Effort Management: Estimated, Actual, and Accepted

In ITM Platform, effort is tracked from estimation to reporting, providing the basis for better planning, cost calculation, and resource management.

The system uses several distinct effort fields—Estimated (assigned and unassigned), Actual, and Accepted—each serving a specific function. This guide provides a detailed explanation of each effort type, including its purpose, where it is managed in the platform, and the roles that can modify it.

1. Estimated Effort (Assigned)

Estimated Effort is the forecast or prediction of the total hours required to complete a task or activity.

The Project Manager usually estimates the assigned effort by allocating a specific number of hours for a user to complete a task. ITM Platform then distributes these hours across the working days between the task’s start and end dates, enabling resource planning and capacity analysis.

What it is used for:

• Initial project and service planning.
• Resource capacity planning.
• Calculating baseline costs and potential revenue to manage it:
• Setting task duration based on effort.

How to Enter Estimated Effort in ITM Platform:

a. From the task: You can add effort directly from the task or activity detail screen. Here’s how:

1. Go to the project and open the task you want to update.
2. Go to the Effort tab.
3. From here, you can assign effort to either a Professional Category (for unassigned planning) or a specific Team Member.
4. Enter the number of hours in the effort field and save.

b. For multiple tasks at once: You can add estimated effort to several tasks at the same time from the Team tab. Here’s how:

1. Go to the project or service and open the Team tab.
2. Use the slide-out menu on the left.
3. Choose the Estimated Effort option (second option).
4. Enter the effort details for the specific team member and click Save.

Who can edit it: Project and Service Managers, or users with a Full Access license.

2. Estimated Effort (Unassigned)

The estimated unassigned effort is planned for a specific professional profile (e.g., "Account Manager") but has not yet been assigned to a named team member. On the Effort tab, found within the task's detail screen, you can define effort by professional category.

As you add estimates to specific team members, the unassigned value decreases to offset it, keeping the total effort the same. For example, if you have 100 hours of unassigned effort for an "Account Manager" and then assign 40 of those hours to Jane Doe, the unassigned effort will drop to 60 hours.

What it is used for: - Early-stage planning when you know the skills required but not the specific individuals. - Identifying staffing gaps between demand and assigned resources to manage it.

How to Enter Unassigned Effort in ITM Platform:

From an individual task: You can add unassigned effort directly from a task's detail screen. Here’s how:

1. Go to the project/service and open the task/activity you want to update.
2. Click on the Effort tab.
3. Add the Professional Category for the role you need (e.g., "Account Manager").
4. Enter the number of hours in the unassigned effort field for that category.
5. Click Save.

Who can edit it: Project Managers, Service Managers, or users with a Full Access license.

3. Actual Effort

Actual Effort represents the actual time that team members have reported working on a specific task or activity. It is the factual record of work performed, serving as the primary input for tracking progress and costs.

What it is used for: - Tracking the true amount of work performed. - Providing the data for real-time cost calculations and progress monitoring to manage it.

How to Enter Actual Effort

Team members can report their effort using two different methods, depending on their needs.

a. From the ‘My Timesheet’ Tab: The primary method for reporting effort is through the Timesheet, located under ‘My Desktop’ section.

This provides a grid view where users can efficiently enter the number of hours worked against multiple tasks for each day of the week. It is ideal for bulk time entry. Here’s how to use it:

1. Go to My Desktop > My Timesheet.
2. This opens a grid view of your assigned tasks for the week.
3. Find the task you want to report time for.
4. In that task's row, enter the hours you worked in the column for the correct day.
5. Repeat for any other tasks.
6. Save your timesheet.

b. From the ‘My Tasks and Activities’ Tab: Team members can also report effort from their ‘My Tasks and Activities’ tab, found under the ‘My Desktop’ section.

Clicking the time entry icon for a task lets them input hours with a specific start and end time, or across a date range. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to My Desktop > My Tasks and Activities.
2. Find the task you want to report time for.
3. Click the time entry icon next to the task name.
4. In the window that opens, enter your hours using a start/end time or a date range.
5. Click Save.

Note: If you enter hours this way and later edit the total for that day on ‘My Timesheet’, the detailed start and end times will be lost.

Who can edit Actual Effort? Team members have full control over their own time entries for any open reporting period. It is important to note that managers cannot directly enter or modify another user's Reported Effort in their timesheet. This ensures that the reported hours are an accurate reflection of the work performed by each individual.

4. Accepted Effort

Accepted Effort is the official, finalized amount of effort that is used for financial reporting and cost consolidation. It is the value that the organization formally recognizes.

By default, Accepted Effort is the same as Actual Effort, meaning it directly reflects the hours reported by team members in their timesheets. In most cases, Accepted Effort is left unchanged.

When a manager overwrites the effort, they are setting a single, total value for the entire task-user assignment, not editing the day-by-day entries. For example, if a user reports 25 hours but the budget is capped at 20, the manager can set the Accepted Effort to 20.

What it is used for: - Finalizing costs for a given period. - In projects, it allows managers to override the actual hours for budgetary or billing purposes. - How to Enter Accepted Effort

Who can edit Actual Effort? The ability to edit Accepted Effort is the main difference in how effort is managed between projects and services, and this is by design.

a. In Projects: The Project Manager can edit the Accepted Effort from the Team tab. Here’s how:

• Go to the project and open the Team tab.
• In the slide-out menu on the left, select Accepted Effort.
• Enter the accepted effort for the specific team member.
• Click Save.

b. In Services: Accepted Effort is not editable and will always reflect the total Reported Effort. This is by design to ensure an unaltered historical record for continuous activities.

Period End Close

Once a Period End Close (PEC) is run for a user, the Accepted Effort for that period is locked and can no longer be modified in either projects or services. This ensures that financial data remains stable and auditable.