FAQs

What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a Jira dashboard app that provides a structured view of work-item hierarchy, current status, and dependencies.

It can display work items according to their Jira parent-child hierarchy or show them together with linked work items such as blockers, dependencies, duplicates, and related work.

Which gadget is included in the app?

The app includes the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) gadget.

The gadget can display Jira work items in two visualization modes:

• Hierarchy View: Organizes work items according to their parent-child relationships.

• Linked Work Items View: Displays work items together with their linked work items and current statuses.

Both visualization modes can be displayed as a compact tree or as a table with configurable columns.

Who is the app designed for?

The app is useful for:

• Project and Program Managers

• Product Owners and Product Managers

• Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches

• Delivery Managers

• Engineering and Team Leads

• Release Train Engineers

• Portfolio Managers and PMOs

• Business Analysts

• ITSM, operations, and support teams

• Teams coordinating work across multiple Jira projects

It can support Scrum, Kanban, SAFe®, project management, portfolio management, release planning, ITSM, and other Jira-based processes.

Is a free trial available?

Yes. You can start a free 30-day trial from the app’s listing on the Atlassian Marketplace.

Do I need Jira administrator permissions to use the gadget?

A Jira administrator is generally required to install the app.

After installation, users with permission to create or edit Jira dashboards can add and configure the gadget. Users must also have permission to view the projects, work items, agile boards, sprints, and saved filters used by the gadget.

Do I need to know JQL?

No. You can configure the gadget using a saved filter, sprint, epic, or portfolio-level work item without writing a JQL query.

JQL is also available when you need more precise control over the work items included in the visualization.

Which data sources can I use?

The gadget supports the following data sources:

• Jira saved filters

• JQL queries

• Sprints selected from an agile board

• One or more epics

• One or more portfolio-level work items, such as initiatives or themes

When using a saved filter, make sure it is shared with everyone who needs to view the dashboard.

Can I display work from multiple projects or teams?

Yes. Use a saved filter or JQL query that returns work items from multiple Jira projects or teams.

The resulting WBS provides a consolidated view of the selected scope. This can be useful for programs, releases, cross-team initiatives, or dependencies that extend across project boundaries.

What is the difference between Hierarchy View and Linked Work Items View?

Hierarchy View uses Jira’s parent-child relationships to organize the selected work items. Linked Work Items View uses Jira work-item links to show relationships such as: relates to, duplicates or is duplicated by, clones or is cloned by, etc.

Which hierarchy levels can the gadget display?

The gadget can display standard Jira hierarchy levels, including:

• Epics

• Stories

• Tasks

• Bugs

• Subtasks

If your Jira configuration includes levels above Epic, such as initiatives or themes, those levels can also be included in the hierarchy.

Can I display initiatives, themes, or other levels above Epic?

Yes. If your Jira hierarchy contains portfolio-level work items above Epic, the gadget can display them as part of the structure.

You can also select one or more portfolio-level work items directly as the gadget’s data source.

Do linked work items need to be included in the original filter or JQL?

No. In Linked Work Items View, the filter or JQL identifies the starting work items.

The gadget can then retrieve and display their linked work items even when those linked items are not returned by the original filter or query. The linked items must still be visible to the current Jira user.

This is an important difference from Hierarchy View, where items returned by a saved filter or JQL must be part of that source to appear.

Can I choose which link types are displayed?

Yes. In Linked Work Items View, you can display:

• All Jira link types

• Only selected link types

For example, you can configure the gadget to show only blocking relationships when you want to focus on delivery risks, or include all link types when you need a broader relationship map.

This setting applies only to Linked Work Items View.

How many levels of linked work items can I display?

You can configure the linked-item depth to control how far the gadget follows relationships from the starting work items.

The gadget supports a linked-item depth of up to five levels.

Can I see how many linked items exist for each link type?

Yes. The gadget can display the number of linked items associated with each link type.

This provides a quick indication of how many blockers, dependencies, related items, duplicates, or other relationships are connected to the selected work.

What is the difference between Tree view and Table with custom columns?

Tree view provides a compact representation of the structure. It focuses on the work-item key, summary, status, and relationship between items.

Table with custom columns displays the same structure in a tabular format and lets you include additional Jira fields.

Use Tree view for a concise overview of scope and dependencies. Use Table with custom columns when you need more contextual information for analysis or reporting.

Which fields can I display in the table?

The available columns depend on the fields in your Jira instance and can include information such as: work-item key and summary, status, work-item type, assignee, reporter, priority, project, etc.

Can I use the gadget to manage dependencies?

The gadget helps you identify and monitor dependencies by displaying linked work items and their current statuses in one consolidated view.

For example, you can focus on blocking link types to find open dependencies that may delay delivery.

The gadget provides dependency visibility, but dependency ownership, scheduling, and resolution are still managed through your Jira processes.

Is the Work Breakdown Structure gadget also available in Great Gadgets?

Yes. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) gadget is also included in Great Gadgets for Jira, StonikByte’s complete Jira dashboard reporting suite.

Which app should I choose?

Choose Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) when you need a focused solution for visualizing work-item hierarchy, project scope, current statuses, and linked-item dependencies.

Choose Great Gadgets for Jira when you also need burndown and burnup charts, release forecasts, velocity and throughput reports, cumulative flow diagrams, WIP charts, cycle time and lead time reports, time-in-status reports, pivot tables and charts, custom KPIs, worklog reports, team wallboards, and other dashboard capabilities in one app.

Do I need the standalone app if I already have Great Gadgets?

No. If Great Gadgets is already installed and licensed, you can use the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) gadget included in that app.

Is Great Gadgets licensed separately?

Yes. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Great Gadgets for Jira are separate Atlassian Marketplace apps, each with its own installation and license.