Ranking items in Structure

[Ilan Barel]

HI, I tried to move items around in a structure (using 'allow manual adjustments' checkbox in the structure definition).  It didn't allow me to do so.

Now I want to create a Rank field that is only part of the structure and I can sort the order of epics by it.  I'm wondering if this is possible and also whether this value will be available for the other users of the structure.  

I don't want to add any 'rank' or 'weight' field to the epic themselves (that is not the solution I'll be looking for).

[Dionathan Lopes _ALM Works_ · Accepted solution]

Hello @Ilan Barel 

Dionathan with ALM Works here. Hope you are doing great.

In this case, you could try using Sequential Index, where you will add a numeric column corresponding to an item's position within Structure. Please refer to this article for more information and instructions - Link 

Please let me know if it does help, or in case you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us at support@almworks.com or support.almworks.com

Best Regards,
Dionathan Lopes

[Ilan Barel]

Thank you for this interesting direction.  I'm not yet sure how it can get me to  what I want.

Are you saying that if I change this index manually then the order of the items will be shown in a particular order?  

I'm trying to show the top priority epic in location #1, second in #2, and so on.  As this is fairly dynamic and up to discussions I want to be able to switch locations of epics within the structure.  I don't want to use static rank fields within each epic issue in Jira.

[Dionathan Lopes _ALM Works_]

Hi @Ilan Barel 

Are you saying that if I change this index manually then the order of the items will be shown in a particular order? 

Yes. You would just need to drag and drop the epics to their right position. For example:

I have the following order in my Structure: Epic 2 / Epic 3 / Epic 4. Please note the Index column:

If I need to move Epic 4 for the first position, then the Index column should be updated as the following:

More information, here: Link

Hope that helps.

Best Regards,
Dionathan

[Ilan Barel]

Thank you.  I added an index column but couldn't change it manually (can I?).  I also tried to switch the lines around but the structure doesn't allow me to do that.  So.. not working yet.

[Dionathan Lopes _ALM Works_]

Hi @Ilan Barel 

We would love to take a closer look at your setup.

Please send us a note to support@almworks.com or contact us through our customer portal: support.almworks.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,
Dionathan L
www.almworks.com

[Dionathan Lopes _ALM Works_]

Hi @Ilan Barel 

Thank you for your time and patience on this matter.

Just to conclude the case - The sequential index column was not working because you were already sorting Structure by another column, and it is not possible to reorder a Structure that is already sorted by another field.

With sort by field removed, the suggested alternative worked as expected.

In case you have any questions about pretty much anything in the future - please don't hesitate to reach out to us again and we'll be glad to assist in any way we can.

All the best,
Dionathan 

[Io-Cheong HO]

Hi, @Dionathan 

Thank you for your solution.

But how do you remove all sort by field?

When I see the setting of my structure I don't see any.

Best regards,

Io Cheong

[David Niro _Tempo_]

Hi @Io-Cheong HO ,

It looks like your screen capture cropped off the column headers, which is where we would want to look.  You will see three lines (small, med, large) on the left side of the column header if you are sorting by it.

To quickly clear any column sorting, you can click on the Summary column header once.

Best,
David

[Io-Cheong HO]

Hi @David Niro _Tempo_ 

I checked again but I don't have filter on my colunms.

Is it because I'm using generators to generate the structure?

Best regards,

Io Cheong

[David Niro _Tempo_]

Hi @Io-Cheong HO ,

Could you describe the problem you are trying to solve?  Are the issues sorted in some way that you don't want to see them?

Best,
David

[Io-Cheong HO]

Hi @David Niro _Tempo_ 

What I'm trying to do is exactly what Ilan and Dionathan solved above.

I have all Epics with it's child and added the index.

When I move Epic 4 to the top I'm having this message.

And if I click on "Acknowledge" the Epic go back to the initial position.

Best regards,

Io Cheong

[David Niro _Tempo_]

@Io-Cheong HO ,

I believe you will want to add a Sort Generator and choose either the Sort by Rank or Manual Reordering option.

Please give it a try and let me know if it helps!

Also, feel free to contact our support team directly at support@almworks.com or through our customer portal support.almworks.com.

Best,
David

[Io-Cheong HO]

Hi @David Niro _Tempo_ 

Thanks a lot!! It worked by adding a sort by rank the option update rank.

:)

Best regards,

Io Cheong

[David Niro _Tempo_]

You are very welcome!  Glad to hear it helped!!

[Ilan Barel]

Hi there @Io-Cheong HO 

I usually resolve these problems by building the automation again.  First add the extenders and then the 'insert' last.  This usually works for me.  Not sure why, but it does.