Trello includes a large number of powerups to enhance the product’s feature set. These power-ups range from the simplistic to the very complex, but almost all of them have something to offer.
One particular Power-Up came to Trello through Jira and focuses on Work Breakdown Structure, a tool that integrates scope, cost, and schedule baselines to ensure all project plans are aligned. That Power-Up is called BigPicture, and it allows your team leader to manage WBS, filter and display selected data via milestones, markers, critical path, progress, and even custom views to give you an at-a-glance method for evaluating project statuses .
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BigPicture displays your Trello cards as tasks, which can be assigned on a Gantt chart along with the WBS panel. You will also find other features in BigPicture:
- Schedule tasks with drag and drop
- Automation
- Advanced division of labor structure
- Tasks linked using dependency links
- Customizable views
- New tasks via Artificial tasks
- Sort and view cards
I look at BigPicture like a Gantt chart on steroids. This gives you more control over how things are viewed and how you can manage each item in the chart. If Work Breakdown Structure is the way you prefer to manage your projects, BigPicture is just the Trello Power-Up you need.
What you need to install BigPicture on Trello
All you need for this is one valid Trello account. You can use the free or paid plans as Power-Ups are free for all users. That’s all, let’s boost your account.
How to install the BigPicture Power-Up
Installing BigPicture is quite easy. First, log into your Trello account. You can use the web or desktop version of the app. I’ll demonstrate it on the desktop app, running on Pop!_OS Linux, but the process is the same regardless of OS.
Please note that BigPicture is added per board. If you’re using multiple boards, you’ll need to add the Power-Up separately.
Once logged in to Trello, navigate to the board you want to use and click the Power-Ups button at the top of the window (Image A).
Image A
On the Power-Ups page, search for BigPicture, then click its Add button (Figure B). The installation will complete and you can close the Power-Ups window.
Figure B
How to use BigPicture
Back on your board you should now see the BigPicture button (Figure C).
Figure C
Click on BigPicture and the Power-Up will start generating the view. The first time you open BigPicture, it may take a while for the view to be presented. Even after the first opening, BigPicture will take a few seconds to display your data, which is normal.
When BigPicture finally shows up, you’ll see a Gantt chart with a few extra features (Figure D).
Figure D
If you move your cursor over a task, you will see a menu with three buttons. Click on that menu to display a popup (Figures E) which allows you to change the task mode between auto, manual and lock, switch between milestone and normal task and control the sorting of your tasks.
Figures E
You can also drag and drop the tasks in the left pane and drag the timelines in the right pane to change the dates.
If you click the Show drop-down list (Figure F), you can change the Perspective to include basic information, all columns and time tracking, change the layout between compact, normal and wide, show task structure, highlight and critical path, color by label and enable smart labeling.
Figure F
Click the Data drop-down (Figure G) and you can organize, group, expand, collapse, resync and change mode all your tasks. Available job modes are Auto, Manual, and Locking.
Figure G
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If you click the pencil icon (Figure H), you can then move tasks up and down, indent them right or left, and even delete them.
Figure H
Click on a task and a new window opens with that task ready to edit. If you click the gear icon in the top right corner of the BigPicture window, you can change the program leader in the General tab, change the BigPicture owner, and add or remove boards in the Scop definition tab (Figure I).
Figure I
Conclusion
That’s all the Trello BigPicture Power-Up has to offer. For anyone who prefers Gantt charts and the WBS methodology, this Power-Up should be considered a must-use on Trello. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t help you see the big picture of your project more easily.
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