> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.nextedy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure Plans (Columns)

> Configure which Polarion Plans appear as columns on the board, how many past and future Plans load, and whether capacity load is displayed per Plan.

## Before you start

Open the widget parameters editor for your Nextedy PLANNINGBOARD widget. In Polarion, edit the LiveDoc or Wiki page containing the widget, then click the widget's parameter icon to open the **Parameters for Plans (Columns)** section.

***

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a Plans type">
    The **Plans Type** parameter (`plansMode`) determines which type of Plans are loaded as columns. Select the value that matches your project setup:

    | Plans Type value          | Use when                                                                    |
    | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | `PROJECT_PLANS` (default) | Standard Polarion project Plans — iterations, releases, versions            |
    | `SAFE_SPRINTS`            | SAFe iterations (sprints) within a Program; requires Polarion SAFe Solution |
    | `SAFE_PFL_SPRINTS`        | SAFe sprints at Portfolio level; requires Polarion SAFe Solution            |
    | `SAFE_PIS`                | SAFe Program Increments within a Program; requires Polarion SAFe Solution   |
    | `SAFE_SIS`                | SAFe Program Increments at Solution level; requires Polarion SAFe Solution  |

    <Warning title="SAFe Plans types require additional configuration">
      Selecting any SAFe Plans Type changes the configuration fields available in the widget parameters panel — the **Plans** query field is replaced by SAFe-specific fields. SAFe modes also require a Polarion SAFe Solution license. If you need a SAFe configuration, contact support for guided setup.
    </Warning>

    <Note title="Configuration fields change by Plans Type">
      The **Plan items** section (Scope, Query, Type) and the **Sync to parent** option are only available when **Project Plans** (`PROJECT_PLANS`) is selected. These sections are hidden for SAFe modes because Plans are auto-discovered from the SAFe structure.
    </Note>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define which Plans appear (Project Plans mode)">
    When using **Project Plans** mode (`PROJECT_PLANS`), use the **Plans** field (`plansQuery`) to specify a Lucene query that filters which Plans appear as columns.

    Leave the field empty to load Plans automatically, or enter a query to restrict the set. Example: to show only Plans of a specific type:

    ```
    type:iteration
    ```

    To show Plans matching a custom field value:

    ```
    customFields.team:TeamA
    ```

    <Tip title="Use Last / Next plan counts to limit the board width">
      Instead of writing a query that enumerates specific Plans by ID, use **Show # of last plans** and **Show # of next plans** (see Step 3) to keep the board focused on the current planning window. This approach requires no query maintenance as Plans are created.
    </Tip>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the planning window (last and next plan counts)">
    Two parameters control how many Plans are displayed:

    * **Show # of last plans** (`lastPlans`, default `1`) — how many completed or past Plans to include to the left of the current Plan.
    * **Show # of next plans** (`nextPlans`, default `5`) — how many upcoming Plans to include to the right.

    **Example scenario:** A team currently in *Iteration 6* with `lastPlans = 2` and `nextPlans = 3` will see Iterations 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the board.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/zUlmOSLBIQ0HyaAX/planningboard/diagrams/guides/configuration/plans-configuration/diagram-1.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=zUlmOSLBIQ0HyaAX&q=85&s=28ad8dff977f7ff3d6ee2d6d12fa377b" alt="Board window showing Iterations 4-9, grouped into Past (lastPlans=2), Current, and Future (nextPlans=3)" width="650" height="180" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/guides/configuration/plans-configuration/diagram-1.svg" />
    </Frame>

    <Warning title="High plan counts affect load time">
      Loading many Plans at once increases the number of work items fetched. Keep the window to a practical range (typically 1–2 past, 3–6 future) to avoid slow board rendering on large projects.
    </Warning>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable capacity load visualization">
    Turn on the **Show Capacity Load** toggle (`capacityLoad`, default `false`) to display a capacity bar at the top of each Plan column. The capacity bar shows how much of the swimlane's capacity has been consumed by planned work items.

    When enabled, hovering over a Plan column's capacity bar opens a tooltip with a detailed capacity breakdown per swimlane.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH/planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--4fda2df4.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH&q=85&s=dafe3dd9c49c42f5ca1bfe0dd7abaacd" alt="Capacity bar tooltip showing Capacity, Done, Todo, Over-planned, and Available values for a Plan column" width="2328" height="496" data-path="planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--4fda2df4.png" />
    </Frame>

    See [Configure Capacity Tracking](/planningboard/guides/configuration/capacity-configuration) for how to configure the capacity calculation (field, hours per day, normalization, and multi-capacity modes).

