Tasks

Add A Single Task To A Project

To quickly add a new task, mouse over a project or task name to the More icon (3 stacked dots).  Click Add task. Enter the name for the new task and click the “Enter” key.

Indenting/Outdenting

You may indent (move to right) or outdent (move to left) a task to help organize a project into multiple phases or groups with tasks at different levels.

To indent a task, select the checkbox to the left of the task and then click the Move button located at the top of the page, then choose the Indent option. The selected tasks will be indented (moved beneath) the task above them, thereby making the above task a summary task.

To outdent a task, select the checkbox to the left of the task and then click the Move button located at the top of the page, then choose the Outdent option. The selected task will be outdented from (moved to the left and above) the task above it, thereby creating the selected task as a stand-alone task.

Moving/Copying Tasks

Within a grouping of tasks (summary task or project), tasks are sorted chronologically by end date.

To move a task (or tasks) from one summary task to another, select the task(s) you would like to move and then click the Move button located at the top of the page, then choose the Move option. On the next page, click the task underneath which the selected task(s) (highlighted) should be moved.

Note: you can only move tasks within the same project; you cannot move tasks from one project to another or from one workspace to another.

To copy a task (or tasks) from one summary task to another, select the tasks(s) you would like to copy, the click the Copy link, located at the top of the page. On the next page, chose the Workspace, Project, and Destination task (if necessary) underneath which the selected tasks should be copied to.

Calculation Of Dates And Durations

When a task is created, the system uses today’s date as the default start and end date, and specifies a default duration of 1 day. This enables you to quickly create new tasks merely by entering a task name. The following rules govern changes made to the task dates and duration:

  • if the Duration field is changed, the system keeps the Start Date the same and calculates the End Date based on the new Duration
  • if the Start Date field is changed, the system keeps the Duration the same and calculates the End Date based on the new Start Date
  • if the End Date field is changed, the system keeps the Start Date the same and calculates the Duration based on the new End Date

To have a task’s start date determined by the completion date of a previous task, you make the task “dependent” on the prior task. Dependencies can only be added after a task has been created. The dependencies column is has the symbol in the header row.

To create a dependency for a task (link its start date to the end date of a previous task), click the box in the dependencies column to the right of the task. The Dependencies window will open.

You will be presented with a list of the tasks within the current project (tasks can only be dependent on other tasks in the same project). Browse through the task levels by clicking on the arrow to the left of summary tasks (if any). Select the task on which the current task should be dependent. The linkage between the two tasks will be added, and you will be returned to the Task List.

Delete A Dependency

To delete an existing task dependency, from the Task List or Gantt chart, click on the dependency icon on the task row (located to the right of the Duration column). On the next window, under This task is dependent upon: click the x link next to the task you wish to unlink.

Highlight When Predecessor Is Late

The dependency symbol for a task will show an pink background if a task on which it is dependent is late. This applies only to tasks that are directly dependent on the late task (not all subsequent downstream tasks).

The responsible party for a downstream task can be sent an automatic email notification once a task upon which the downstream task is dependent is marked as complete. This is set for a particular workspace under Settings on the Auto-notifications page.

Add Tasks To The Calendar

Tasks are automatically displayed on the Calendar in Workzone by default. This behavior can be changed when the “Show on Calendar” column is visible in the Task List or Gantt Chart (an Administrator can show/hide this column in the “Columns to display” section under “Projects” in the Settings page for all workspaces). The “Show on Calendar” column offers a toggle on/off option for any task to be hidden on the Calendar.

Editing/Updating Tasks

Administrators can update tasks in all projects, and Managers can update tasks in any project to which they have access. Contributors, Reviewers and Partner users can only update tasks for which they are the responsible party (and for projects to which they have access).

Tasks can be edited directly from the Task List. To edit the task name, place your mouse over the task name and click the More icon (3 stacked dots) and then clicking Rename task. [Clicking the task name takes you to the task details page where you can see/add comments for the task.]

Other task fields can be edited directly from the Task List by clicking on the field that you wish to update. Make the desired change and then click Save (if shown) or click outside the field (if Save is not shown).

Automatic system comments are logged for changes to certain project and task fields, to create an audit trail of changes made to the project. Changes made to the following fields will automatically create a comment in the comment list for a task:

  • Responsibility
  • Duration
  • Work
  • Start date
  • End date
  • State
  • % Complete
  • Notes

Changes made to the following fields will automatically create a comment in the comment list for a project:

  • Target end date
  • Responsible
  • Notes

The automatic comment will indicate who made the change, what fields were changed,  the previous/current values of the changed fields, and the date and time the change was made.

