Leads and lags between tasks

by | Sep 10, 2018

Leads and lags between tasks

 

When creating dependencies between tasks and aligning the schedule according to them, it may be necessary to add positive or negative slacks, so that the relationship between one task and another keeps a difference of the specified days.

There are two ways to créate leads and lags:

  1. Through the “Precedecessor” column of the Gantt

Simply add a plus (+) or minus (-) sign and the number of days after the predecessor task number.

In the example, the predecessor of Task 43 is the 42, to which we add +3. The system will automatically specify the dependency type, which by default is FS (Finish-Start), showing as a result 42FS+3

Similarly, days can be subtracted using the 42FS-3 notation

 

  1. Adding or editing the dependency with the mouse

If the dependency already exists, double-clicking the mouse pointer over the dependency arrow opens a dialog box that allows adding lags. If the number entered is negative, it will result in a lead.

In addition, you will find the information of the dependencies of each task on the tab “General”.

Note that if you update the start or end dates of a task from the General tab (upper image) and dependencies affect other tasks, these will not change their dates unless you update by dependencies from the Gantt.

This measure protects the project from unwanted changes without a complete view of the calendar.

Como acceder a “Mi perfil”

by | Sep 4, 2018

Mi Perfil

Al registrarse en ITM Platform recibirá un correo con la dirección URL y los datos de acceso 1.

Figura 1. Datos de acceso

Acceda a su entorno de ITM Platform e introduzca el usuario y la contraseña de acceso 2.

Figura 2. Acceso a ITM Platform

El nombre de usuario será su dirección de correo electrónico, donde recibirá las notificaciones del sistema. Podrá modificar los datos de su perfil así como la contraseña 3:

Figura 3. Acceso a Mi perfil

Is it possible to import data into ITM Platform from other project management tools?

by | Jun 4, 2018

Is it possible to import data into ITM Platform from other project management tools?

ITM Platform allows importing data from other solutions and project management tools in a simple way. Let’s see the two most significant cases:

  • Import the data from MS Project: From the “Gantt” section of each project, you can import Microsoft Project files (as well as any file that has a .mpp extension) to load the task schedule with its dates, dependencies, etc.

  • Import the data from Jira: The Jira connector allows you to import projects and other elements to ITM Platform and all the information will be updated since any changes made in any element in Jira will be automatically synchronized with ITM Platform. You can find more information by consulting this article about the Jira connector.

Calculated progress

by | May 22, 2018

The Calculated Progress

Contents

The Calculated Progress

This section applies to waterfall projects. Agile progress tracking is explained in Tracking projects based on Agile Methodology

The calculated progress applies both to summary tasks and the whole project.

The calculated progress is determined by its tasks’ progress and a measure of weight for those tasks: duration or effort.

In the example, the summary task (1) has a calculated progress of 14% based on the progress of its tasks. Similarly, the project calculated progress (2) is 13% based on the progress of all tasks.

Task weighting

Progress calculations are made based on each task’s progress and on a measure of weight that will determine how important each task is in relation to the others. Having completed a very relevant task is not the same as having done so on one that has little impact on the summary task or the project.

The two units used to weight tasks are their duration and the number of estimated hours. Every project will use one of these methods, so calculations within the project will be consistent.

How to set the progress calculation method

The progress calculation method can be set in the project’s General section, under the section “Methods.” You will be able to choose between the two available methods. Please notice that if you change the method, the progress of all summary tasks will be recalculated, as well as the project’s calculated progress. The project’s % Competed will remain unchanged until you decide to do so.

This setting can also be set for all projects or just those of a particular type.
To do so, go to CONFIGURATION→PARAMETERS→Project Parameters→Methods, and select the method of your choosing as well as whether you want to allow the project settings to override the company’s preference. You also can set the progress calculation method per project type on CONFIGURATION→PARAMETERS→Project Parameters→Project Type

Duration-based weighting

This is the default method used to calculate the progress of summary tasks and the whole project.

It assumes that a task having a longer duration has a higher weight on the overall progress calculation. Let’s see the formula used to calculate the progress in a project or summary task with “n” tasks:

Calculated progress = % t1 * d1/D + % t2 * d2/D + % t3 * d3/D + … + % tn + dn/D

Variables used:

  • %tx : the completed percentage of the « x » task
  • dx: the duration in days of the “x” task
  • D: the sum of all task durations of the project or summary task

Let’s see this formula in action with an example. In the following 20-day project, there are three tasks:

  • Task 1: 9-day duration, with a 35% of completion
  • Task 2: 7-day duration, with a 22% of completion
  • Task 3: 4-day duration, with a 0% of completion
  • Total Duration: 9+7+4= 20 days

Replacing the variables with values in the formula:

Calculated progress = 35%*9 days/20 days + 22%*7 days/20 days + 0%*4 days/20 days= 23%

Effort-based weighting

This method uses the estimated hours per task to weigh the progress of each one of them. As a result, tasks having more estimated hours will weigh more than those having fewer hours.

Calculated progress = % t1 * h1/H + % t2 * h2/H + % t3 * h3/H + … + % tn + hn/H

Variables used:

  • %tx: the completed percentage of the « x » task
  • hx: the estimated hours for the “x” task
  • H: the total estimated hours of the project or summary task

The estimated effort will be the sum of all estimated efforts for each team member assigned to the task plus the unassigned estimated effort if any.

This method is useful when the task duration doesn’t represent the total effort involved in carrying out the task. For example, when some tasks have more team members than others.

When does progress get calculated?

Whenever you update a task’s progress, summary tasks and the project will have their calculated progress automatically updated. You can update the task’s progress from the task file (Progress section), form the Gantt, the API, or any connector, such as Teambot for Slack or the Jira Connector

If, in addition to getting the calculated progress, you also want to create an automatic progress report, you can:

  • In the Gantt section, next to the “Save” option, tick the “Create an automatic progress report.”
  • In the task’s Progress section, tick the “Create an automatic progress report.”

 

Related articles

Tracking the progress of tasks and Waterfall projects (Gantt)
Expected progress of summary tasks and projects

How to move multiple tasks and sub-tasks

by | Mar 28, 2018

How to move multiple tasks and sub-tasks

You can move dates for multiple tasks, summary tasks and its subordinate tasks.

This can be done within the Tasks section of a project, selecting the tasks you want to move. These can be regular tasks, summary tasks or milestones. Anything as long as there have no reported hours on them, which would block the start date.

To begin, select the tasks to be moved

Then click or press the button Move Dates 

Notice that, in this example, the selected tasks belong to a summary task; two of them have a dependency, whereas the third one has no dependencies at all. This Gantt view that provides with a clear understanding:

Once you click on the button Move Dates, you will be asked to enter the starting date to move the selected tasks to.

Notice that you will be setting the earliest date for the first task. All other tasks will move accordingly, respecting the distances between them, regardless whether there were dependencies or not.

If you selected only some tasks inside a summary task, they will move and so will the start or the end date of the summary task, respecting the ones that you didn’t touch.