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  1. Roadmap
  • Shorter Loop Help Center
  • Gettting Started
    • How to Get Started With Shorter Loop Easily? Shorter Loop User Onboarding Guide
    • How to Clear Cache and Hard Reload Browsers?
  • Capabilites
    • Beyond the Double Diamond: The Ultimate End-to-End Product Management Framework with Shorter Loop
    • Discover
      • How to start with Product Discovery?
      • Product Vision
        • How do I access the Product Vision Canvas in Shorter Loop?
        • How do I create and manage personas directly from the Product Vision Canvas?
        • What are the key components of an effective Product Vision Canvas?
        • What are Connected Canvases and how do they work in Shorter Loop?
        • How do I unlink target groups from personas, and what are the implications?
        • How does the AI-powered content generation work in the Product Vision Canvas?
        • How do I define the 'Product' section of the Product Vision Canvas?
        • How do I set effective 'Business Objectives' in the Product Vision Canvas?
        • How should I structure my Vision Statement for maximum impact?
        • How do I collaborate effectively with my team using the Product Vision Canvas?
        • How do I measure the success and impact of my Product Vision Canvas?
        • How can I use colors to highlight and organize cards in the Product Vision Canvas?
      • User Persona
        • How do I access and navigate the User Persona Canvas in Shorter Loop?
        • How do I create a new User Persona from scratch?
        • How do I add and customize demographic fields for my persona?
        • What is the recommended sequence for completing persona key elements?
        • How do I create Value Proposition that address my personal needs?
        • How do I upload attachments and research files to generate automated insights?
        • How do I share and export User Personas with my team?
        • How to create strategic opportunities from my User Persona insights?
        • How do I effectively name and organize User Personas?
      • Business Model
        • How do I access and start creating my Business Model Canvas in Shorter Loop?
        • Can I collaborate with my team on the same Business Model Canvas?
        • How does the Business Model Canvas integrate with other Shorter Loop discovery tools?
        • What's the difference between the Canvas, Notes, and Experiments tabs in the Business Model section?
        • How do I use the "+ ADD" buttons effectively to build comprehensive business model sections
        • Can I export or share my Business Model Canvas with investors and stakeholders?
        • How does Shorter Loop's Business Model Canvas help me identify new revenue opportunities?
        • What makes Shorter Loop's Business Model Canvas different from free alternatives like Strategyzer?
        • How do I connect my User Persona Canvas with the Business Model Canvas?
      • Feedback Manager
        • How do I access the Feedback Manager in Shorter Loop?
        • What is Shorter Loop's Ideas & Issues system and how does it organize feedback?
        • What does the main Feedback Manager dashboard show me?
        • How do I turn ideas and issues into actionable work items?
        • How do I disconnect or unlink work items from ideas?
        • What information can I see in the work item quick view?
        • How do I filter and sort ideas and issues?
        • How do I create new ideas and issues?
        • How does voting work in the Feedback Manager?
        • What makes Shorter Loop's connected canvas approach unique?
        • How do I manage categories and organize feedback effectively?
        • What are Collections and how do they help organize feedback?
        • How does AI-powered collection generation work?
        • How do I create custom collections manually?
        • What can I do within a collection page?
        • How do I publish and manage collection visibility?
        • How does the AI summarization feature work?
        • How do I create opportunities from collection insights?
        • How does the "Identify more opportunities" feature work?
        • What types of opportunities does the AI identify?
        • How do I convert AI-identified opportunities into actionable work item?
        • How does opportunity status tracking work in Shorter Loop?
        • How does the "Connect to work item" feature integrate with product backlogs?
        • What makes Shorter Loop's opportunity identification unique?
        • How do I manage settings for my Feedback Portal, including custom domains and categories?
        • How do I control and customize the status of Ideas and Issues in Shorter Loop?
        • How can I import existing feedback and invite users to the Feedback Portal?
        • How do I manage and utilize User Segments in Shorter Loop?
        • How to Integrate Slack with Shorter Loop?
        • How do I manage my Shorter Loop profile, connect Slack, and view my voting activity?
        • Can I be a member of multiple Feedback Manager portals with on email address?
    • Strategize
      • Objectives
        • How do I define an experiment's hypothesis and success criteria?
        • How do I set up and track Key Results (OKRs) for an Objective?
        • How do I access the Product Strategy board to get started?
        • How do I navigate between my Objectives, Opportunities, Solutions, and Experiments?
        • What are the different ways I can view and edit the details of a strategic item?
        • How do I create my first Objective?
        • How do I set the strategic "Alignment" to show an Objective's priority?
        • How do I assign Owners and Teams to ensure accountability?
        • What are "Themes" and how can I use them to organize my strategy?
        • How can I add attachments or web links for more context?
        • How do I link an Opportunity to an Objective?
        • How can I see all the work (Opportunities, Solutions, etc.) related to one Objective?
        • What is the Opportunities Map and how do I use it to visualize my strategy?
        • How can I view and manage all experiments related to an objective?
        • How do I update the status of an experiment?
        • How can I see key details like budget and due date on an experiment card?
        • How can I visually track the progress of all work related to an Objective?
        • How can my team collaborate and discuss a specific Objective?
        • How can I use the "Notes" tab for documentation?
        • How can I filter my Strategy Board to find specific items?
        • How can I see the financial upside of an Opportunity?
        • What do the "Spread" and "Intensity" metrics on an Opportunity mean?
        • How do I share or delete a strategic item?
        • How do I use Storymaps and connect my strategy to my roadmap?
      • Roadmap
        • How to apply Filters on the Roadmap?
        • How to Create a Roadmap in Shorter Loop?
        • How to Save or Share a Roadmap in one Click?
        • How does drag‑and‑drop work in Shorter Loop’s Roadmap feature?
        • Why a Feature Disappears from the Roadmap After Removal
