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Understanding the Plan Hierarchy

A typical multi-level setup looks like this: diagram The Plans Gantt widget displays Polarion Plans as first-class task bars. By configuring the Load Children parameter and Work Item Types Configuration, you control how many levels of the hierarchy are visible.

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Step 1: Configure the Plans Dataset

Open Widget Parameters > Plans Dataset and set up a dataset filter to select the top-level plans. For example, filter by template to show only Release plans:
  • Set the Plans dataset to show plans with Template: Release
This defines the first level of the hierarchy.

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Step 2: Set the Load Children Depth

Navigate to Widget Parameters > Load Children and set the number of sub-plan levels to load:
Load Children ValueLevels Displayed
0Top-level plans only (e.g., Releases)
1Top-level + one child level (e.g., Releases + Iterations)
2Top-level + two child levels (e.g., Releases + Iterations + Sub-iterations)
3Three levels of nested plans plus work items
For a typical Release > Iteration > Work Package structure, set Load Children to 2 or 3.

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Step 3: Configure Plan Types

In the Plan Types Configurations section of the widget parameters, define which plan template types you use and their hierarchy:
  1. Add each plan type (e.g., Release, Iteration)
  2. For each child type, specify which plan types are allowed as parents
  3. Plans do not use dependency link roles — only parent-child relationships apply

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Step 4: Enable Work Items Under Plans

To show work items beneath their parent plans, scroll to the Show Plan Work Item section:
  1. Set Enable Show Items to Yes
  2. Configure the Data Mapping fields:
    • Start Field — the work item field used for task start dates
    • End Field — the work item field used for task end dates
    • Duration Field — the work item field for duration
    • Progress Field — the work item field for completion percentage
    • Parent Role — the link role defining parent-child relationships between work items
    • Dependency Role — the link role for dependency links between work items

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Step 5: Configure Work Item Types

In the Work Item Types Configuration section, add entries for each work item type that should appear under plans:
  • Set the Item Type for each type (e.g., Work Package, Task)
  • Configure the Gantt Presentation Mode (Item, Derived Schedule, or Milestone)
  • Set Parent Mode to control hierarchy placement
Plans do not support direct dependency links. Dependency links only apply between work items. If you need scheduling dependencies at the plan level, manage them through work items within those plans.
Currently, you can only create new work items at the lowest displayed plan level. If you need to add items at different plan levels, use separate Gantt widget instances configured for each level.
If you need to switch between viewing different plan levels, configure a page parameter that controls which plan template the dataset filter uses. This lets you toggle between Release-level and Iteration-level views without editing the widget configuration.

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Verify

After applying the configuration, reload the Gantt chart. You should now see your plan hierarchy displayed with the correct number of levels — releases at the top, iterations nested beneath them, and work items under the iterations. Expand and collapse plan nodes to navigate the hierarchy.

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See also

KB ArticlesSupport TicketsSource Code
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt/src/com/nextedy/polarion/gantt/widget/PlansGanttWidget.java
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt/src/com/nextedy/polarion/gantt/model/impl/CustomFieldService.java
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt.client/src/js/config.js
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt/src/com/nextedy/polarion/gantt/model/impl/types/TypeConfigWidgetParameters.java
  • prod-gantt-src/com.nextedy.polarion.gantt.client/cypress/e2e/Rewritten Tests/testGanttCreatePlan.cy.ts