By default, comment lists shows both user-created and system comments. To show only user-created comments, select the Hide system comments checkbox (located at the top of the Comments list).

Edit Multiple Tasks At Once

You can make changes to multiple tasks at the same time for the following fields:

  • Responsibility
  • Duration
  • Work
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Priority
  • Show on calendar
  • Status
  • % Complete
  • Notes

From the Task List, click the checkboxes to the left of the tasks that you would like to update. To select all the lowest level tasks, click the checkbox in the top header row of that column. Click the Edit Multiple button at the top of the Task List. On the “Edit Multiple Tasks” page, click the checkboxes next to the fields you would like to change and select the new values for these fields. At the bottom of the screen click Modify these tasks. The indicated changes will be made to all of the selected tasks, and you will be returned to the Task List.

For the Responsibility field, the entered values will replace existing values by default. To add additional values to the existing responsible parties, click the check box next to “add new responsible without deleting current”.

The system can automatically create dependency links between a list of tasks, keeping their current order, so that one task will begin when the previous task ends. Note: this can only be done for independent tasks (no dependencies either for the task or the task’s parent) at the same level within the project.

From the Task List, click the checkboxes to the left of the tasks that you would like to link together, then click the Edit Multiple button at the top of the Task List. On the “Edit Multiple Tasks” page, click the checkbox next to Link these tasks together. At the bottom of the screen click Modify these tasks. The system will create dependencies between the selected tasks, and you will be returned to the Task List.

Note: if you do not see Link these tasks together below the “Notes” checkbox on the “Edit Multiple Tasks” page, it most likely means that some of the tasks that you selected either are not independent (they are somehow affected by dependencies) or they are not at the same level of the project.

The system can automatically remove dependency links for a list of tasks. From the Task List, click the checkboxes to the left of the tasks for which you would like the dependency links removed, then click the Edit Multiple button at the top of the Task List. On the “Edit Multiple Tasks” page click the checkbox next to Unlink these tasks (remove dependencies). At the bottom of the screen, click Modify these tasks. The system will remove all the dependency links for the selected tasks, and you will be returned to the Task List.

Note: Tasks for which dependency links are removed, will be converted to independent tasks with the start and end dates they had before the dependencies were removed.

Delete A Task

In the Task List, click the checkbox next to the task(s) you want to delete and then click the Delete button at the top of the list of tasks. Deleting a summary task will delete all of its sub-tasks. Click OK if you are sure you want to permanently delete the task(s). Once tasks are deleted, they cannot be recovered.

Project And Task Comments

Each project and each task has a comments area on the detailed page for the item where detailed user and system comments are recorded. The comment list is accessed by clicking the project or task name from the Task List or Gantt chart. A task or project with an existing comments thread will have a small speech bubble to the right of the project/task name (the bubble will be colored red if there are unread comments, and gray if read previously).

To add a new comment, click the Add Comment button, then type the comment into the Comments box and click Continue. If you wish to notify another user of the new comment, select the Manually notify/subscribe additional users checkbox. If you are sending an email, on the next screen select the individuals or groups to which to send the email and then click Send.

Automatic comments are made by the system for changes to certain project and task fields, to create an audit trail of changes made to the project. Changes made to the following fields will automatically create a comment in the comment list for a task:

  • Responsible
  • Duration
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Status
  • % Complete
  • Notes

Changes made to the following fields will automatically create a comment in the comment list for a project:

  • Target end date
  • Responsible
  • Notes

The automatic comment will indicate who made the change, what fields were changed, the previous/current values of the changed fields, and the date and time the change was made.

By default, comment lists show system comments. To hide the system comments, leaving just the user-created comments, select the Hide system comments checkbox (located at the top of the Comments list).

Delete Project And Task Comments

Administrators can delete project and task comments. This may be necessary if a user posts an inflammatory or inappropriate comment.

To delete a project or task comment, click the Delete button to the right of the comment. Click OK to confirm that you want to permanently delete the comment. Note: the overall system log (accessed under the “Reports” link) will maintain a permanent record of the original comment and a note that the comment has been deleted, to maintain the audit trail of activity.

Project/Task Attachments

You can attach files directly to projects or tasks or link to existing documents or folders within Documents. Attachments can only be made after a task has been created. The attachments column is located to the left of the project or task name (indicated by a paper clip icon at the top).