        • What is Org Portfolio, and how does it work in Shorter Loop?
        • Who can access and manage Org Portfolio features?
        • How do I create and configure organization-wide themes?
        • What happens when I create an Org Roadmap and how does it affect product roadmaps?
        • How do product teams align their objectives and work items to org themes?
        • What are custom swimlanes, and how do they work with org themes?
        • How do I manage intervals and timeline planning in Org Roadmaps?
        • How do I filter and search within Org Portfolio views?
        • How do I delete an Org Roadmap and what are the implications?
        • How do themes integrate with product objectives and what visibility do I get?
        • What export and sharing options are available in Org Roadmap?
        • What are the key differences between Product Roadmaps and Org Roadmaps?
  • Product Integrations
    • Jira
      • Set up 2-way Jira Sync with Shorter Loop for Epics, Features, and Stories
      • Why is Shorter Loop a more comprehensive product management solution than Jira?
      • Can feedback be linked to the original Sprint ticket from which the idea was generated?
      • Is there a way to bucketize items by status, like in progress, testing, etc.?
      • How to reopen closed work items and tickets in Shorter Loop and Jira integration?
      • If I have editor access in Shorter Loop but not in JIRA, can I still access or make changes in JIRA through Shorter Loop?
      • If I have access to JIRA but not Shorter Loop, and make changes in JIRA, will it reflect in Shorter Loop?
      • Shouldn't we categorize an issue into development only after linking it to JIRA?
      • So, if we raise an issue in Shorter Loop, will it go and become a ticket in JIRA?
      • Is it possible to see the Jira status of the work item in Shorter Loop?
      • Does the change in status in Shorter Loop make the changes in Jira?
      • How to fix Jira API token authentication issues in Shorter Loop integration?
      • Does Shorter Loop provide nesting like Jira?
      • Is there a visual way to see parent-child work items (like nesting in Jira) at once in Shorter Loop (like a board)?
      • Does Shorter Loop provide freedom to create multiple levels of hierarchy (nesting) in Product Backlog?
      • What’s the difference between nesting in Jira and Shorter Loop?
      • What changes appear in Jira if you delete any work item from Shorter Loop’s Backlog?
  • Using Shorter Loop
    • How to Create a Strategy Board in Shorter Loop?
    • Does Shorter Loop Support Other weight-based prioritization methods, such as customizing the weights other than effort/value, spread intensity, RICE, etc.?
    • Does Shorter Loop provide migration assistance?
    • How to Build a Product Backlog?
    • Persona Canvas: Understand Your Target Users
    • How to create a Prioritization Matrix? - Shorter Loop
    • How to create a User Story Map? - Shorter Loop
    • How to Create a Document in Shorter Loop? - Shorter Loop
    • How to Collaborate on Digital Whiteboard?
    • How to Use Idea Manager in an End-to-End Product Journey?
    • How to view the version history?
    • How to Share or Delete the particular Whiteboard?
    • How to start with Product Discovery? - Shorter Loop
  • Account Settings
    • Billing & plan management
      • How to Upgrade Your Trial to an Active Plan
      • Can I change my subscription plan after the trial?
      • What happens to my product discovery data during plan changes?
      • How does seat billing work for teams?
      • Can I pause my Shorter Loop subscription?
      • What are the feature limits and restrictions for each plan?
      • How to Upgrade to a Paid Plan? - Shorter Loop
      • How to Upgrade to a Paid Plan?
      • How do I increase the number of seats on my subscription?
    • Profile Management
      • Subscription
        • How to access Subscription Settings in Shorter Loop dashboard?
        • What information is displayed in the Subscription Summary section?
        • How to add new products to your Shorter Loop subscription?
        • How to manage users and assign roles in your Shorter Loop subscription?
        • How to view and manage your subscription plan details?
        • How to manage AI & Storage in your Shorter Loop subscription?
        • What user roles are available in Shorter Loop and what are their permissions?
        • How to change your subscription name and logo in Shorter Loop?
        • What user roles are available in Shorter Loop and what are their permissions?
        • How to update payment methods and view billing history in Shorter Loop?
        • How to upgrade or downgrade your Shorter Loop subscription plan?
        • How to remove or deactivate users from your Shorter Loop subscription?
        • What happens when you reach your AI & Storage limit in Shorter Loop?
        • What are the image requirements for profile photos in Subscription Settings?
      • Product
        • How to access Product Settings and manage product-specific configurations?
        • What information is displayed in the Product Summary section?
        • How to manage users and assign roles within a specific product?
        • How does product-level AI & Storage management work compared to subscription-level?
        • What happens when you invite new members to a product vs the subscription?
        • How to Purge, Restore, and Permanently Purge Data in Shorter Loop?
      • Team
        • How to access and navigate to team management in Shorter Loop?
        • How to create and manage teams within a product?
        • How to manage team members and assign roles within a specific team?
        • How to invite new members to a team and manage bulk operations?
        • How to delete teams and understand the impact on work items?
      • User
        • How to edit and update your user profile settings in Shorter Loop?
        • How to change your email address in Shorter Loop account settings?
        • What is the difference between Display Name and Full Name in Shorter Loop profile settings?
        • How to change your password in Shorter Loop dashboard after login?
        • How to upload and change your profile picture in Shorter Loop?
    • Team Management
      • Adding New Members to Your Shorter Loop
      • What are the different user roles in Shorter Loop and what permissions does each role have?
      • How do I invite new members to my Shorter Loop account?
      • How do I change a team member's role or permissions?
      • How do I add members to specific products in my subscription?
      • How do I manage team members within a specific team?
      • How do I view and manage all members in my account?
      • What's the difference between subscription-level and product-level member access?
      • How do I deactivate or reactivate team members?
      • Can the same person have different roles in different products or teams?
      • What happens when I invite someone who's already in my subscription to a new product or team?
      • Can a subscription member be part of multiple Shorter Loop subscriptions?
  1. Roadmap

