Availability
Overview
Portfolio nesting allows a portfolio to be created inside a portfolio, called parent portfolio, so that the former is henceforth a lower level portfolio, or sub-portfolio. Birdview supports an unlimited number of sub-portfolios.
Portfolio nesting is useful in an organization or work system where an extensive network of projects calls for having several portfolios of different levels.
Coupled with portfolio custom fields, portfolio nesting allows an organization to maintain a diverse operating environment.
Adding sub-portfolios
Creating a sub-portfolio is identical in every way to creating a portfolio except for indicating a parent portfolio to set a parent-child relationship.
To add a sub-portfolio follow these steps:
- Click through Company settings > Portfolios.
- Click + Add portfolio.
- Select a parent portfolio in the Parent portfolio field.
- Fill in the other fields as required.
Access conventions & permissions
The following rules of thumb apply to the members of parent and sub-portfolios.
- A member of a parent portfolio can view all its sub-portfolios.
- A member of a sub-portfolio can view all its parent portfolios but not the projects belonging to them.
- A portfolio member's permissions in a sub-portfolio take precedence over the member's permissions in a parent portfolio. It follows that the member's permissions (according to their portfolio role) in a parent portfolio will take effect for only those sub-portfolios where the member is NOT included.
Use case
Suppose there are a parent portfolio ABC, its sub-portfolio ABC Quarter I and the latter's sub-portfolio ABC Quarter I January (three level nesting).
John Smith is a portfolio manager in ABC, a portfolio participant in ABC Quarter I and is not included in ABC Quarter I January. Elen Doe is a portfolio manager in ABC Quarter I January.
According to Rule I John Smith will see all three portfolios. However, Rule III says that while he will be able to view and edit projects and everything else (activities, time entries, etc.) in ABC Quarter I January, neither projects nor any other entities will be visible to him in ABC Quarter I because of the limited permissions he has in that portfolio, which take precedence over the parent portfolio's permissions.
According to Rule II, Elen Doe will view the portfolios above but nothing else in them.
Trans-spatial property
Portfolios can include dozens or hundreds of projects, which may belong in various spaces. It is important therefore that portfolios remain trans-spatial, i.e. the portfolio manager can access projects even in spaces where he or she is not a member. Otherwise it would defeat the purpose of the access level (managing all projects in the portfolio).
Accordingly, the Manage all portfolios global permission works across all spaces, too. In other words, if you have the permission, you will be able to manage any project in any portfolio where you are not a member, otherwise your portfolio access level applies. However, you will not be able to add non-space members to such projects unless you have administrative rights in that space.