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Planview Customer Success Center

Work with Whiteboards

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Whiteboard Basics

The whiteboard is tool that you use to create designs and plans while collaborating or brainstorming the same way you would use an actual whiteboard. There are options to add shapes, lines, text, and freehand drawings. You can save whiteboard drawings with the board, as well as download them in SVG, PNG, and JSON formats or copy them to the clipboard to be used in other apps. You can work on a whiteboard simultaneously with others, with the edits appearing in real time. 

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The following 3-minute video gives many useful tips and tricks for creating and using whiteboards.

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Watch our webinar to learn more about how Whiteboards can be of great support for you and your team. 

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Creating a Whiteboard

You can create a blank whiteboard or create one based on predefined templates.

  1. In a Workspace, click the Whiteboards tool (arrow in image above). 
  2. Click Create whiteboard or select one of the templates.The whiteboard is automatically assigned a numbered name.
  3. To rename the whiteboard, click the menu icon WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  > Rename. 
  4. To add elements (shapes, lines, arrows, text, etc.) to the whiteboard, click the relevant square icon in the center of the view or you can use our predefined libraries. When you select an element, the element options appear on the left side of the whiteboard.
    WhiteboardShapesMenu.png

               

    TIP

    Try out the various options by selecting an icon and experimenting. If you want to add text within a shape, click any element that is a shape and then either press Enter or double click in the shape and start typing text. 

               

  5. To change the background color of the whiteboard, click the menu icon WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  > Change background color.
  6. To access the help for the whiteboard, click the question mark icon WhiteboardHelpIcon.png at the bottom right.
  7. To reset the whiteboard and start over, click WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  > Wipe the whiteboard.
  8. To save the whiteboard, click WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  > Save.
  9. To copy the whiteboard to the clipboard, click WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  > Copy to clipboard.
  10. To save the whiteboard in PNG, SVG, or JSON file format, click  WhiteboardMenuIcon.png  and then select the option.

The following 3-minute video gives many useful tips and tricks for creating and using whiteboards.

Libraries

Whiteboard libraries are a collection of digital tools and resources that can be used to create and collaborate on whiteboard-style diagrams and illustrations. These libraries typically provide a variety of shapes, icons, and other visual elements to create diagrams, flowcharts, mind maps, and other forms of visual representation. You can find the libraries feature in the top right center of the view.  When you open the Libraries section you can drag and drop the diagrams and illustrations onto your whiteboard and resize and edit the shapes. 

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You also have the possibility to add more libraries to the list and also remove those that are not relevant. Visit Excalidraw Libraries where you search for libraries that are relevant to you and follow the instructions. To upload the new libraries into the whiteboard, open Libraries and you will find an upload icon at the top of the list. The new library or libraries that are uploaded will then be available in all whiteboards.

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Whiteboard Templates

It is now possible to create a whiteboard based on standard templates. This helps users get started quickly using standard templates such as:

  • Mindmap
  • Retrospective
  • Flowchart
  • Lean Coffee
  • SWOT Analysis
  • ROAM

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Converting a shape with text into a card

To create one or several cards based on shapes:

  1. Select one or several shapes with text (images below).
  2. Click the Create cards button.
  3. From the dropdown menus on the Create Cards popup, select which board and activity upon which you want to place the card(s).
  4. Click Create and the new card(s) will be added to the specified board.  

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Timer

When the team is having timebound sessions, such as for brainstorming or a retrospective it can be helpful to keep track of time with the timer. This functionality helps users be aware of the time they work on a particular topic. Also, in scenarios where a group of people is collaborating to find consensus, the timer functionality can help the group arrive at a consensus with relative ease.

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Editing a Whiteboard

  1. In a Workspace, click the Whiteboards tool.
  2. To edit a whiteboard, click the whiteboard thumbnail.
  3. To edit an element, click the element.
  4. To delete a whiteboard, click the Action menu MoreOptionsVertical.png > Delete on the whiteboard thumbnail.

Managing Access to Whiteboards

You manage access to whiteboards the same way you manage access to other workspace tools such as plans, boards, and documents. For more information, see Manage Workspace Settings.