Populate a box with data (scope definition)

Contents: 1 What will I learn on this page? 2 Why do I need to define scope? 3 Start Simple: One Project, Narrowed Down 4 Scope Types – Behind the Scenes 5 Explore Other Ways to Populate Scope 6 Prerequisites 7 Troubleshooting Scope Issues 8 Feature Highlight: Scope Definition Panel

Contents: 1 What will I learn on this page? 2 Why do I need to define scope? 3 Start Simple: One Project, Narrowed Down 4 Scope Types – Behind the Scenes 5 Explore Other Ways to Populate Scope 6 Prerequisites 7 Troubleshooting Scope Issues 8 Feature Highlight: Scope Definition Panel

What will I learn on this page?

On this page, we will show you how to get tasks from your Jira project into BigPicture.

You will learn:

What is scope.
How to prepare scope definition.

Why do I need to define scope?

Before planning, scheduling, or analyzing your work in BigPicture, you need to tell the app what data to include. That process is called scope definition, and it determines which tasks appear in your box.

BigPicture gives you flexibility in defining scope. Whether you're working from a single Jira project or combining work across boards or filters, it's easy to fine-tune what’s included.

Start Simple: One Project, Narrowed Down

Let’s walk through a typical scenario: You want to visualize tasks from a single Jira project - but you don’t need to include everything, like bugs.

Here’s how to do it:

Choose your box (or create a new one).
Go to Box configuration → Tasks → Scope definition.
Choose a Jira project.
Use the Exclude filter to remove certain issue types (for example, Bugs).
Click Save.

Your box now includes only relevant work items from the project tailored to your current planning needs.

Scope Types – Behind the Scenes

Each box has a scope type (Own scope, Sub-scope, None), which defines how the scope behaves (and what options are available) based on the box type (for example, Program, Iteration, ART).
By default, BigPicture sets this for you, so you rarely need to change it - but it helps power features like task synchronization and structure building.

Explore Other Ways to Populate Scope

BigPicture supports a wide range of setups beyond the default project-based scenario:

Jira boards: Great for Agile teams using Scrum or Kanban. Pull in all work associated with a board.
Jira filters: Use saved filters or JQL to define highly customized views of your data.
Multiple projects: Combine tasks from several Jira projects in one place.

💡 BigPicture is flexible - you can adjust the scope anytime as your planning needs evolve.

Prerequisites

Make sure your box is created and active.
Make sure you are a box admin.
Need help setting a box up? → check how to create a box in BigPicture.

Also, check that you have access to at least one Jira project, board, or saved filter. You’ll need this to define your scope.

Troubleshooting Scope Issues

If tasks aren’t showing up as expected:

Make sure the correct data source is connected.
Check that filters or exclusions aren’t removing the items you’re looking for.
Confirm that the scope owner (who added the source) still has permission to access the Jira project or filter. If they don’t, the box can lose visibility into that data.

Feature Highlight: Scope Definition Panel

The Scope definition panel in each box gives you complete control over which tasks are included:

Add or remove data sources (projects, boards, filters)
Exclude issue types or apply JQL
View current scope owner and permissions

You’ll find it under:
Box configuration → Tasks → Scope definition