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="(Optional) Assign work items to the parent Plan automatically">
    The **Assign to Parent Plan** toggle controls whether a work item dropped onto a Plan column is also automatically planned into that Plan's parent Plan.

    * **Disabled (default):** The work item is planned only in the target Plan (e.g., *Iteration 4*).
    * **Enabled:** The work item is planned in both the target Plan and its parent Plan (e.g., *Iteration 4* and *Version 1.0*).

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH/planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--3a0ff82c.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH&q=85&s=871e9b576593b1a645b82c3b1a7ec9d8" alt="Work Item Properties sidebar showing a card planned only in Iteration 4 when Assign to Parent Plan is disabled" width="1408" height="884" data-path="planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--3a0ff82c.png" />
    </Frame>

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH/planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--09449ffb.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH&q=85&s=cabcfe8f3d184426dbcecd867b65ddbe" alt="Work Item Properties sidebar showing the same card now also planned in Version 1.0 when Assign to Parent Plan is enabled" width="1460" height="1020" data-path="planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-widget-parameters--09449ffb.png" />
    </Frame>

    Use this when your project hierarchy requires work items to appear at both iteration and release levels.

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="(Optional) Add a report link on Plan column headers">
    The **Report Link** field (`planLink`, default: `/polarion/#/project/${plan.objectId.projectId}/plan?id=${plan.objectId.itemId}`) defines a URL that opens when a user clicks a Plan column label. The URL supports template variables resolved per Plan:

    | Variable                     | Resolves to                                 |
    | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
    | `${plan.objectId.projectId}` | The Polarion project ID containing the Plan |
    | `${plan.objectId.itemId}`    | The Plan's item ID                          |

    **Example — link to a custom Wiki report parameterized by Plan:**

    ```
    /polarion/#/project/${plan.objectId.projectId}/wiki/SPRINT_REPORT?plan=${plan.objectId.itemId}
    ```

    <Tip title="Leave Report Link at its default to link directly to the Plan">
      The built-in default opens the Plan detail page in Polarion. Only change this if you want column clicks to open a custom report or dashboard instead.
    </Tip>

    ***
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Configuration example

The following shows a complete Plans (Columns) configuration for a Scrum team using standard Polarion iterations, displaying one past iteration and four upcoming ones, with capacity load enabled:

| Widget parameter      | Value                              |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `plansMode`           | `PROJECT_PLANS`                    |
| `plansQuery`          | `type:iteration`                   |
| `lastPlans`           | `1`                                |
| `nextPlans`           | `4`                                |
| `capacityLoad`        | `true`                             |
| Assign to Parent Plan | enabled                            |
| Report Link           | *(default — links to Plan detail)* |

***

## Verification

After saving the widget parameters, reload the board. You should now see:

* Plan columns matching your query and count settings, ordered chronologically from past (left) to future (right).
* Capacity bars visible at the top of each column if **Show Capacity Load** is enabled.
* Clicking a Plan column header navigates to the configured report link (or the Plan detail page if using the default).

If columns do not appear, check the [Widget Parameters Overview](/planningboard/guides/configuration/widget-parameters) to confirm the parameter values were saved, and see [Troubleshooting Common Errors](/planningboard/guides/troubleshooting/common-errors) if Plans remain empty.

***

## See also

* [Widget Parameters Overview](/planningboard/guides/configuration/widget-parameters) — full widget parameter reference
* [Configure Swimlanes (Rows)](/planningboard/guides/configuration/swimlanes-configuration) — configure how work items are grouped into rows
* [Configure Capacity Tracking](/planningboard/guides/configuration/capacity-configuration) — set up capacity fields, hours per day, and normalization
* [Configure Work Items Dataset](/planningboard/guides/configuration/work-items-configuration) — control which work items appear on the board
* [SAFe Planning Workflows](/planningboard/guides/planning/safe-planning) — end-to-end SAFe configuration guidance

<Accordion title="Sources">
  **KB Articles**

  * Planningboard Widget Parameters
  * Planningboard interface & basic interactions
  * Planningboard: Customizable Statistics and Capacity Indicators

  **Support Tickets**

  * [#6174](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6174)
  * [#5879](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/5879)
  * [#6546](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6546)

  **Source Code**

  * `PlanningBoardWidget.java`
  * `Config.java`
  * `widget.vm`
  * `Item.java`
  * `viewSetup.vm`
</Accordion>