New Gantt chart! See releases, epics, and features in one view

Last updated: February 2024

How do you group work items so the entire product plan fits together? Many product managers use releases, epics, and features. Releases provide a container for work that will be delivered in a specific time frame. Epics are bodies of work comprised of many features. And features define a functional component that supports a specific use case. Today's update lets you see each of these — in one view.

Now, you can view features nested in their epics and releases on a new Gantt chart in Aha! Roadmaps.

Gantt charts are a great way to visualize cross-functional plans on an interactive timeline. You could already choose whether to view features on a Gantt grouped by release or epic. But you told us you wanted a single view that combined them both — so you can see every aspect of your plan without switching between charts.

When you create a Gantt chart, you will see a new Gantt type called Releases, epics, and features. This view shows releases as the outermost container for work. Expand a release to see its epics and features. External epics will also appear in this view if they contain a feature in the release. This gives you the full view of how your work fits together. As always, you will see any dependencies that exist between work items so you can coordinate timing and manage risks.

As part of today's update, we also made it possible to view features nested within their epics and initiatives on the strategy roadmap. Simply select Nest features and epics in the Customize view menu.

Let's take a closer look at the new Gantt chart:

See the complete plan

Manage complex cross-functional plans with greater clarity. Here, we selected Releases, epics, and features from the Gantt type dropdown menu and filtered by our "Marketplace 3.0" release. When we expand the release, we can see all of the features neatly organized by epic. Gray dependency lines highlight dependencies between work items — so we can identify potential risks and coordinate timing across the team.

Of course, this Gantt type also works well for managing multiple releases at once. You can see how work for epics is delivered across releases and view all of the dependencies that impact your plan.

A greater understanding of your product plans makes them more achievable.

We hope this new Gantt view helps you navigate your intricate product plans more efficiently — and keeps your team on the right path. As you complete each release, use the release retrospective report to reflect on your performance and identify areas for continuous improvement.

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Aha! Roadmaps is the best way to set strategy, prioritize features, and share visual plans. It includes Aha! Ideas Essentials for crowdsourcing feedback. If you are interested in an integrated product development approach, use Aha! Roadmaps and Aha! Develop together. Sign up for a free 30-day trial or join a live demo to see why more than 700,000 product builders trust our software to build lovable products and be happy doing it.

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