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Administer PlanningRoom Settings

PlanningRoom administration includes adding or removing members, installing and configuring panels, and customizing room settings. These activities ensure planning teams have the right data for their planning activities.

Who administers PlanningRooms: Project Admins and Portfolio Managers configure rooms, manage membership, and install panels. All members can view room settings.

PlanningRooms can be configured to show the portion of the product a team is responsible for planning by:

  • Adding the members who participate in the planning
  • Installing (or uninstalling) panels to focus in on the right data as appropriate
  • Configuring panel settings to customize the view

To configure a PlanningRoom, your project role must be set to "Project Admin" or higher.

Add and Remove PlanningRoom Members​

Your PlanningRoom is not complete without members. The Assigned Members list shows members already in your PlanningRoom and the Unassigned Members list shows members who have access to the project, but who have not been added to this PlanningRoom.

Manage members​

  1. Choose one of the following:

    • Click the hamburger icon Hamburger icon > Rooms > .PlanningRooms and click on the name of a room.
    • Click PlanningRooms to view all of your rooms.

  2. Select a room and click on the gear icon next to the room name.

  3. On PlanningRoom Properties page, click Membership:

    • To add a member, scroll to the Unassigned Members grid and click Add next to each member you want to add.
    • To remove a member, in the Assigned Members grid, click Remove next to each member you want to remove.

Planning Room Membership

If you don't see a member's name in the Unassigned Members grid, they are probably not assigned to the project. To assign them to a project, click the Assign Members to Project button at the bottom of the page, and then add them to the PlanningRoom following the instructions above.

Install and configure PlanningRoom panels​

By default, the portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree panels are installed in all new PlanningRooms. You can further customize each room by installing and configuring any of the available panels that focus on a particular aspect of a plan. Note that the level of configuration available is dependent upon the type of panel.

Install a panel​

  1. Choose one of the following:

    1. Click the hamburger icon Hamburger icon > Rooms > .PlanningRooms and click on the name of a room.
    2. Click PlanningRooms to view all of your rooms.

  2. Click on the name of a PlanningRoom.

  3. ​Click on the gear icon to open the PlanningRoom Properties page and click Panels.

  4. In the Available Panels section, hover over the name of the panel you want to add and click Install.

  5. Once installed, hover over the name of the panel and click Configure. Refer to the panel descriptions in Use PlanningRoom Panels for configuration options.

PlanningRoom-Panel-Settings

Uninstall a panel​

To uninstall a panel, hover over the name of a panel, and click Uninstall.

PlanningRoom-Panel-Uninstall

Best Practices​

Start with essential panels: Install only Portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree initially, then add panels as team needs become clear.

Review membership quarterly: Ensure PlanningRoom membership reflects current team composition and planning responsibilities.

Align panels with planning level: Portfolio-level rooms need Portfolio Kanban and Tree; program-level rooms need Dependency Board and cross-team views.

Document panel configurations: Keep notes on why specific panels are configured in particular ways to maintain consistency when team members change.

Test panel configurations before planning sessions: Verify all panels display correctly and show relevant data before formal planning meetings.

Use descriptive room names: Name rooms clearly to indicate purpose, planning level, and team (for example, "Q1 Security Component Planning" not "Room 3").

Remove inactive members promptly: Keep member lists current to avoid confusion about who participates in planning activities.

Configure Scorecard filters appropriately: Set up Scorecard filters to match the planning scope and strategic themes for each room.

Standardize panel sets by room type: Use consistent panel configurations for similar types of rooms (for example, all product planning rooms have same basic panels).

Grant admin access selectively: Limit Project Admin access to those who actively manage room configuration to prevent unintended changes.

Use Cases​

Product Owner Creating a Focused PlanningRoom for Q2 Objectives​

A product owner creates a PlanningRoom for Q2 planning focused on mobile features. They name the room "Q2 Mobile Features Planning" and add six team members: three developers, one QA engineer, one designer, and one product manager. Using the Unassigned Members grid, they click Add next to each member. They then install Portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree panels (default), plus the Team Forecasting panel to track capacity. They configure the Portfolio Kanban panel to filter by Strategic Theme "Mobile Excellence" so the room shows only relevant portfolio items. The focused room provides a dedicated workspace for the mobile team's Q2 planning activities.

Program Manager Installing Dependency Board for PI Planning Room​

A program manager prepares a PlanningRoom for upcoming PI Planning across four agile release trains. The room already has Portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree panels installed by default. They navigate to the PlanningRoom Properties page, click Panels, and locate "Dependency Board" in the Available Panels section. They hover over Dependency Board and click Install. Once installed, they click Configure and set parameters to show dependencies across all teams in the program. During PI Planning, teams use the Dependency Board panel to identify and discuss cross-team dependencies, improving PI Planning efficiency and coordination.

Admin Removing Inactive Members After Team Reorganization​

Following a reorganization, a project admin reviews PlanningRoom membership to ensure accuracy. They open three PlanningRooms and navigate to Membership for each. In "Platform Engineering Planning", they see two members who moved to different teams. They click Remove next to each member's name in the Assigned Members grid. They then notice four new members missing from the room. Checking the Unassigned Members grid, they don't see the new members listed, indicating they haven't been assigned to the project yet. The admin clicks "Assign Members to Project", adds the four new members to the project, then returns to the room's Membership page and clicks Add to include them in the PlanningRoom.

