When you first open your account with Craft.io, building your backlog is one of the first actions you'll want to perform after aligning your data model.
The backlog usually exists in another space, such as a spreadsheet or platform/dev tool. If you have not yet chosen to integrate Craft.io workspace with your dev tool, importing the backlog via CSV is possible.
The import of the backlog from a CSV file can help you save valuable time by eliminating the need to insert those items manually.
Getting started and general instructions
Importing your backlog can be accomplished by following the below steps:
Go to Settings => Integrations & Imports
Under the 'Import from file' section, select 'Import' next to the CSV option
Please follow the below instructions to ensure the items will be imported from the file seamlessly-
Only one item type can be imported at a time, so if your CSV contains multiple types (e.g., Epics and Features), you'll need to run the import process separately for each work item type. This impacts the data architecture, read more about it in the next section.
Start with importing your Epics, and then proceed to lower-level item types.
The file must have a .csv extension and be saved in UTF-8 encoding.
CSV columns must contain unique headers.
All items must have a title, in order to be recognized and imported.
Ensure that date values are in the MM/DD/YYYY format. Rows that contain dates of a different format will cause the import to fail.
Ensure there are no special characters in the CSV.
The first 10 rows of the CSV file will be presented as a sanity check, before proceeding with the process.
Maintain the data architecture
Product allocation
Products in Craft.io serve as containers, to assist with categorizing your work items.
In preparation for performing an import, it is required to manually create in the platform those Products, to align with Craft.io's data model.
To seamlessly nest the work items under their designated Product, map the Product column with 'Parent'.
When a value under Product column from the CSV is recognized to match a Product in Craft.io, the Epic will be appropriately nested under that Product.
Maintaining work items' parent-child relationship
As mentioned, only one item type can be imported at a time, hence it is required to import children items separately from their parents.
In order to preserve the parent-child relationship of these work items, please include in your Features CSV a dedicated column for Epics.
Then, similarly to Product level, once Epic column is mapped to 'parent', the Features will be properly located under their parent Epic.
That is, as long as the Epic was already created in the platform.
System fields
If your CSV file includes columns that map with Craft.io's system fields (i.e. Quarter, status, Sprint etc.), it is recommended to populate the relevant values in Craft.io ahead of the import.
Suppose, for example, your product lifecycle includes 10 statuses; before importing those values, add them through the Workspace settings.
Item type and column mapping
The screen is comprised of three steps-
Specify which item type the items will be imported as, and map columns for title and description
Map CSV columns to Craft.io Custom FIelds
One of the main advantages of the import function is that it allows you to effortlessly populate work item properties such as Quarter, region or T-shirt size, at the point of insertion.
If columns from your CSV were not created as Custom Fields ahead of time, you can create new Custom Fields directly from this screen-
Destination of imported items
In the event that the Product level (which serves as a container) was not mapped in step #2, you'll be prompted to select a Product that the work items will be nested under, as a destination.
Data validation
Before completing the import process, you have the opportunity to validate the data.
This aids in surfacing any broken field mapping or items that failed to import.
The error log can be exported for further investigation.
The import process
Once data validation is complete, the process can be completed by clicking on the 'import' button.
When the import completes, you can navigate directly to view your items in the backlog.
The table view you will land it will be automatically filtered using a label that indicates how the items were created in the platform and a time stamp.
Now you're all set, great job!👏👏👏
You can start managing your backlog, along with its importance, priorities, and capacity in Craft.io.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to your customer success manager or our support team at support@craft.io.