> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://portavi.gitbook.io/portavi-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://portavi.gitbook.io/portavi-docs/tracking-delivery/comments.md).

# Comments

Ask a question where the work is, and get the answer from the person who owns it.

Comments let anyone who can see something ask about it right there: "Why is this sprint not on track?", "What's the mitigation date?", "Has this change been costed?". The question lands with the person who owns it, and the answer stays beside the work instead of in a chat thread.

They are especially useful for executives, who can read everything but change nothing: a comment is how they ask.

## Where you can comment

| Where                                   | How to open it                                                                                     |
| --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Projects, programmes and portfolios** | The **Discussion** tab, before Activity                                                            |
| **Sprints and cadences**                | Open one on the Sprints or Cadences tab; the comments are at the bottom. They cover its review too |
| **Risks, lessons and change requests**  | Open one; the comments are under its details                                                       |
| **Dependencies**                        | Open one on a Dependencies tab or in Governance                                                    |
| **Objectives and strategy reviews**     | Open one on a portfolio, or on the Strategy page                                                   |
| **Benefits and benefit reviews**        | Open one on a programme                                                                            |
| **Status updates**                      | Open **History** on the update strip, then **Comment** under an update                             |
| **Budget check-ins**                    | Select **Comment** under a check-in on the Budget tab                                              |
| **Decisions**                           | Select **Comment** under a decision in Governance › Decisions Log                                  |

Most cards show a speech bubble with how many comments they have, replies included, up to **99+**; where the comments open in place, the button reads "3 comments". Cards with none show nothing.

Tasks have no comments here: they are discussed in the tool they come from, where the people working on them already are. Nor do a Waterfall project's phases or a Milestone project's milestones; ask about them on the project's **Discussion** tab.

## Asking and replying

Write in the box at the top and select **Comment**, or press **Ctrl+Enter** (**⌘+Enter** on a Mac). The same keys send a reply and save an edit. Comments take the same formatting as other text fields, and you can `@mention` a colleague.

Each comment can have replies: select the **Reply** arrow under it. Replies go one level deep, so every answer stays next to the question it answers. **Reply** on a reply adds yours to the same comment. Either way the box opens with the person you are answering already mentioned, so they are notified; remove the mention if you don't want that. A comment shows its latest three replies; **Show more replies** brings in the rest. The newest comments come first, and **Show earlier comments** loads older ones.

## Who can see and comment

Comments follow the item they are on: if you can open it, you can read its comments and add your own. Executives cannot comment on risks or lessons, because they cannot open those either, and decisions' comments are for PMO managers and executives, the people who can open Governance.

You can't comment on something archived, or while your workspace is read-only, but its comments stay readable.

## Editing and deleting

Under your own comment, select the **Edit** pencil to change it, or **Delete** in the **⋯** menu to remove it. An edited comment says so. PMO managers can delete anyone's comment, but they can't reword it.

If you delete a comment that has replies, it becomes *This comment was deleted* so the replies still make sense. It disappears once its replies are gone too.

## Following and notifications

You follow an item's comments when you comment on it, and you follow everything you own. The button at the top of the comments says **Following**; select it to stop.

* **A new comment** notifies the owner and everyone following.
* **A reply** notifies the person who asked and everyone who has replied or been mentioned under that comment.
* **A mention** always notifies the person you name, by email as well, whether or not they follow. It only notifies people who can open the item; see [Mentions](/portavi-docs/reports-and-notifications/notifications.md#mentions).

Comment notifications appear in the bell only; they are never emailed. All the comments and replies on one item share a single notification, which shows how many are new and who wrote the latest, and moves back to the top each time; once you have read it, the count starts again. Selecting one opens the item with that comment highlighted. Turn them off in **Settings → Notifications → Comments**. Mentions are not affected by that switch.

## Questions in My Focus

A comment someone else asks on something you own appears in [My Focus](/portavi-docs/tracking-delivery/my-focus.md) under **Questions for you** until you reply to it, for up to 30 days. Select **Reply** to go straight to it.