> ## 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.

# Drag and Drop Planning

> Move work items from the unplanned backlog onto Plans and between swimlanes using Nextedy PLANNINGBOARD's drag-and-drop interface.

***

## Before you start

* The Planningboard widget is embedded and configured on a Polarion LiveDoc or Wiki page.
* Plans are already set up as columns and swimlanes are configured. See [Configure Plans (Columns)](/planningboard/guides/configuration/plans-configuration) and [Configure Swimlanes (Rows)](/planningboard/guides/configuration/swimlanes-configuration) if needed.
* You have write access to the work items you want to plan.

***

## Board layout at a glance

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/zUlmOSLBIQ0HyaAX/planningboard/diagrams/guides/planning/drag-and-drop/diagram-1.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=zUlmOSLBIQ0HyaAX&q=85&s=e4ffbd5b2f3914044d1995dce66dbd2a" alt="Planningboard layout with a toolbar, a grid on the left with Sprint 1-3 columns and Alice, Bob, and Not Assigned/Other swimlane rows holding cards, and the Unplanned backlog section on the right" width="900" height="400" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/guides/planning/drag-and-drop/diagram-1.svg" />
</Frame>

The **Unplanned section** (right) holds all cards not yet assigned to a Plan. The **board area** (left) is a grid of columns (Plans) and rows (swimlanes). Drag cards from right to left to plan them, or between cells to reschedule or reassign them.

***

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Unplanned section">
    If the Unplanned section is not visible, click the **Show Unplanned** button in the toolbar (the panel icon). The section slides open on the right side of the board.

    <Tip>
      The Unplanned section has its own filter controls. Click the **funnel icon** to filter cards by assignee, team, or a saved query. Use the upper-right toggle to **filter out Verified work items** from the list, and **Filter columns** to hide already-planned Verified items from the board.
    </Tip>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Locate the card to plan">
    Scroll or filter the Unplanned section to find the work item you want to assign. Each card in the Unplanned section represents a single Polarion work item.

    <Tip>
      Predefined **Queries** let you surface specific subsets of unplanned work (for example, all items with status `reviewed`). Configure them in the widget's **Queries** parameters. Once configured, enable them from the funnel icon in the Unplanned section.
    </Tip>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Drag the card onto the board">
    Click and hold the card, then drag it into the target cell — the intersection of the Plan column and swimlane row where you want to schedule it.

    A **visual highlight** marks the drop target as you drag over valid cells. Release the card to confirm the assignment.

    What happens when you drop a card:

    * The work item is **added to the Plan** that corresponds to the column. Internally, Planningboard assigns the item based on the Plan's date range (`start_date` / `end_date`).
    * If swimlanes are set to **Users (Assignee)** mode, dropping into a swimlane also **reassigns the work item** to that user.
    * If swimlanes use an **Enumeration Field** mode (for example, a team or component field), dropping into a swimlane updates that enumeration field on the work item.
    * If **Assign to Parent Plan** is enabled in the widget parameters, the work item is also planned into the parent Plan of the target column automatically.

    <Warning>
      Work items with status **Verified** are **locked** — they cannot be dragged or unplanned. If you need to move a Verified item, change its status first in Polarion.
    </Warning>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Move cards between cells">
    You can also drag cards already on the board:

    * **Between columns** — reschedules the work item into a different Plan.
    * **Between swimlanes** — reassigns the work item to a different resource or changes its enum field value, depending on the swimlane assignment type.
    * **Back to the Unplanned section** — hover over the card to reveal the **Unplan item** quick action (the arrow icon in the upper-right corner of the card), then click it. This removes the item from its current Plan.

    <Warning>
      Dropping a card into a swimlane in **Parent Item** assignment mode does not change the parent link — items are grouped by their parent work item, and the parent relationship is not modified by drag-and-drop. Rearranging parent associations must be done in Polarion directly.
    </Warning>

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Monitor capacity as you plan">
    After dropping cards, watch the **capacity bar** at the top of each column or swimlane (if capacity display is enabled). The bar shows how much capacity has been consumed relative to the Plan's total.

    <Tip>
      Hover over a capacity bar to see a detailed tooltip with capacity breakdown. This feature requires **Show Capacity Load** to be enabled in the widget's Plans parameters.
    </Tip>

    If capacity bars are not visible, see [Configure Capacity Tracking](/planningboard/guides/configuration/capacity-configuration).

