Create your first layer

If you have no layers yet, you will be prompted to: “Click here to add your first Layer”.  It opens a dialog with a button: “+ Add your first layer”.

Now you can name the new layer, assign a color to it and set a SAFe level. You can also delete the layer again right away by clicking on the trash can.

Press Save to commit to your new layer configuration. By pressing Cancel you discard your changes and close the dialog.

Add more layers

Open the dialog for the layers by clicking on the "Layers” button with the cog symbol. If you have a layer already, you will see two options: “+ Add layer on top” and “+ Add layer to bottom”. 

Pressing one will either add a new layer form above or below your existing layer. Always have your intended hierarchy format in mind because reorganizing layers after they are created is currently not possible.

Once you have created the layers you want, click “Save” to keep your changes.

Edit existing layers

If you want to change the properties of existing layers, you can edit them in the layers dialog. Press “Layers” to open it. Just click on the property (e.g. the name of a layer) to edit it. A “Mod” label will indicate that there are unsaved changes.

You can change multiple properties at once.

Save or Cancel your changes by pressing the corresponding button.

Delete layers

To delete a layer, open the layers module (click “Layers”). Each row displays a trash can icon. Click it to mark this layer for deletion. A “Del” label will indicate the change. “Save” will persist the delete operation - the layer is gone. By pressing cancel, the layer won’t be removed.

You can’t delete the layer if the icon is in an inactive state. Hovering over it will display a tooltip with the reason: You can’t delete a layer which has already projects assigned to it. Remove the projects from the layer first.

Change layer color

Open the dialog for the layers by clicking on the “Layers” button. Assign a layer color by clicking the color dropdown at the start of each layer name and select a suitable color. Changing colors is always possible.

Option 1 - Assign a project to a layer directly

Once you have all layers configured, you can start to assign existing Jira projects to a layer. There are two ways to do this.

Click on the name of the layer or on the slightly greyer box around the name. On the right side an area will slide open, showing the name of the layer and a Drop-Down menu titled Projects.

Clicking on the drop-down, a list of all Jira projects is displayed. By typing a name or a key of a specific project, you filter the results. Choose a project. It will be displayed in a list under the drop-down, labeled “New”. This indicates, that this project will be assigned to the layer once you press Save. With this method, you can add multiple projects before saving. Pressing Cancel will discard all changes.

If you picked the wrong project, you can delete it while hovering over the newly added project and pressing the trash can icon that appears.

The newly added projects will appear in the row next to the layer name. 

Option 2 - Assign a child project and add it to the layer

Another way to assign a project to a layer is to select a project as child of another project on a higher hierarchy level. See “Assign child projects” further below.

Remove a project from a layer

Open the layer sidebar by clicking on the layer name or the box around it. Hover over the name of the project in the list below the drop-down and press the trash can icon. A “Del” label will indicate the change. “Save” will persist the delete operation - the project is removed from the layer. By pressing cancel, the project won’t be removed.

Remove a project from a layer (alternative)

Selecting the project (click on the pill with the project key in the hierarchy view) offers you another possibility to remove it from the layer. In the top right corner of the sidebar is a menu (...) where you can also remove the selected project.

Projects cannot be removed if they have “Child projects”. Unlink them first.

Assign a parent project

In order to create a hierarchy, you need to link projects with each other. A project can have one parent project and multiple child projects. 

Select a project in the hierarchy view. In the sidebar on the right side of the screen you can choose the parent project in the drop-down. All projects assigned to the layer above the the selected project’s layer are available. A “New” label is displayed until the assignment is persisted with the “Save”-Button.

If you picked the wrong project, you can delete it while hovering over the newly added project and clicking on the trash can icon that appears.

Unlink the parent project

When a parent project is already selected, the drop-down is not displayed anymore. Instead, the name of the selected project is shown. Hovering over it will display a trash can. By clicking on the icon, the parent project will be unlinked. A “Del” label is displayed until you save the change.

By unlinking projects in the middle layers, it is possible to move entire branches of the hierarchy to a new parent project.

Assign child projects

Select the project in the hierarchy view. In the sidebar is a drop-down titled "Child Projects".

Clicking on the drop-down, a list of all Jira projects is displayed. By typing a name or a key of a specific project, you filter the results. Choose a project. It will be displayed in a list under the drop-down, labeled “New”. This indicates, that this project will be assigned as a child project once you press Save. With this method, you can add multiple projects before saving. Pressing Cancel will discard all changes.

The list of projects is divided in two sections. “Projects in child layer” will show only projects that are already assigned to the layer below. Projects in “Will be assigned to child layer” are projects in Jira, that are not yet assigned to a layer in your hierarchy.

If you picked the wrong project, you can delete it while hovering over the newly added project and pressing the trash can icon that appears.

Unlink child projects

To remove a project from the list of child projects, hover over it to display a trash can icon. By clicking on the icon, the project will be unlinked. A “Del” label is displayed until you save the change.