---
title: "Navigating the Planner"
description: "A reference guide to the layout, controls, and navigation elements of the Planner space so you can find everything and work confidently."
url: https://support.mosaicapp.com/en/articles/674-navigating-the-planner
collection: "Getting Started in Planner"
updated: 2026-10-22
language: en
---

# Navigating the Planner

A reference guide to the layout, controls, and navigation elements of the Planner space so you can find everything and work confidently.

## Overview

The Planner space is accessed from the left sidebar. It is available to users with Work Planner permissions or higher. If you do not see Planner in your navigation, contact your admin about your permission level. The Planner has a project list on the left, a timeline calendar on the right, and a set of controls along the top. This guide walks through each area so you know what you are looking at.

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## Page Layout

The Planner has two main areas: the project list on the left and the timeline calendar on the right. Projects are listed vertically. Each project can be expanded to show its team members, open roles, and their work plans on the timeline. Phase schedule bars, milestones, and budget indicators appear on the timeline above the member rows.

![Planner Years view shows a multi-project timeline from September 2026 to September 2027, with project phases and milestones across monthly columns. Visible: Planner, Sep 2026 – Sep 2027, Years, 6 Projects, Work Plans, Sort.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/MEHFDBlw9r4RO09r8nFfccZh5ylIc7kkAUlNzyzQN3mqYjAcyMV3QxXURiOSKWUQs73saBy8kKs.png)

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## Project Selection Panel (Left Column)

This is where you choose which projects to view. Click "Select Projects" in the top-left corner to open the selection modal.

![The Planner screen shows an empty project panel, with a red outline highlighting the Select Projects toolbar and its Work Plans, Sort, and Requests controls. Visible: Planner, Select Projects, Work Plans, Sort, Requests, No Projects Selected.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/ykVXlAKuA2VBu6NWgybPpcWZkE8qEXOuXQRvO2dhCBgMqXeptQC6uUpedGOzUhGpuRnSTYj3mPg.png)

-   **Search bar** — type a project name or number to find it
    
-   **Portfolios** — browse by portfolio. The default view groups projects by portfolio. Click the caret next to a portfolio name to see and select individual projects.
    
-   **Starred portfolio** — your personal shortcut list, always at the top. Star projects from any space to add them here. Starring does not move the project — it creates a shortcut.
    
-   **My Projects** — auto-populated with projects where you have spent time or have future plans
    
-   **Grouping options** — click the Portfolios icon to switch between grouping by Portfolios (default), Members, or All Projects
    

![Planner Projects panel shows the Group By menu open with All Projects, Portfolios, and Members options. Visible: Planner, Projects, Cancel, Done, 1 Filter, Portfolios.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/Ox101h9G7WZs9o7x9ORi9pVaNNGtDvVo6oeLkiWxeeY3cdTomnwaU1vF6i9JwTwjq2tKShaFAup.png)

You can view a maximum of 400 projects at a time in the Planner.

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## Project Filters

When in the Select Projects modal, click the purple **Filter** button to narrow your list using project attributes. Filters can be layered — multiple filters stack on top of each other.

![Projects screen shows a three-filter sidebar and a project list grouped under Starred, My Projects, and Engineering. Visible: Projects, Cancel, Done, 3 Filters, Clear 3 Filters, Project Members.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/1dUMXwpeFISQpRV3eccBp9F8MoJCYe3a3CQP69VlM1zPk2ugycaQw8BDl3fu3gzLqm2Cle8uOuE.png)

By default, Mosaic collapses Archived Projects from view. Use the "Archived Projects" filter to include them if needed.

Click **Done** once you have found all desired projects.

