Project Management calendar color customization?

[Sabrina Beach]

Hi, Atlassians!

In the Project Management project (Create project > Work management > Project Management), there is a calendar view available that displays issues using colors based on the workflow status.  This is outlined in the following article:

https://support.atlassian.com/jira-work-management/docs/view-an-issues-status-by-color-and-filter-your-calendar/#View-the-status-category-of-your-issue-by-its-color

My Project Management Office asked yesterday whether it is possible to change the field the colors are based on and the colors used.  For example, if they wanted to base the colors on Priority instead of Status and change the default colors, can they do this?  I haven't found anything specific to choosing a field or selecting colors outside of a Gantt view for a Timeline or Plan. 

Am I missing something?  Is there a setting somewhere that would allow my PMO to customize the field or colors used for visualization?

Another question they asked is whether it's possible to view more than one month at a time.  Say, for example, they wanted to view project work for the current quarter, is there a way to view three months instead of just the one shown by default?

Many thanks! 

[Mary from Planyway]

Hi @Sabrina Beach 

Customization options for these views in Work Management, particularly regarding colors and the fields they represent, can be somewhat limited compared to the customization available in Jira Software or Jira Service Management.

Changing Colors Based on Different Fields

For calendar views in Jira Work Management, colors are typically used to represent the status of issues, which aligns with the workflow states (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done). The ability to change the field that the colors are based on (e.g., changing from Status to Priority) directly within the calendar view is not a built-in feature. This limitation also extends to customizing the colors used to represent different statuses or other fields within the calendar view.

There are a couple of potential workarounds, but they may not provide the exact functionality your PMO is looking for:

1. Dashboards and Gadgets: You might use Jira dashboards and select gadgets that allow for some degree of customization in how issues are displayed, potentially including colors based on certain fields. However, this would be more about reporting and less about managing work directly from a calendar view.

2. Marketplace Apps: The Atlassian Marketplace offers various apps that extend Jira's functionality, including more advanced calendar views, reporting tools, and visualization options. Planyway calendar/timeline for example uses Issues types for color-coding.

Viewing More Than One Month at a Time

Regarding the capability to view more than one month at a time, such as viewing an entire quarter, the default calendar view in Jira Work Management is generally limited to a monthly view. This is part of the design to keep the calendar view simple and straightforward.

To achieve a multi-month or quarterly view, consider the following options:

• Gantt Charts or Roadmaps: For project planning over longer periods, Gantt charts or roadmap features in Jira (or through Marketplace apps like Planyway) might be more suitable. These tools are designed for longer-term planning and can provide a broader overview of project timelines.

• Dashboards: As with the customization of colors, dashboards can be used to create overviews of project work spanning multiple months. While not a calendar per se, gadgets can be configured to display issues based on due dates, sprints, or other time frames that span several months.