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Manage Portfolio Item Lifecycle

Split partially completed portfolio items to move incomplete work forward or close completed portfolio items when all work is done.

Permission requirement: Splitting and closing portfolio items requires modify permissions on the portfolio item. You must also have modify permissions on any child work items that will be moved during the split.

Who Manages Portfolio Item Lifecycle​

Portfolio item lifecycle management supports different roles:

  • Portfolio Managers split portfolio items at the end of planning increments to separate completed and incomplete work for accurate progress tracking.
  • Product Owners close completed portfolio items and split partially finished items to align with sprint or release boundaries.
  • Program Managers coordinate portfolio item splits across teams to ensure accurate reporting of program increment outcomes.
  • Scrum Masters may assist with splitting portfolio items when team velocity changes require work redistribution.

Split a Portfolio Item​

Split a partially completed portfolio item to move incomplete work to a new portfolio item. The original portfolio item retains completed work, while the new portfolio item contains the remaining open work.

Portfolio item splitting typically occurs at the end of a sprint or iteration. If you discover that only a portion of the work is complete, you can split the portfolio item so the completed work remains under the current portfolio item. The incomplete, open work moves to a new portfolio item in the next sprint or iteration. This allows you to get credit for completed work and move the remaining work elsewhere for more accurate accounting.

Steps to split​

To split a portfolio item:

  1. Open the portfolio item you want to split.
  2. In the portfolio item window, click the Edit drop-down.
  3. Click Split.
  4. The split window displays the open and closed work items associated with the portfolio item.
  5. Click Split.
  6. If required, modify the newly created portfolio item.
  7. Click Save.

A new portfolio item is created. The open work items are listed under New Item and the closed work items are listed under Original Item.

All relations associated with the original portfolio item are copied to the newly created portfolio item. The fields Split ID and Split From point to the original asset. The fields Split ID and Split From are also part of the customize column.

Close a Portfolio Item​

Close a portfolio item when all work is complete. You must close or move all open child items before closing a portfolio item.

Steps to close​

To close a portfolio item from the Portfolio Tree:

  1. Click the hamburger menu.
  2. Click Portfolio > Planning > Portfolio Tree.
  3. To the right of a portfolio item, select the Add Child Portfolio Item drop-down menu.
  4. Click Close Portfolio Item.
  5. Click Close Portfolio Item again when prompted.
note

Any open child items in a portfolio item must be closed or moved to a new portfolio item before you can close the selected portfolio item. You cannot close a portfolio item if it has open child items.

Troubleshooting​

Why can't I close a portfolio item?​

Portfolio items cannot be closed if they have open (incomplete) child items. Before closing, verify all child portfolio items, stories, defects, and tasks are either closed or moved to another portfolio item. Check the portfolio item details page to see the status of all child items. If children remain open, close them individually or move them to a different portfolio item first.

What happens to relationships when I split a portfolio item?​

All relationships (links, attachments, issues, blocking issues, ideas) from the original portfolio item are copied to the newly created portfolio item. Both the original and new portfolio items maintain these relationships, allowing both items to reference the same documentation, issues, and ideas. Conversations and comment history remain only on the original item.

Why doesn't split create two equal portfolio items?​

Split divides work by completion status, not by size or estimate. The original portfolio item retains all closed (completed) work, while the new portfolio item gets all open (incomplete) work. This creates an accurate historical record: the original shows what was delivered, and the new item shows what remains. If you need to split based on scope rather than completion, manually create a new portfolio item and move specific children.

Can I undo a portfolio item split?​

There's no automatic undo for splits. To reverse a split, manually move the open work items from the new portfolio item back to the original portfolio item, then delete the new portfolio item if it's empty. The Split ID and Split From fields preserve the relationship history, but you'll need to manually reorganize the work items.