To attach files directly to a project or task (default option), click the box in the attachments column next to the project or task. The Files tab will open (if the project attachments are exclusively project request(s) then the Requests tab will open instead). Click the Browse button and select the desired file from your computer or network. Click Upload.

Files can also be uploaded using “Drag and Drop”. Select one or more files from your computer or network and drag them into the indicated box. Note: Drag and Drop only works in modern browsers that support the latest web standards:

  • Firefox 3.6.3 and later on Windows and Mac
  • Safari 4.0.5 and later on Mac
  • Chrome 4.1.249 and later on Windows and Mac
  • Internet Explorer 10 and later

You can also add a web link directly to a project or task. From the Add Attachments page, click Create web Link. Enter the URL for the web site and (optionally) a name for the web link. Click Create Web Link.

Folders can also be created with a project or tasks, and new files can be uploaded directly into a preexisting folder.

Instead of uploading files or web links directly to projects or tasks, you may wish to link to existing documents in Documents. This would allow users to access files or folders that already exist within the folder structure in Documents

To link to existing files or folders in Documents, click the box in the attachments column next to the project or task. The Attachments window will open. At the top of the box, click the button labeled Create Web link.

You will see a list of the top-level folders in Documents for the current workspace. Browse to the folder or document that you want to attach to this item (as you click each folder, it will show you the next level down). Click the attach link next to the appropriate item. You can link to multiple items from the same project or task.

To remove an existing attachment for a project or task from the Task List, click the paperclip icon next to the file or task, check the box next to an attachment, then click the Delete button.

Files added to projects/tasks can be easily opened by hovering the cursor over the paperclip displayed to the right of the project/task and, in the pop-up box, clicking on the name of the file that appears.

Add Multiple Tasks To A Project

To add multiple new tasks for an existing project, from the Task List click the checkbox to the left of the specific project or task under which you want to insert the new tasks. Then click the Add Task button at the top. A new window will appear with various options for adding multiple tasks (see below). The new tasks will be indented underneath the task or project you specified.

Methods for adding tasks

There are five ways to add tasks to a project:

  • Lay out tasks in an outline form — this is the default method and the one suggested for most new users
  • Add tasks, responsibilities and dates all at once
  • Create placeholder tasks and then edit them in place on the Task List
  • Copy tasks from existing template
  • Import from Microsoft Project or Excel

Click the circle in front of your desired method, provide the indicated information, and then click the green Save and Add Tasks button at the bottom of the page.

Which method should I choose?

If you already have the tasks for your project laid out:

  • Use an existing template if the new project follows a similar process to a project already in Workzone
  • Import from MS Project or Excel if your project exists externally in one of these formats. More detail on importing from MS Project or Excel is found in the sections below.

If your project is not already in Workzone, MS Project or Excel:

  • Lay out your project in outline format by typing in the box, using the tab key to create subtasks. You can also create your outline in an external word processor, text editor, or email message and copy them into the box on this page. This is the best option to quickly create a project’s outline, leaving the details (dates, responsible parties, etc.) to update later.
  • Add tasks, responsibilities and dates all at once using the Add Tasks page.
  • Enter placeholder tasks to quickly create placeholder tasks that you will then update later from the Task List.

    • Lay Out Tasks In Outline Form

      Use this option to quickly lay out the tasks in a project, before you add in dates, responsible or other details for these tasks. List one task per row. Indent tasks (with tabs or spaces) to create sub-tasks. Do not include dates or any information other than task names. Click the green Save and Add Tasks button when you are finished. The project will be created with placeholder dates you can edit later.

      Suggestion: create your task outline in an external word processor, text editor or email message to give yourself extended time to work on it. Copy/paste it into the box when you’re ready. You can also type tasks directly into this box. Do not use bullets or other symbols before task names

    • Use Add Tasks Page

      List one task per row adding in responsibilities, dates and other information as desired. This is the best choice if you want to add task information along with the task name or if you want the task responsible to get notified of the new task.

    • Create Placeholder Tasks

      If you want to create a project quickly, without specifying individual tasks, this is the best choice. From the drop-down menu, select whether you want 1, 5, 10 or 20 placeholder tasks created. Click the green Save and Add Tasks button when you are finished. The specified number of placeholder tasks will be created, numbered sequentially and spaced out by one day to keep them in order once you edit them. Once the placeholder tasks have been created, you can edit the name of a placeholder task from the Task List by mousing over the task name and clicking the RENAME link. All other fields for the task can also be edited directly from the Task List.