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## Sorting Projects

Once your projects are selected, you can sort them further using the sort options:

-   **Project Title** — alphabetical A to Z or Z to A
    
-   **Project Number** — by reference number, Low to High or High to Low
    
-   **Phase Date** — by the earliest start or end date among all phases within each project
    
-   **Active Work Plans** — by the sum of remaining days across all work plans. Projects with more remaining days appear first.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/RqieM23dUTjodgFHY1EsCEQwza4yvkKVAHZbGgizHsMtjAq6ISO50m45jf1lAJRES9liqdO7cRa.png)

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## Member-Level Filters

To filter what you see by member attributes, click the **three-line icon** at the top of the Planner. A member attribute filter menu appears. You can filter by:

-   Departments
    
-   Disciplines
    
-   Offices
    
-   Open Roles
    
-   People
    
-   Roles
    
-   Skills
    

You can add multiple filters at once. Each selected filter appears as a chip next to the three-line icon. Click a chip to open its attribute options.

![Planner screen with the Filter Members menu open, and a red arrow pointing to the filter button above the schedule. Visible: Planner, Filter Members, Done, Type name or select below, Departments, Disciplines.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/oCNT8fCMRZvn2Fp0Ii5oIdaFUqRNQRJa6jdAlzDek9OX5p0aeQMZuZja58j6b8tPP4DNRMn9M8R.png)

> **Info:** _When you filter by_ **_Skills_**_, each skill expands to show its proficiency levels. Select individual levels, or click_ **_Any Level_** _at the bottom of the proficiency list to select or deselect every level for that skill in one click._

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## Calendar Timeline (Right Side)

The main area showing your project data over time.

-   **Date range controls** — at the top, zoom in (daily view) or out (monthly/yearly) using the controls
    
-   **Today button** — click to jump back to the current date if you have scrolled far
    
-   **Orange indicator** — the current date or week is always highlighted in orange
    
-   **Navigate** — use your mouse or the arrows to scroll left/right through the calendar
    

![Timeline controls](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/afia1BoOqSVJE1Z9lrLwiJf0KDnw7McsZbORO6tDgc538L7guxToa1ohIcz7SMqvw3Dmh92Enj5.png)

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## Timeline Bar Types

Several types of bars and icons appear on the timeline:

-   **Phases and Sub-phases** — solid color bars. A single diamond icon means no sub-phases underneath. A double diamond icon means sub-phases are present.
    
-   **Milestones** — solid color location pin icons on the timeline
    
-   **Work Categories** — solid color outlined bars showing the phase/sub-phase name with the work category name underneath (only applicable for some organizations)
    
-   **Work Plans** — individual member work plan bars shown within expanded project rows
    
-   **Budget bar** — a thin color bar on top of phase bars showing spent (green), planned (yellow), remaining (light green), and over-budget (red)
    
-   **Faded bars** — when the "Work Plan Dates Outside Phase" setting is enabled, faded phase and work plan bars appear for assignments that fall outside the phase's scheduled dates
    

![Phase bars with milestones](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/uXzJ8mV6Vq9448LCg8Y8SsNeQYH2AE0WGCki2rkKlEF6F2EfLynofqTHNp4nhu4f1Id3qlKnbQN.png)

A phase, sub-phase, or milestone must have dates assigned for it to appear in the Planner.

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## Timeline Bar Tooltips

Hovering over items in the timeline reveals context about the project's structure, schedule, and progress.

-   **Hover over a Phase bar (no budget)** — displays the status, dates, and hierarchical position. Completed phases show the date tag with a green background.
    
-   **Hover over a Phase bar (with budget)** — displays phase name, status, dates, completion percentage, budget, spent time, planned time, and remaining budget in both currency and hours.
    
-   **Hover over a Work Category bar** — displays the parent phase, status, and date range. Ongoing items show the date tag with a gray background.
    
-   **Hover over a Milestone** — displays the parent phase, current status, and date range.
    

