Glossary

A

Accessibility mode
Optimized user interface for physically disabled users.
The accessibility mode can be activated in the account settings (System preferences).
Note: When activated, the backlogs plugin cannot be used.

Action menu
In the work package detail view the action menu can be opened by selecting “More functions”.
Work package specific options can be selected via the action menu (e.g. log time on work package, delete work package).
In order to display some of the options, the respective modules have been activated (e.g. Time tracking in order to log time).

Activity
Module that displays the actions performed in a project over a certain period of time.

Admin
See system admin.

Admin navigation
Side navigation in the admin settings. The admin navigation contains options which are not project-specific but apply to the entire OpenProject instance (all projects).

Admin settings
Configuration area in which global settings can be changed.
Admin settings can be accessed via Modules > Administration.

Assignee
The person who is assigned a work package. The assignee is the person in charge for actually doing the work.

Author
The person who creates a work package.

Auto-completion
Titles and IDs of OpenProject support auto-completion. When entering a work package’s ID or subject in any text area (e.g. wiki page, work package description), a list of possible options is displayed.

B

Backlogs
Plugin that allows to use the backlogs feature in OpenProject.
In order to use Backlogs in a project, the backlogs plugin has to be installed and the backlogs module has to be activated in the project settings of a project (the accessibility mode has to be deactivated).

Breadcrumb
Navigation below top navigation that shows the path of the current page to from the main page. Previous elements in the breadcrumb link to top level pages of the current page.

C

Calendar
Module that allows to display and use a calendar in a project.

Comment
Journal entry in history which contains text entered by the user.

Configure menu item
Option to change the name and visibility of a menu item of a wiki page.
Frequently used wiki pages can be added to the side navigation for easier
access.

Context menu
Option to select functionality via right-click.
The context menu is currently only available in the work package list and can be accessed by selecting one or several work packages and then right-clicking on them.

Copy project
Functionality to copy existing projects from either the Admin area or in the project settings.

Cost Control
Plugin to display and use budgets in projects.
The plugin has to be activated as a module in the project settings to be displayed in the side navigation.

Cost Reports
Plugin to filter cost reports on individual or multiple users across individual or multiple projects.
The plugin has to be activated as a module in the project settings to be displayed in the side navigation.

Cost Types
Types of costs that can be defined by system admins (e.g. Scrum development).

Custom field
Additional value fields which can be added to existing value fields.
The different sections that can use custom fields are work packages, spent time, projects, versions, users, groups, activities (time tracking), and work package priorities.

Custom query
Saved filters and groupings in work package list. Custom queries can be either set to public (visible by any user who is allowed to see the project and the work package list) or to private (visible only to the person creating the query).

D

Delete
Option to delete items (e.g. work packages, wikis).

Dependency (between projects)
Undirected relationship between projects.
Dependencies are displayed in the project navigation when the Timelines module in the project is activated and the project is assigned a project type.
Dependencies are used for the second grouping criterion in the Timeline configuration.

Description
Text area (e.g. for work packages, wikis, forums) to enter details.

Displayed sum
Sum of attributes of work packages which are summeable (e.g. story points, hours).

Due date
End date of a work package.

E

Email notification setting
Configuration option which allows a user to define on which events he wants to be notified via email.
The email configuration settings can be changed in the My account page.

Enumerations
Menu item in admin settings that allows the configuration of Activities (for time tracking), project status and work package priorities.

Estimated time
Time (in hours) required to complete a work package.

F

Filters
Filtering options applicable to work package list. Filter options can be saved via custom queries.

Forum
Module used to display forums and forum entries. The module has to be activated in the project settings and a forum has to be created in the forums tab in the project settings to be displayed in the side navigation.

G

Group
List of users which can be assigned to a project with a certain role.
New groups can be defined in the admin settings (Modules > Administration).

Group results by
Grouping functionality in the work package list. When applying filters to the work package list, the filtered results can be grouped by different properties (such as Project, Type or Status).