Portfolio Manager Configuring Panel Settings for Executive PlanningRoom​

A portfolio manager creates an executive PlanningRoom for strategic portfolio reviews. They install Portfolio Kanban, Roadmap, and Strategic Theme Scorecard panels. For the Portfolio Kanban panel, they configure settings to show only Epic-level portfolio items (hiding lower-level features and stories) and filter by Strategic Theme to display the three key initiatives executives track. For the Roadmap panel, they configure timeline view to show quarterly milestones. For the Strategic Theme Scorecard, they set filters to display progress metrics for executive-level themes. These customized panel configurations create an executive-friendly view focused on strategic initiatives rather than detailed backlog management.

Scrum Master Uninstalling Unused Panels to Simplify Team Room​

A scrum master reviews their team's PlanningRoom and finds several panels installed that the team never uses: Portfolio Bubble Chart, Strategic Theme Allocation, and Cumulative Flow. The excess panels clutter the room navigation and slow page loading. They navigate to PlanningRoom Properties > Panels, hover over each unused panel, and click Uninstall. The Portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree panels remain (used daily for sprint planning). After uninstalling unused panels, the room is cleaner, loads faster, and team members can navigate more easily between the panels they actually use for planning activities.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Why don't I see someone's name in the Unassigned Members grid?​

If a member doesn't appear in the Unassigned Members grid, they likely aren't assigned to the project. PlanningRoom membership is derived from project membership, so only project members appear in the Unassigned Members list. To add them, click "Assign Members to Project" at the bottom of the Membership page, assign them to the project with an appropriate role, then return to the PlanningRoom Membership page where they'll now appear in Unassigned Members. Click Add next to their name to include them in the PlanningRoom.

Can I add the same person to multiple PlanningRooms?​

Yes, members can belong to multiple PlanningRooms within the same project or across different projects. For example, a product owner might belong to "Q1 Mobile Planning", "Backend Services Planning", and "Executive Portfolio Review" rooms simultaneously. Each PlanningRoom membership is independent. Members see all PlanningRooms they belong to when they click the hamburger icon > Rooms > PlanningRooms. This flexibility supports cross-functional team members who participate in multiple planning activities across the organization.

What panels are installed by default in new PlanningRooms?​

New PlanningRooms automatically include Portfolio Kanban and Portfolio Tree panels by default. These two panels provide essential portfolio item views for planning: Portfolio Kanban shows workflow status across columns, and Portfolio Tree displays hierarchical portfolio item structures. You can install additional panels based on your planning needs: Team Forecasting for capacity planning, Dependency Board for cross-team coordination, Roadmap for timeline visualization, and various scorecards and analytics panels. Choose panels that support your specific planning activities.

How do I configure panels to show only relevant portfolio items for my team?​

After installing a panel, click Configure (hover over the panel name in the PlanningRoom Properties > Panels page). Most panels support filtering by Strategic Theme, Portfolio Item Type, Team, Owner, Status, and other criteria. For example, configure the Portfolio Kanban panel to filter by "Strategic Theme = Customer Experience" and "Team = Mobile Team" to show only portfolio items relevant to the mobile team's customer experience work. These filters keep PlanningRooms focused on the subset of portfolio items the room's members are responsible for planning.

What's the difference between uninstalling a panel and hiding a panel?​

Uninstalling a panel removes it from the PlanningRoom entirely for all members. The panel won't appear in the room's navigation, and its configuration is deleted. This is permanent room-level action requiring Project Admin role. Hiding a panel (if supported in the room interface) is a personal preference that affects only your view, not other members' views. Most teams uninstall panels nobody uses and keep all installed panels visible. Use uninstall to clean up unused panels; use hiding (if available) for temporary personal preferences during specific planning activities.

Do PlanningRoom configuration changes affect the underlying portfolio data?​

No, PlanningRoom configuration (membership, installed panels, panel filters) only affects how data is displayed in that specific room. Changes don't alter the underlying portfolio items, backlog items, or project data. For example, filtering the Portfolio Kanban panel to show only "Mobile" strategic theme doesn't delete or hide non-mobile portfolio items from the project; it only focuses the room's view. Similarly, adding or removing room members doesn't change project membership or permissions. PlanningRooms are views into project data, not separate data containers.

Can I copy a PlanningRoom configuration to create similar rooms faster?​

Digital.ai Agility doesn't provide direct PlanningRoom cloning, but you can standardize room setup by documenting your panel configuration and membership patterns. Create a template document listing which panels to install and how to configure each panel's filters for specific room types (e.g., "Product Planning Room: install Portfolio Kanban with Team filter, Portfolio Tree with Status filter, Team Forecasting with quarter intervals"). When creating new rooms, reference the template to replicate configurations consistently. This standardization approach helps teams create similar rooms efficiently while maintaining flexibility for room-specific customizations.