    • Copy Tasks From A Template

      If you have previously saved project templates (see instructions for creating project templates below), these can be used to insert tasks into a new project (via the “Add Project” page) or to add tasks to an existing project (via the triangle on the right of the “Add Task” button on the Task List). Once on the appropriate page, to copy all the tasks from an existing project template, select the template from the drop-down list. To schedule the project forwards from a start date, select “starts on” from the drop-down menu and then specify the start date for the first task in the template, if you would like a date other than Today. To schedule the project backwards from an end date, select “ends on” from the drop-down menu and then specify the end date for the last task in the template.

      To repeat the tasks in the template on a weekly or monthly basis, click the “repeats” checkbox below the list of templates.

      Click Save and Add Tasks.

      WorkZone will automatically copy the tasks from the template you have selected into the specified project and will return you to the Task List. You can then edit any of the tasks to adjust dates, add/delete tasks, etc.

    • Import From Microsoft Project

      Note: before importing your file, make sure that any Responsible Parties or Categories that you wish to import already are set up in WorkZone prior to the import or they will not be included in your project when it is created in Projects.

      The following MS Project fields will be imported into the fields in WorkZone:

      • Task name
      • Finish date
      • Start date
      • Duration
      • Work
      • Percentage complete
      • Notes
      • Parent/Child relationships (levels of tasks; what goes under what)
      • Predecessors/Dependencies (only finish-to-start: task B cannot start until task A finishes; other types will be converted to finish-to-start and may cause errors in your project plan)
      • Resource assignments (needs to be an exact match to an existing WorkZone user or Custom Resource)
      • Text1 – will be mapped to the Category field in WorkZone (needs to be an exact match to an existing category in WorkZone)
      • Text2 – will be mapped to the Description field in WorkZone

      From the “Add a New Project” screen, under ADD TASKS, select the circle next to Import tasks from MS Project or Excel. Click the circle next to Import from MS Project. Click Browse, and select the MS project file from your computer. Click Save and Add Tasks, and your new project will be created using your imported MS Project file.

  • Import From Microsoft Excel

    Note: before importing your file, make sure that any Responsible Parties or Categories that you wish to import already are set up in WorkZone prior to the import or they will not be included in your project when it is created in Projects.

    The following MS Project fields will be imported into the fields in WorkZone:

    • Task name
    • Finish date
    • Start date
    • Duration
    • Work
    • Percentage complete
    • Notes
    • Parent/Child relationships (levels of tasks; what goes under what)
    • Predecessors/Dependencies (only finish-to-start: task B cannot start until task A finishes; other types will be converted to finish-to-start and may cause errors in your project plan)
    • Resource assignments (needs to be an exact match to an existing WorkZone user or Custom Resource)
    • Text1 – will be mapped to the Category field in WorkZone (needs to be an exact match to an existing category in WorkZone)
    • Text2 – will be mapped to the Description field in WorkZone

    From the “Add a New Project” screen, under ADD TASKS, select the circle next to Import tasks from MS Project or Excel. Click the circle next to Import from MS Project. Click Browse, and select the MS project file from your computer. Click Save and Add Tasks, and your new project will be created using your imported MS Project file.

    Import from Microsoft Excel

    To ensure that Excel information is properly mapped to Projects fields, you will need to download an Excel spreadsheet template to use for your import.

    From the “Add a New Project” screen, under ADD TASKS, select the circle next to Import tasks from MS Project or Excel. Click the circle next to Import from MS Excel. Click the Download Spreadsheet link and save the spreadsheet to your computer. Use this template to enter or copy your task information.

    Projects will only import the fields indicated in the spreadsheet. Do not add or remove columns in the spreadsheet.

    The only required field is Task Name. If you do not specify dates, WorkZone will assign sequential dates for all tasks.

    Once imported, tasks are automatically sorted in this order: end date, start date, alphabetically. To maintain the current order of your tasks, dates should go from earliest to latest, top to bottom.

    Task indentations (creating phases, tasks/sub-tasks) can be created by using the Indent Tool on the Excel toolbar. No other form of indenting, like spaces or tabs will import correctly.

    Import begins on row 14; start on this row and do not leave any task row blank. Leaving a blank row in this excel file will cause an error.

    Note: before importing your file, make sure that any Responsible Parties or Categories that you wish to import are set up in WorkZone prior to the import or they will not be included in your project when it is created in Projects.

    Save the changes to your spreadsheet.

    Return to the “Add a New Project” page, and under ADD TASKS, go to the section for importing a file from MS Excel. Click Browse, and select the updated MS Excel spreadsheet you saved on your computer. Click Save and Add Tasks, and your new project will be created using your imported Excel file.

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