Tasks

Overview of Tasks

Each project has a folder for Tasks, located within the Project Details folder.  These types of objects can be found within the Tasks folder:  

• Parent Tasks (open)

• Parent tasks (closed)

• Open Tasks

• Closed Tasks

• Milestone Tasks

• Notes

• Documents and Files

• URL links

• Tickets (not visible in the left side tree view, but can be viewed by right clicking on the Task and selecting Console View (Tickets) from the pop-up menu)   

The Task fields

The task fields displayed in the task edit window will vary depending on the type of task being edited.  Here is a complete list of the available fields in a task item.

• Name - Name of the Task.

• Description - Description of the task and what is to be accomplished.

• Constraint Type - The constraint type is used to set up rules about when a task can be started. Currently TeamHeadquarters supports As Soon as Possible (i.e. the "Project Start Date") and Start no Earlier Than (i.e. the "Constraint Date").  Both of these date options can be further impacted by Task Predecessors.

• Scheduled Start Date - Date Task is scheduled to start.

• Estimated Duration - Estimated Duration of task in days.

• Scheduled End Date - Date Task is scheduled to end.

• Actual Start Date - Date task actually started.  This date is either entered by the user or automatically entered as a earliest date for time sheet charges against this task.

• Actual Duration - Actual duration of task in days.

• Actual End Date - Date task actually ended.

• Estimated End Date - Projected by the system based on Actual Start Date and Estimated Duration.  This date is reflected on the Gantt chart as the end of the Actual (blue) bar when an open task has an Actual Start Date..

• Revised End Date - Entered by the user, as a personal forecast.

• Status - The current state of the task (Planning, Active or Closed).

• Priority -This field allows you to prioritize task as High, Medium or Low.

• Risk - Associate a risk level to each task as High, Medium or Low.

• Estimated Time On Task - Estimated time it will take to complete task in hours.

• Percentage complete - Represents the current amount of the task complete and is represented on the Gantt chart with a red line and % complete in brackets beside the task.

• Percentage Overrun - When the Actual Time on Task exceeds the Estimated Time on Task, the % Overrun is calculated as (Actual Time on Task / Estimated Time on Task) - 100% (this is displayed on the Task Properties page only).

• WBS - The Work Breakdown Structure order to be used when sorting the Gantt chart by WBS.  This field can also be imported.

• Milestone - Toggle used to set a task as a milestone.

• Skill Required - This field is especially useful in planning, before resources are assigned to the task. The Resource Allocation Report compares the availability of people to the unassigned work which requires their skills.

• Task Roster - Each task can have a number of people assigned to it by clicking the Add Resource button and selecting from the project roster.  

How to create a new Task

Tasks can be created in the project Tasks folder or under another task.  When a task contains other tasks, it is referred to as a parent task and is shown with a task container icon.

1. Right-click on the project Tasks folder or on the task that will be the parent of the new task.

2. Select New Task.

3. Fill in the appropriate Task information.

4. Click the Save button.

How to edit a Task

1. Right-click on the task.

2. Select Edit/Update from the right click menu.

3. Make your changes.

4. Click Save.

How to add a comment, document, or URL to a Task

1. Right-click on the task.

2. Select from the options at the bottom of the pop-up menu (Add File, Add Comment, or Add URL) and complete the associated dialogue.

3. Click Save.