Epic types

Epics can be workspace-specific or shared . Both epic types can exist in the Agile module only, or can be synchronized with the Strategy module.

Shared epics

You can create shared epics in workspaces that are members of the shared space. Shared epics are inherited by all the workspaces in the shared space.

Note: Creating or modifying shared epics requires space admin permissions. Other members of the shared space have read-only permissions.

The following table summarizes the characteristics of shared epics:

Feature Details
Business rules Only shared business rules apply to shared epics.
Fields

In shared epics, you can only define shared fields. Such field types include: boolean, time, string, memo, and other non-calculated fields.

Values set in the above fields are reflected in all the workspaces.

Note:

  • In shared reference fields, such as Milestone, Release, and any shared user-defined fields, only shared items are available.
  • The following fields are not available in shared epics: Owner, User tags, Waste, Waste category, Repeated phase, Requirements
Comments Comments that are added to a shared epic in one of the workspaces are not available in the other workspaces.
Related items

A shared epic can have different related items in each workspace.

Convert

Not available
Follow

Not available
Integration with Microsoft Teams

Not available
Bulk update In a single bulk-update operation, you can only update epics that are either shared or isolated. You cannot bulk update epics of different types in a single operation.
Sequential ranking Shared epics can only be ranked separately from isolated epics.
History

Changes to the shared epic fields are reflected in the epic's history.
Attachments Attachments of shared epics are shared.

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Local and synchronized epics

When you create an epic in the Agile module, you can define whether it is synchronized with the Strategy module, or exists in Agile only.

Use the Epic level field to define whether an epic is synchronized with the Strategy module.

Epic level value Details
Undefined (default)

When you create an epic in the Agile module, the Epic level field is undefined by default, and the epic is synchronized with the Strategy module.

Local This value prevents an epic from synchronizing with the Strategy module. Local epics exist in the Agile module only.
Portfolio If an epic is created in the Strategy module, the Epic level field is automatically set to Portfolio, and the epic is synchronized with the Agile module. This value cannot be modified in the Agile module.

Tip: Add the Epic level column to the epics grid to understand which epics are synchronized with Strategy, and which exist in Agile only.

The admin can create business rules to define the Epic level field automatically. For details, see Set the Epic level field.

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Epic products and portfolios

In the Strategy module, epics belong to a portfolio, a collection of solution sets that acts as a container for epics. In the Agile module, the backlog hierarchy does not include portfolios. Instead, the Product field in Agile reflects the epic's Strategy portfolio.

The values available for the Product field in Agile correspond to the portfolios defined in Strategy. If a portfolio is renamed or deleted in Strategy, the changes are reflected in Agile.

Note: In the Product field, a deleted portfolio is marked as deprecated for existing epics. For new epics, the deprecated value is not available. If the deleted portfolio has no active relations to other items, the corresponding value is no longer available in the Product field.

Depending on the epic level, use the Product field for the following purposes:

Epic level Product field use
Epic synchronized with Strategy

The Product field identifies the portfolio that an epic is associated with in Strategy.

When an epic is synchronized, its Product field is automatically populated with the value that corresponds to the portfolio associated with the epic in Strategy.
Local epic

While an epic is local, you can modify the Product value as needed.

If you enable synchronization of an epic, you must assign the epic to a portfolio in Strategy. Then, the Product field is automatically updated with the corresponding value in Agile, and the field becomes read-only in Agile.

You can also use the Product field in dashboard widgets for analysis of both synchronized and local epics.

Tip: Space admins can modify the Product field name. This is useful if, for example, a user-defined field with the same name already exists in the space.

Features and backlog items

When features and backlog items are created, they inherit the Product value defined for their epic. If the Product value of an epic is modified, the change is not reflected in the epic's existing features or backlog items.

You can modify the Product value for features and backlog items, regardless of their epic's level.

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See also: