Project management with Plane: Update brings work packages and new interface

The project and knowledge management tool Plane has received extensive updates. Version 0.25.0 of the open-source software now includes a revised user interface, changes to project and work elements and performance improvements. The new version also marks the start of a beta test for the support of additional languages.

Issues become work items

With the new version, issues are now called work items. They are intended to go beyond conventional problem tracking and serve as work packages whose progress can be tracked as part of project management. Work items are therefore intended to cover more use cases than conventional issue tracking. The developers of Plane justify the change with an expanded user base that goes beyond programmers. Work items also sound less negative than issues. Furthermore, work items can now be shared within the team using a short URL.

The new user interface offers a new start page that users can personalize with individual control elements via the widget control. One such widget is Quick Links, which can lead to projects or pages. Alternatively, the bookmarks can also refer to external sources. There is also a history that enables quick access to recently used content and filters by type of activity, such as projects or work items. Users can also set the content of the left-hand navigation bar themselves.

With the new update, the localization of Plane enters the beta phase. In addition to English, Plane initially supports French, Spanish, and Japanese. Further languages are planned for later this year. In addition to the new functions and interface, the new version also includes bug fixes and performance updates, such as a revised interface for projects. Django, Crypto and ESbuild have been upgraded as security-related updates. All changes are listed on the GitHub page.

Plane allows import from Jira & Co.

The developers provide three different versions of Plane. One of them is the cloud edition hosted by the provider, which receives new functions first as a test environment. There are also two editions with different license models for operation on your hardware. The free community edition is available under an open-source license, but is the last to receive updates. There is also a commercial edition with additional features for corporate customers.

Plane offers an import function for those switching from other tools. It currently supports Asana, Linear and Jira, for which security vulnerabilities have recently become known. The cloud and commercial editions have identical packages with different functions. The free Free package covers up to twelve users. Plane Pro currently costs 8 US dollars per user per month. Plane Business and Enterprise include support agreements for large customers. Most recently, the free OpenProject was also given an extended range of functions in version 15.3.

(sfe)