What are custom swimlanes, and how do they work with org themes?

Custom swimlanes provide product teams with flexibility to organize their roadmaps while maintaining alignment with organizational themes. They enable product-specific categorization that complements the strategic framework established by org themes.

Custom Swimlane Functionality:#

Product-Level Creation:
Team Control: Product teams can create custom swimlanes within their Org Roadmap view
Product-Specific: Custom swimlanes are unique to each product, not shared organization-wide
Flexible Organization: Organize objectives and work items by product-specific categories
Strategic Complement: Work alongside org themes to provide comprehensive roadmap organization
Swimlane Hierarchy:
Themes First: Org themes always appear at the top of the swimlane list
Custom Below: Custom swimlanes appear below all org themes
New Theme Priority: Newly created org themes automatically move above custom swimlanes
Visual Distinction: Clear differentiation between strategic themes and product-specific organization

Creating and Managing Custom Swimlanes:#

Creation Process:
Navigate to your product's Org Roadmap view
Look for "Add Swimlane"
Define swimlane name and purpose
Begin organizing objectives and work items within the new swimlane
Use Cases for Custom Swimlanes:
Technical Categories: Infrastructure, Platform, Core Features
Customer Segments: Enterprise Features, SMB Tools, Consumer Experience
Development Phases: Research, Development, Testing, Launch
Product Areas: User Interface, Backend, Integration, Analytics
Priority Levels: Must-Have, Nice-to-Have, Future Considerations

Alignment Flexibility:#

Mixed Alignment Strategy:
Strategic Objectives: Align major initiatives to org themes
Product-Specific Work: Use custom swimlanes for internal organization
Balanced Approach: Combine both alignment types for comprehensive roadmap organization
Team Autonomy: Product teams maintain control over their specific organizational needs
Interval-Based Organization:
Per-Interval Alignment: Objectives and work items can be aligned to different swimlanes per interval
Timeline Flexibility: Alignment can change across different roadmap periods
Strategic Evolution: Accommodate changing priorities and strategic focus over time
Resource Allocation: Better resource planning through clear interval-based organization

Best Practices for Custom Swimlanes:#

Strategic Naming:
Use clear, descriptive names that reflect product-specific categories
Avoid overlap with org theme naming to prevent confusion
Consider long-term relevance when creating swimlane categories
Align naming conventions across product teams for consistency
Organizational Strategy:
Complement, Don't Compete: Custom swimlanes should enhance, not replace, theme alignment
Strategic Balance: Ensure major initiatives align to org themes while using custom swimlanes for supporting work
Team Communication: Clearly communicate swimlane purpose and usage to all team members
Regular Review: Periodically assess custom swimlane effectiveness and relevance
Modified at 2025-08-20 09:48:50
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