Lesson 9 of 10 · 5:15
Connect work across projects to one goal
How an initiative connects work across projects to a shared goal, from creating it and choosing its scope to reading its progress and keeping the goal's context with the work.
What you will learn
- An initiative connects work across projects to a shared goal. Its scope holds the projects and work items that contribute to it, and progress rolls up from that work.
- Initiatives are on Pro and higher plans and are off by default. A workspace admin enables them in Workspace settings, under Features, then Initiatives.
- A name is enough to create one. A description, a lead, and start and due dates give the goal its context, and new initiatives start in Drafts.
- By default, workspace owners and admins manage initiatives, and members can view, comment, and react. Choosing someone as lead records responsibility; it doesn't give them editing permission.
- A scope holds whole projects and individual work items side by side, such as each project's epic, whose smaller tasks come with it. The work stays in its original project.
- Plane counts each work item once. The completion percentage leaves cancelled work out, while the progress bar shows every work item by state group.
- You choose the initiative's state: Drafts, Planned, Active, Completed, or Closed. Completing a work item changes progress, not the state.
- Links, files, comments, and activity keep the goal's context together. Labels, the List, Board, and Timeline layouts, and archiving keep the initiative list in order.
Connect work across projects
0:00An initiative connects work across projects to a shared goal. Its scope holds the projects and work items that contribute to that goal.
A lead is responsible for the goal, and its start and due dates place it on a timeline. Progress rolls up from the work in scope.
Create an initiative
0:25Initiatives are available on Pro and higher plans. They're off by default. A workspace admin enables them in Workspace settings, under Features, then Initiatives.
- Open Initiatives in the Work sidebar, then Add Initiative.
- Enter a name. A name is enough to create one.
- Add a description of the goal, choose a lead, and set the start and due dates.
New initiatives start in Drafts. You can finish defining the goal and scope before moving the initiative to Planned or Active.
By default, workspace owners and admins manage initiatives. Members can view, comment, and react. Choosing someone as lead records responsibility. It doesn't give them editing permission.
Adding scope needs initiative edit permission. Changing a linked work item still follows its project's permissions, and progress reflects the work you can access.
Choose the scope
1:43Scope can include whole projects. To add them:
- Open Scope, then Projects.
- Choose Add project and select the projects. The initiative includes all of their work.
Projects and work items sit side by side in a scope. Next to the projects, add the work items you want to follow on their own, such as each project's epic:
- Under Work items, choose Add work item.
- Select the work items, then add them to the initiative.
An epic's smaller tasks come with it. Initiatives also accept other work item types, so Epic isn't a requirement.
The work stays in its original project. The initiative brings its progress together.
Read the progress
2:47Progress includes the work in linked projects, plus linked work items and everything beneath them. Plane counts each work item once, so an epic that also belongs to a linked project counts only once.
The completion percentage leaves cancelled work out. The progress bar shows every work item by state group, including cancelled ones. In the film, 5 of 11 work items are complete and 1 is cancelled: the scope cards show 50%, five out of ten non-cancelled work items, while the bar's Completed segment is 45%.
Initiative state is separate. You choose Drafts, Planned, Active, Completed, or Closed. Completing a work item changes progress. It doesn't choose the initiative's state.
Keep context with the goal
3:48The Overview keeps the goal's description with its progress. Add links and files so documents such as a spec or a checklist stay with the initiative.
Use Comments for the discussion. Activity records changes to the initiative, so you can check how its scope and properties changed.
Organize initiatives
4:13The initiative list has List, Board, and Timeline layouts. In Board, group them by state. Timeline places initiatives against their dates.
To label initiatives:
- Create initiative labels in Workspace settings, under Initiatives.
- Add a label to the initiative.
- Filter the list by that label.
You can archive an initiative once it's Completed or Closed. Archived initiatives have their own list, where you can restore one when you need it again.
Try it in your workspace
On a Pro or higher plan, open Initiatives in the Work sidebar, choose Add Initiative, and name it. Then open Scope, add a project under Projects, and add one of its work items under Work items.
Transcript
Show the transcript
Connect work across projects
0:02In Plane, an initiative connects work across projects to a shared goal. Its scope holds the projects and work items that contribute to that goal.
0:13A lead is responsible for the goal, and its start and due dates place it on a timeline. Progress rolls up from the work in scope. Let's take a closer look.
Create an initiative
0:28Initiatives are available on Pro and higher plans. They're off by default. A workspace admin enables them in Workspace settings, under Features, then Initiatives.
0:42Open Initiatives in the Work sidebar, then Add Initiative. A name is enough to create one. We'll call it Self-serve upgrades.
0:54Add a description of the goal, choose a lead, and set the start and due dates. One person leads Self-serve upgrades across Web App and Mobile App.
1:07New initiatives start in Drafts. You can finish defining the goal and scope before moving the initiative to Planned or Active.
1:17By default, workspace owners and admins manage initiatives. Members can view, comment, and react. Choosing someone as lead records responsibility. It doesn't give them editing permission.
1:31Adding scope needs initiative edit permission. Changing a linked work item still follows its project's permissions, and progress reflects the work you can access.
Choose the scope
1:46Scope can include whole projects. Open Scope, then Projects, and choose Add project. Add Web App and Mobile App to include all of their work.
2:00Projects and work items sit side by side in a scope. Next to the projects, add the work items you want to follow on their own, such as each project's epic.
2:11Under Work items, choose Add work item. Select WEB-50 from Web App and MOBILE-32 from Mobile App, then add them to the initiative.
2:24Both are work items of the Epic type, and their smaller tasks come with them. Initiatives also accept other work item types. Epic isn't a requirement.
2:35The work stays in its original project. WEB-50 still belongs to Web App, and MOBILE-32 still belongs to Mobile App. The initiative brings their progress together.
Read the progress
2:51Progress includes the work in linked projects, plus linked work items and everything beneath them. Both epics belong to linked projects, and Plane counts each work item once.
3:05Self-serve upgrades has eleven work items in scope, including the two epics. Five are complete, and one is cancelled. Both scope cards show 50%: five out of ten non-cancelled work items.
3:20The progress bar shows all eleven work items by state group, including the cancelled one. Its Completed segment is 45%. The completion percentage leaves cancelled work out.
3:35Initiative state is separate. You choose Drafts, Planned, Active, Completed, or Closed. Completing a work item changes progress. It doesn't choose the initiative's state.
Keep context with the goal
3:52The Overview keeps the goal's description with its progress. Add links and files so the pricing spec and launch checklist stay with Self-serve upgrades.
4:03Use Comments for the discussion. Activity records changes to the initiative, so you can check how its scope and properties changed.
Organize initiatives
4:17The initiative list has List, Board, and Timeline layouts. In Board, group them by state. Timeline places initiatives against their dates.
4:29Create initiative labels in Workspace settings, under Initiatives. Add Growth to the initiative, then filter the list by that label.
4:43You can archive an initiative once it's Completed or Closed. Archived initiatives have their own list, where you can restore one when you need it again.
Follow the shared goal
4:57An initiative connects work across projects to one goal. Scope holds the work, the lead is responsible for it, the dates set the timeline, and progress shows how the work stands.
Read next
Plans
- Pro:
- Initiatives