Skip to main content

Move and Rank Items

Move and rank portfolio items in the Portfolio Tree using drag and drop to reorganize your hierarchy and change priority order.

Permission requirement: Moving and ranking portfolio items requires modify permissions on the items being moved and on the target parent item (if reassigning to a new parent).

Who Moves and Ranks Portfolio Items​

Reorganizing portfolio structure supports different planning needs:

  • Portfolio Managers move portfolio items between projects or strategic themes to realign work with changing organizational priorities.
  • Product Owners rank portfolio items to adjust priority order based on business value and delivery dependencies.
  • Program Managers reorganize portfolio hierarchies when restructuring programs or redistributing work across teams.
  • Team Leads may move backlog items between portfolio items when clarifying feature boundaries or adjusting team assignments.

Drag and Drop Actions​

Use drag and drop to perform several actions on portfolio items in the Portfolio Tree. Simply drag an item and drop it onto a new location to reorganize your portfolio structure.

Note: Ranking items in the list can only be done when the list is sorted by its default order.

ActionHow To
Reassign an itemDrag a portfolio item or backlog item onto another row to reassign the item to another parent portfolio item.
Rank an itemDrag a portfolio item or backlog item above or below other rows to change the ranking priority.
Move and rankDrag a portfolio item or backlog item between rows under a different parent portfolio item.
Unassign a parentDrag the child portfolio item above or below a root level portfolio item in the view to remove its parent assignment.

Move Portfolio Items to New Project​

Move portfolio items to a different project to reorganize work across project boundaries.

To move items to a new project:

  1. Click the hamburger menu.
  2. Click Portfolio > Planning > Portfolio Tree.
  3. Select the checkboxes next to the portfolio items you want to move.
  4. Click the Move to Project drop-down list.
  5. Select Move to Project.
  6. Choose the target project from the list.
  7. Click Move.

The selected portfolio items are moved to the new project.

Move Portfolio Items to New Parent​

Reorganize your portfolio hierarchy by moving portfolio items under a new parent.

To move items to a new parent:

  1. Click the hamburger menu.
  2. Click Portfolio > Planning > Portfolio Tree.
  3. Select the checkboxes next to the portfolio items you want to move.
  4. Click the Move to Project drop-down list.
  5. Select Move to Parent.
  6. Choose the target parent portfolio item from the list.
  7. Click Move.

The selected portfolio items are moved under the new parent. Child items remain with their original parent.

Reopen Closed Portfolio Items​

Reopen closed portfolio items when additional work is discovered or requirements change.

To reopen portfolio items:

  1. Click the hamburger menu.
  2. Click Portfolio > Planning > Portfolio Tree.
  3. Apply filters to show closed portfolio items (enable Include Closed Items filter).
  4. Select the checkboxes next to the portfolio items you want to reopen.
  5. Click the Move to Project drop-down list.
  6. Select Reopen.
  7. Confirm the action.

The selected portfolio items are reopened and can have work added or assigned again.

Best Practices​

Sort by default order: Ensure the Portfolio Tree is sorted by its default order before attempting to rank items using drag and drop. Custom sorting disables ranking functionality.

Use bulk actions for multiple items: When moving many portfolio items to the same project or parent, use the bulk selection and Move to Project drop-down to save time.

Understand parent-child implications: When moving a parent portfolio item, its children move with it. If you want to separate children, move them individually to different parents first.

Check filters before moving: Verify that your filters show all relevant portfolio items before performing bulk moves to avoid unintended reorganization.

Troubleshooting​

Why can't I drag and drop to rank portfolio items?​

Drag and drop ranking only works when the Portfolio Tree is sorted by its default order. If you've applied custom sorting (by owner, status, type, etc.), ranking is disabled. Click the column header to reset to default sort order, or clear all sorting options. Once in default order, drag and drop ranking becomes available again.

What happens to child items when I move a parent portfolio item?​

Child portfolio items and backlog items move with their parent when you reassign the parent to a new project or planning level. This maintains the hierarchy. If you want to separate children from their parent, move the children individually to different parents before moving the parent, or unassign them from the parent first using the "unassign parent" drag action.

Why does the "Move to Project" bulk action fail?​

Bulk moves require modify permissions on all selected items and the target project. If the operation fails, verify you have permissions for every selected portfolio item and that none are closed (closed items cannot be moved). Also confirm the target project exists at the appropriate planning level—you cannot move items to incompatible planning level contexts.

How do I undo an accidental move or ranking change?​

Drag the item back to its original location immediately—changes save automatically but can be reversed by dragging again. For bulk moves that went wrong, use the History tab on each affected portfolio item to see previous parent and project assignments, then manually restore the correct relationships. Consider testing moves on a few items first before bulk operations.