H

History
List of journal entries that display changes and comments (in either chronological or reverse chronological order).
History exists for work packages, wikis,

I

(Work package) ID
Unique integer assigned to a newly created work package.
Work package IDs cannot be changed and are numbered across all projects of an OpenProject instance (therefore, the numbering within a project may not be sequential).

(Project) Identifier
Unique name used to identify projects.
Project identifiers can be changed in the project settings.

Initial outline expansion
Setting in the timeline configuration that defines the displayed level of aggregation of a timeline.

J

Journal entry
Data entry created when a change has been performed or a comment has been added.

K

L

Landing page administration
Menu for configuring the landing page.
The landing page administration can be accessed via Modules > Landing page administration.

M

Member
Project member in a project. Project members are added in the members tab in the project settings.

Meetings
Module that allows the organization of meetings.
The module has to be activated in the project settings in order to be displayed in the side navigation.

Milestone
Work package with the same start and end date.
Types can be defined as milestones in the admin settings.

(Work package) Modal view
Work package form that is opened in an overlay window instead of a separate page.

Module
Independent unit of functionality that can be used to extend and improve the existing core functions.
Modules can be activated and deactivated in the project settings (information tab).

My account
User-specific menu which allows the configuration of settings which only apply to the current user (e.g. Password changes, (de-)activation of accessibility mode, email notifications, etc.)
Access My account by clicking on your username in the upper right corner and selecting “My account”.

My page
Personalizable user-specific page which functions as a dashboard for a user. Different page blocks can be added to the my page which can be positioned on the my page. The My Page of a user can only be viewed by the user himself.

N

News
Module that allows the publication and use of news entries.

O

Overview page
Dashboard that shows a projects properties at a glance (such as project description, details and members).

P

Page block
Block of information that is displayed on My page. My page blocks can be added to, moved, hidden from and removed from the my page.

Permissions
Rights which can be assigned to specific roles to restrict or allow actions for users based on individual projects.
The assignment of permissions to roles can be done in the admin settings.

Permissions report
Overview of all roles defined in an OpenProject instance and their permissions.
The permission report is an M x N matrix, where M is the number of permissions and N the number of roles.
The permission report can be accessed in the admin setting ("Roles and permissions in the admin navigation).

Phase
Work package with different start and end date.
Types can be defined as phase in the admin settings.

Preview
Functionality that allows users to display the current state of the text area (e.g. description, comment) they are working on without having to save the work first. Preview functionality exists for work packages, news, wiki pages an forums.

Priority
See work package priority.

Private project
Project that is only visible to project members.
The visibility of a project can be changed in the project settings.

Product backlog
Prioritized list of all features and functionality needed to complete a
project. (Version displayed in the right column of the backlogs page).
Compared to the sprint backlog there are fewer options available for the product backlog.

Profile page
Plugin that allows the use of surveys in the account settings.

Project
An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.
Projects are the central organizational unit in OpenProject.

Project navigation
Side navigation within a project. Entries in the project navigation can be added and removed by activating and deactivating modules in the project settings.

Project settings
Project-specific setting configuration. The project settings contain general settings (e.g. the name and ID of the project), configuration of modules, the members configuration, version settings, work package categories, repository settings, Types configuration and Backlog settings (if plugin is installed).

Project surveys
Plugin that allows the use of surveys on an OpenProject instance.

Project type
Attribute that is assigned to a project and allows the grouping of projects based on defined types.
Project types are used in the timeline configuration.

Public project
Project that is visible to any user regardless of project membership.
The visibility of a project can be changed in the project settings.

Q

Query
A saved work package list which may contain filters, grouping criteria and displayed sums.
Queries can either be set to private (in which case they are only visible to the user who created them) or public (in which case every user who is allowed to see the project and work packages therein, can also see the created query).
Via query menu items queries can be added to the project navigation.

R

Remaining hours
Attribute of work package which is assigned assigned a float number larger than or equal to zero.
Remaining hours can be used to track the progress of a work package.

Repository
Document management system that allows users to manage files and folders via different version control system (SVN or Git).

Responsible
Person accountable for a work package or project. In contrast to the assignee, the responsible is not the person actually executing the work.

