.

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8 Sorting of Work Items
In Gantt charts, the arrangement and display of work items are essential
for project management and visualization. Work items are primarily sorted
based on their start dates to provide a clear timeline view of the project. The
start date serves as a foundational criterion for ordering work items, ensuring
that the sequence of activities is represented accurately.
In addition to the start date, secondary sorting is applied to maintain the
order specified in the original query. This dual sorting mechanism combines
chronological alignment with the customized arrangement of work items as
defined in the query.
When dependencies are used, the items are displayed grouped to prevent
different tracks from being displayed together.

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