![Phase tooltip](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/GDZXzkbYqO9DMamvbVV8pGAK1mP7LaDs9IZZweHHC0a8vo4ud2vPO7oOS0C48UCd3WKC5tkipoS.png)

![Milestone tooltip](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/BSXFZogm5GanIOQg8oYDVKcUsdW1HrfFA3YXVss861FnAsmAgAZcfkAgScgrEtUKoKcWMCoqgqW.png)

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## Project Row (Expanded)

When you click on a project, it expands to show:

-   **Phase schedule** — bars on the timeline showing when each phase is scheduled
    
-   **Team members** — all members assigned to the project, with their work plans on the timeline
    
-   **Open roles** — generic resource placeholders for unfilled positions, listed at the bottom of the member list
    

![Planner Years view displays a May 2026–May 2027 project and staffing schedule with project phases across a timeline and assignments by team member. Visible: Planner, May 2026 – May 2027, Years, 12 Projects, Work Plans, Sort.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/yH59ua8EtA3ziBfVzBHZjACBAlhyL4YuBvE5QUZ6SKlyOlFLX0WxuI3pUw9YygbUFsgsthHcmKY.png)

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## Project Action Bar

Hover over a project name row to reveal the Project Action Bar. This provides quick access to:

-   **Calendar icon** — opens the Project Schedule modal for managing phase dates, dependencies, and milestones
    
-   **Member Availability** — open up a split screen to see project members workloads.
    
-   **Select Phases**  Or Members — choose which phases or member to filter in the project row
    
-   **Manage Members icon** — add/remove members, add open roles, or open Team Builder
    

![Planner Years timeline for May 2026–May 2027 shows project schedules; the red arrow points to the three-dot menu in the Cascade Bridge Expansion toolbar. Visible: Planner, 12 Projects, Work Plans, Sort, Requests, 2026.](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/rG3nvqlh6xt5WIhAg8WO8XeJcNXAnu3fTWOQDictT1iWKYxWqsw2WPgTQbt55VLSxjGJzOy8aj7.png)

![Select Phases option](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/6NZoV1wUJbsFWIAKTYaJO0ehMA8AVeqlbPJZBC4H06WesRaTJJNDNN0ipPdctFtsB4sLNbI4DQO.png)

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## Space Controls (Top Right)

The top-right corner of the Planner contains your space controls:

![Planner space controls](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/Cx1M94T7KNeidaEaEvTdxE7Qv8nol6Xq9zmF4BZZZjAV5RO7Jxt7z9k0cVAwVU4nBuXKAO7hQOC.png)

-   **Cogwheel icon** — opens Planner Settings (work plan defaults, display preferences)
    
-   **Three-dot/line icon** — opens Display Settings (member info, schedule toggles, work plan toggles)
    
-   **Percentage icon** — expand or condense the row height to see more or fewer projects on screen
    
-   **Clock icon** — opens the Space Activity Log showing all work plan activity (created, edited, deleted). Can be filtered by project, member, and time period.
    

![Row height controls](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/pwwTcNd3axk4NkwzcQgFci2GZG1PuB7UWhPn16AhkLzmF0jSktIba3rHfJHvK4MReGu52J9mshC.png)

![Activity log](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/kDYfZR9UheCT6Agb2crn0mCnDxJkdMTr7HX0EUKApJtZ2nDNY0JjVWwMUcBizqA3le6bdTxyUFk.png)

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## Member and Open-Role Action Bar

Hover over a member or open role row inside an expanded project to reveal the Member Action Bar. This puts the actions you use most often one click away instead of behind a dropdown. Here, you can:

-   Review the Member’s Profile
    
-   Review their Work Schedule
    
-   Send a copy of their Work Plans
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/l0HC1aKa3LVNXw4yrSfbk0UKRvuzJ1MuzB0zVlJyhkqwcIuFzPN2n9dJCbDS2DXivcXv8ALrYx1.png)

The action bar appears on both named member rows and open role rows. Open role rows include the smart suggestion icon; named member rows do not.

The Open-Role also has an action bar, where you can:

-   Assign the Role
    
-   Modify the Role
    
-   Remove the Role
    
-   and open up the suggestions to see who could be a good match
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/ErZl6IOVFVYBTUeEPGr5auxrpLX9fVSyjUrh9a3EI8vFD6sT97zkrEKZC5K7cSSx4kwCd5ozW9G.png)

👉 Learn more about [Assign Role View](https://support.mosaicapp.com/en/articles/706-assign-role-view.md)

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## Auto-Save

Your filters, sort orders, display settings, and project selections all auto-save. The next time you access the Planner or log in, your view will be exactly where you left it.

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