Roadmap
Overview page displaying the versions sorted alphabetically and the work packages assigned to them.
The roadmap is displayed in the project navigation when the work package module is activated and a version has been created (project settings).

Role
A set of permissions defined by a unique name.
Project members are assigned to a project by specifying a user’s or group’s name and the role(s) the user should assume in the project.

Roles and permissions page
Configuration page in the admin settings which allows the creation and update of roles and the assignment of permissions to these roles.

S

Settings page
Entry in the admin navigation (in admin settings) for changing instance-wide configurations.

Side navigation
Navigation on the left side of the application.
The side navigation can be separated in the project navigation (in the user area) and the admin navigation (in the admin settings).

Sprint
See sprint backlog.

Sprint backlog
Version displayed in left column of backlogs page.
There are more selection options available for the sprint backlog compared to the product backlog (e.g. task board or sprint wiki).

Sprint wiki
Wiki page associated with a sprint backlog.

Start date
The beginning date of a work package.

Status
See work package status.

Status reporting
Reporting relationship between different project. Reporting relationships can be assigned a project status.
Status reportings can be used to display multiple projects (and the associated work packages) in a single timeline: The reporting project and its work packages are displayed in the timeline of the project that is reported to.

Story points
Numbers assigned to a work package used to estimate (relatively) the size of the work.

Subject
The title of a work package.

Subproject
Child project of another project.
Subprojects can be used to display a hierarchy of projects.
Several filter options (e.g. in work package list and timeline) can be applied only to the current project and its subprojects.

System admin
User with right to access and make changes to the admin settings of an OpenProject instance.
A user can be made a system admin in the “User” entry in the admin navigation.

T

Target version
The name of the version a work package is assigned to.

Themes
A plugin which allows to customize the look of an OpenProject instance.
In order to use a theme, the plugin has to be installed.

Time tracking
Module which allows users to log time on work packages.
Once the time tracking module is activated, time can be logged via the action menu of a work package.

Timeline
Graphical representation of work package duration (period between start and end date)over a selected period of time (by project).

Timeline configuration
Configuration menu of a timeline.
The menu is displayed when creating a new timeline report or editing an existing one.

Timeline report
Specific incarnation of a timeline.

Top navigation
Navigation bar in the top of the application (containing entries such as “My page”, “Projects” and “Modules”).
The top navigation is just above the breadcrumb.

Type
Category of work packages. Types can be created, edited and deleted in the admin settings.
Examples for types are “Tasks”, “User Stories” or “Questions”.

U

User
Person (described by an identifier) who uses OpenProject. New users can be created in the admin settings.
Users can become project members by assigning them a role and adding them via the project settings.

Updated on
Date signifying the last modification of a work package.

V

Version
Entity which can be assigned work packages and can be displayed as product backlog or sprint backlog in the backlogs page.

W

Watcher
Person following the changes and comments on an entity (such as work packages, wiki pages or forums).
The setting which notifications a user receives when watching an entity can be configured in the email notification settings in the My account settings.

Wiki
Module that allows to use textile-based wiki pages.
In order to use the wiki module, it has to be activated in the project settings.

Work package
Subset of a project that can be assigned to users for execution.
Work packages have a type, an ID and a subject and may have additional attributes, such as assignee, responsible, story points or target version.
Work packages are displayed in a projects timeline (unless they are filtered out in the timeline configuration) - either as milestone or as phase.
In order to use the work packages, the work package module has to be activated in the project settings.

Work package form
Form which contains information regarding a work package.

Work package category
Functionality used to automatically assign a member to a work package by specifying a category.
Work package categories can be defined in the project settings.

Work package priority
The priority defined and assigned to a work package (Default: Low, Medium, High).

Work package summary
List of tables mapping different attributes (e.g. type, priority, assignee) to existing status to display an overview of the projects progress.

Work package status
Word to describe the progress of a work package. Status can be created, deleted and renamed in the admin settings.

Workflow
Allowed transitions between status for a role and a type.
Workflows can be defined in the admin settings.

X

Y

Z

Zoom factor
Level of detail of a selected time range in a timeline.