--- title: "BigPicture Reports: Sub-task Estimates Not Rolling Up to Parent Tasks" canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/3503948011/BigPicture%20Reports%3A%20Sub-task%20Estimates%20Not%20Rolling%20Up%20to%20Parent%20Tasks" format: markdown --- This article documents expected BigPicture report behaviuor when sub-task estimates appear as separate items instead of rolling up to their parent task. Use it as a reference when customers ask why parent totals in BigPicture Reports do not include sub-task estimations. > ℹ️ In BigPicture Reports, sub-tasks are treated as separate report items. There is currently no built-in setting in the Reports module to automatically aggregate sub-task estimates into the parent issue total. # Problem A customer may configure a BigPicture task report to group work by status and sum estimate fields such as **Original Estimate**. They expect the parent task total to include the estimates from associated sub-tasks. Instead, the report shows the sub-task as its own row or grouping item, with its own status and estimate value. As a result, the parent task total does not reflect the combined estimate of the whole parent-child structure. > 📝 This behavior is expected in the **Reports** module, even if the parent-child relationship exists in Jira and even if the Box structure includes sub-tasks. # Symptoms - Sub-tasks appear separately in the report output. - Grouped totals are calculated from rows shown in the report, not from hierarchical roll-up logic. - **Field sum** on estimate-related fields does not add sub-task values into the parent row automatically. - Customers may notice totals under unexpected groups rather than under the parent task. # Root Cause The Reports module calculates values at the row level or grouping level based on the report dataset. It does not perform hierarchical aggregation of sub-task estimates into parent issues. Because of this design, there is no toggle in report configuration or time-type field setup that changes report totals into parent roll-up totals. # Confirmed Support Position > ✅ If the customer is specifically asking about **BigPicture Reports**, the correct answer is: **sub-task estimates cannot currently be rolled up to the parent task within the Reports module**. An earlier assumption may be that enabling aggregation, using built-in time fields, or checking Box task structure will solve the issue in Reports. For this specific use case, that is not sufficient. The final confirmed position is that the Reports module does not support this roll-up behavior. # Recommended Response to Customers Use wording similar to the following: > In BigPicture Reports, sub-tasks are treated as separate items, and their estimates are not automatically rolled up into parent issues. When using report calculations such as field sums, values are calculated per row or grouping level rather than aggregated through the task hierarchy. At the moment, there is no built-in option in the Reports module to change this behaviour. If the customer needs hierarchical aggregation of estimates, recommend using the **Gantt** module as a workaround, because it supports this type of roll-up by default. # Workaround 1. Confirm that the customer’s requirement is specifically about **Reports** and not the **Gantt** module. 2. Explain that BigPicture Reports do not roll sub-task estimates into parent tasks. 3. Recommend the **Gantt** module if the customer needs parent-level aggregated values based on the issue hierarchy. > ℹ️ If the customer only needs hierarchical visibility of effort totals, ask whether the Gantt module could satisfy the reporting goal, even if the original request started with Reports. # Field Clarification Customers may also ask about the difference between **Original Estimate** and **Original Estimate (Built-In)**. - **Original Estimate** typically refers to the Jira field value exposed in the reporting context. - **Original Estimate (Built-In)** refers to the BigPicture built-in field representation used in some BigPicture modules and calculations. However, for this support scenario, the field choice does **not** change the core limitation in Reports: sub-task values still do not roll up automatically to the parent task total. # Support Handling Notes | Topic | Guidance | | --- | --- | | Customer expectation | Parent task totals should include sub-task estimates in a report | | Actual behavior | Sub-tasks are reported separately and summed separately | | Reports module support | No built-in roll-up of sub-task estimates to parent issues | | Recommended alternative | Use Gantt for hierarchical aggregation | # Suggested Internal Resolution Summary The issue was resolved by clarifying product behavior rather than by changing configuration. The customer confirmed understanding after it was explained that BigPicture Reports do not support parent roll-up of sub-task estimates and that Gantt is the recommended workaround for hierarchical aggregation.
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# References - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/browse/SUPPORT-235061](https://appfire.atlassian.net/browse/SUPPORT-235061)