Parent & child Work Items

Build a flexible Work Item hierarchy to manage projects with less effort.

In Timebook, the concepts of "child" and "parent" Work Items are used to organize work in a hierarchy. The benefit of using parent and child Work Items is that you can break down complex projects into manageable pieces. It helps you track progress and understand how smaller tasks contribute to achieving larger goals.

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A parent Work Item is like the "head of the family," representing a larger project or goal. It's the top-level item that may have several smaller jobs (or sub-items) related to it. The parent Work Item is used to group and organize these smaller ones under one umbrella.

Use the option at the top of the Work Item card to select a parent item.

Add a parent Work Item

1. Open a Work Item card.

2. Press the [Add parent] button at the top of the card.

3. In the dropdown, select one of the Lists and find the Work Item you want to add as the parent. You can use the search bar and filters to narrow down the number of options.

4. Press [Select parent] to confirm your choice. The parent's name is now visible at the top of the card.

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Child Work Items are like smaller parts of a larger project represented by their parent. They are the specific to-do items that must be completed to achieve the project's goals. Child Work Items are linked to the parent item and are organized neatly under it.

Use the dedicated button to link a child Work Item.

Add a child Work Item

1. Open a Work Item card.

2. Press the [Add child] button below the Work Item's name.

3. You can now [Create child item] if you want to create a new Work Item and use it as a child for the current one. Or you can [Link existing item] to select a Work Item already in the system.

4. After adding the first child item, a new section shows on the current Work Item card. It lists all child items and helps you track how many are completed.

Building a hierarchy with parent and child Work Items is not limited to a single pairing.

You can add a child to an existing child item or add a parent to an existing parent item. This way, you can build as complex project structures as you like.

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Related articles:

Work Items (in Planners) List concept

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