Board Behavior

Manually Assign Issues

This is the default option for new boards. To add an issue to the board, you must explicitly assign it to a sprint. You can either apply a command (Board <board name> <sprint name>), drag an existing issue from the backlog to the sprint, or add an issue directly on the board.

This option gives you the most control over which issues are assigned to each sprint.

The two remaining options let you add issues to sprints automatically under certain conditions, however, you can still add issues manually to any sprint no matter which option you choose.

Automatically Add New Issues to Sprint

With this option enabled, new issues are added to the selected sprint automatically. Issues are added automatically when:

• The issue is assigned to a project that is managed on the board.

• The value that is set in the custom field that identifies columns matches a column that is visible on the board.

Every time you schedule a new sprint, the option to update this setting is visible in the New Sprint dialog.

Teams that follow the Scrum development framework usually commit to the issues that they want to finish at the beginning of each sprint. Adding issues to the sprint automatically can add work that is outside the scope of the current sprint and defeats the purpose of sprint planning.

Many teams use this option to assign issues to an unscheduled sprint that is used for planning. All the issues that are created in the projects are then visible on the board without having to check the backlog. These teams review issues that have been added to the unscheduled sprint and assign them to scheduled sprints for implementation.

For boards that add issues automatically, issues that are linked as subtasks to cards on the board are added to the swimlane for uncategorized cards. To remove subtasks from this swimlane, enable the Ignore subtasks of existing cards option. For more information, see Ignore Subtasks of Existing Cards.

Link Sprints to Values for Custom Field

This option lets teams that synchronize their fix versions with sprints continue to use older boards without changing their working process. You can also use this option to link sprints to custom fields that store any enumerated type, including fields that store a build, state, version, ownedField, or enum.

For boards that add issues automatically, issues that are linked as subtasks to cards on the board are added to the swimlane for uncategorized cards. To remove subtasks from this swimlane, enable the Ignore subtasks of existing cards option. For more information, see Ignore Subtasks of Existing Cards.

With this option enabled, the board mimics the behavior of boards in YouTrack versions earlier than 7.0, where sprints were linked to fix versions. The sprint name is linked to the set of values in the selected custom field.

When you enable this option, YouTrack performs the following operations:

• A new sprint is created for every value in the set for the selected custom field. If the linked field stores a version type, the following settings are applied to each sprint:

  • Sprints are assigned a schedule that coincides with each value's Start date and Release date.

  • Sprints for values that only have a Release date are scheduled to start two weeks earlier than the release date. YouTrack also updates the corresponding custom field values with the calculated start dates.

  • Sprints for values that only have a Start date are created without a release date.

  • Sprints for values that have neither a Start date nor a Release date are created as unscheduled.

  • Sprints are not created for linked values that are marked as Released or Archived.

• If the custom field can be empty, an unscheduled sprint is created for the empty value. If you have multiple projects that do not use the same empty value for the linked field, an unscheduled sprint is created for each empty value.

• Existing sprints that do not match a value in the linked sets of values are archived.

Once this option is enabled, actions that you perform on the board affect the value of the linked custom field, and vice versa. Users who update issues on the board don't require any special permissions. To add, rename, or remove sprints, the owner of the board must have permission to edit the set of values (Update Project) in all the projects that use this custom field.

Here's what happens to the value in the linked custom field when you update sprints on the board:

Here's what happens to sprints on any agile board that is linked to the custom field when you update values in the linked custom field:

If you switch to another board behavior option at a later date, the issues on the board are updated to match the behavior of the modified board:

• The link between sprints and the custom field is removed.

• All issues that are currently assigned to sprints on the board are linked explicitly to the sprint no matter what value is set in the custom field.

Manually Assign Issues

To add an issue to the board, you must explicitly assign it to the board. You can either apply a command (add Board <board name>), drag an existing issue from the backlog to the sprint, or add an issue directly on the board.

This option gives you the most control over which issues are managed on your board. If you choose the option to filter cards to match a query instead, you can still add issues manually to the board.

Automatically Add New Issues

With this option enabled, new issues are added to the kanban board automatically. Issues are added automatically when:

• The issue is assigned to a project that is managed on the board.

• The value that is set in the custom field that identifies columns matches a column that is visible on the board.

With this option enabled, all the issues that are created in the projects are visible on the board without having to check the backlog.

For boards that add issues automatically, issues that are linked as subtasks to cards on the board are added to the swimlane for uncategorized cards. To remove subtasks from this swimlane, enable the Ignore subtasks of existing cards option. For more information, see Ignore Subtasks of Existing Cards.

Filter Cards to Match a Query

With this option enabled, new issues are added to the board automatically. Issues that match the search query are added automatically when:

• The issue is assigned to a project that is managed on the board.

• The value that is set in the custom field that identifies columns matches a column that is visible on the board.

In order for this feature to work properly, you need to include the default value for new issues in all the projects that are referenced in the board settings in the set of values that identify columns on the board.

If you enable this option and leave the search query field empty, all the issues in the selected projects are added to the board. Each issue is placed as a card in the column that matches the value for the field that identifies the columns.

If you add issues from the backlog to the board manually, these issues are updated so that they start matching the search query. If there are several conditions joined by an OR operator in the search query, the issue will match the first condition. If the first condition in the search query can't be matched, for example, if it's an excluding one with the - symbol, the issue will match the next condition.

When you switch from a board that uses a filter back to the option to manually assign issues, all the issues that are currently visible on the board are linked explicitly to the board.

For boards that add issues automatically, issues that are linked as subtasks to cards on the board are added to the swimlane for uncategorized cards. To remove subtasks from this swimlane, enable the Ignore subtasks of existing cards option. For more information, see Ignore Subtasks of Existing Cards.

Relative Queries

A query that uses relative parameters can produce strange or unexpected behavior on the board. Values for parameters like Today, Yesterday, last week, and this week are recalculated every time you open or refresh the board. The value that is displayed in the auto-completion popup is not stored in the query — only the text-based variable.

This means that a query like created: {this month} shows issues that were created during the current month. As soon as the calendar changes to the next month (in this case, from November to December), any issue that was created the month prior disappears when the board is refreshed.

If you use relative parameters in a query, you may experience strange behavior with:

• Live update — cards that match the filter criteria when the board is opened can disappear when the issue no longer matches the criteria after an update is applied.

• Workflow support — workflows that react to sprint changes can apply unexpected changes.

• Adding issue to a sprint from the backlog — issues in the backlog that do not match the parameters in the query cannot be added to the sprint.

You can use a board with a relative query as an alternative view to the Issues list, but we don't recommend that you use this type of board to update issues.

Personal Queries

The value for search queries that include the keyword me is also recalculated every time the board is opened or refreshed. You can use this parameter to create one board that gives each user a view of their own issues. For example, a search query like #unresolved for: me shows only unresolved issues for the currently logged-in user. Each member of the project team can open the board and see only the issues that are assigned to them.