    ***
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the assignment">
    After dropping, the card appears in the target cell. The board preserves your **swimlane position and scroll location** — it does not jump back to the top, so you can keep planning without losing your place.

    Click the card to open the **Work Item Properties** sidebar and confirm the Plan assignment and assignee fields are set as expected.

    **You should now see** the card in the correct Plan column and swimlane row, the capacity bar updated to reflect the new load, and the work item removed from the Unplanned section.

    ***
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common pitfalls

<Warning title="Card does not move — no drop target highlighted">
  If no cell highlights when dragging, the board may be in **read-only mode** or the work item type may not match the widget's work item type filter (`wiType`). Confirm you have edit permissions in Polarion and that the work item type is included in the board's query.
</Warning>

<Warning title="Capacity shows zero after planning">
  Capacity calculations require the work items to have effort values (`remainingEstimate` or `initialEstimate`, or the field set in `capacityField`). Items with no effort data count as zero. Also verify that **Show Capacity Load** is enabled and the `hoursPerDay` parameter is set correctly (default: `8`).

  <Note title="Known limitation">
    If your Plan names contain dashes (for example, SAFe naming patterns like `PI-2401` or `I-2401-1`), capacity display may show zero on versions earlier than 25.3.0. Upgrade to 25.3.0 or later to resolve this.
  </Note>
</Warning>

<Warning title="Item reappears in Unplanned after drop">
  If the server rejects the assignment (for example, due to a validation rule or a permissions error), the board rolls back the card to its previous position and displays an error alert. Check the error message and resolve the underlying Polarion constraint before retrying.
</Warning>

<Warning title="Swimlane assignment does not update after drop">
  In **Enumeration Field** swimlane mode, multi-value enum fields are updated by adding the target value. If the field has restrictions (for example, `status`, `resolution`, or `type` fields are not supported as swimlane assignment fields), the drop will not change the field. Use a supported custom enum field for swimlane assignment. See [Enumeration Field Swimlanes](/planningboard/guides/swimlanes/enum-swimlanes).
</Warning>

***

## Tips

<Tip title="Collapsed swimlanes persist across sessions">
  Planningboard saves which swimlanes you have collapsed to your browser's local storage. They are automatically restored the next time you open the board — no need to re-collapse large swimlanes on every visit.
</Tip>

<Tip title="Use dependencies to guide planning order">
  Enable **Show Dependencies** in the toolbar to display all dependency links between cards as arrows. This helps you spot blocked items before moving them to earlier sprints. Dependencies must be configured via the `PARAMETER_DEPENDENCY_LINK_ROLE` widget parameter. See [Visualize and Manage Dependencies](/planningboard/guides/planning/dependencies).
</Tip>

<Tip title="Prioritize within a cell after planning">
  Once items are in a Plan, use the **Prioritize** button in the toolbar to enter prioritization mode and reorder cards within their swimlane cells. See [Prioritize Work Items](/planningboard/guides/planning/prioritization).
</Tip>

***

## See also

* [Basic Board Interactions](/planningboard/getting-started/basic-interactions)
* [Configure Plans (Columns)](/planningboard/guides/configuration/plans-configuration)
* [Configure Swimlanes (Rows)](/planningboard/guides/configuration/swimlanes-configuration)
* [Configure Capacity Tracking](/planningboard/guides/configuration/capacity-configuration)
* [Manage Unplanned Backlog](/planningboard/guides/planning/unplanned-backlog)
* [Prioritize Work Items](/planningboard/guides/planning/prioritization)
* [Visualize and Manage Dependencies](/planningboard/guides/planning/dependencies)
* [Drag and Drop Issues](/planningboard/guides/troubleshooting/drag-and-drop-issues)

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

  * Planningboard interface & basic interactions
  * Introduction to Planningboard
  * Planningboard Widget Parameters

  **Support Tickets**

  * [#5879](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/5879)
  * [#6174](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6174)
  * [#4711](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/4711)

  **Source Code**

  * `Item.java`
  * `PlanningBoardWidgetRenderer.java`
  * `PlansMode.java`
  * `Config.java`
  * `PlanningBoardDataService.java`
</Accordion>