Using timeline segments [in-depth guide]
Guide contents: Setup | Adding timeline segments to tasks | Project managers | Resource managers | Reporting | Resources
In order to help visualize & report on major project milestones, Workamajig has created Timeline sections. After defining the segments, you are able to set a detail-level task or summary task with a colored & named marker for use in many of your traffic & project-related reporting. This allows you to quickly filter & visualize across a Gantt schedule view where major milestones are falling on the calendar.
NOTE: Using timeline segments replaces the typical full project start & end dates duration Gantt line that is seen on the Projects page.
Setup
Menu > Admin/manager > System setup > Global lists > Timeline segments
Here you can add timeline segments & assign to tasks.
Adding timeline segments to tasks
System setup > Assign to tasks
From the Timeline segments setup screen, you can click on a row to expand it. Here an option labeled 'assign to tasks' will appear. Clicking this will open a panel with some choices of task names to apply the segment to.
NOTE: Be mindful as this will update EVERY task in your system with a matching ID or name.
Project schedule > Apply a timeline segment to a task
Alternatively, you can go to your Project templates to be more surgical with what task get which timeline segments applied. This setup then copies forward to your new projects.
- From the Project schedule, select a task.
- From the Task details on the right, use the drop-down for Timeline segment to select the appropriate match.
- SAVE
NOTE: You can assign a timeline segment at the detailed task or summary task level. The timeline segment settings will copy over from templates. This allows you to set the timeline segment & also allows your project managers to name the tasks in any way without disturbing this connection.
Project managers
As a project manager, you can use a variety of pages & report views to visually see the status of a project by timeline segment.
The most beneficial page to use with timeline segments is the Projects page. As this can visually highlight the entire schedule within one row of data.
Additionally, a project manager type may want to run a report for specific timeline segment tasks or assignments, which then plays into the next section of material.
Resource managers
You can also manage timeline segments from the Task details panel that's accessible from any of the resource manager screens. Such as the Traffic calendar, Staff schedule, Assignment management, and Assignments report.
Additionally, you can filter the work by 'timeline segment', so all you pull are tasks with the matching criteria. This is possible using the Traffic calendar > Assignments view, & Custom reports.
Reporting
Assignments view
While this can be seen as a custom report type of view. It also has the ability to reassign work & update tasks.
From the Today PM page is a view called Assignments.
Here you can set up the report with a layout to contain or filter by timeline segment.
For more info on this, please check out the Assignments view [in-depth guide].
Custom reports
If you simply need a custom report that includes timeline segment, then any task or assignment-level custom report dataset will work.
For task level, use project task data.
For assignment-level, use task assignment data.
In these reports, you are able to use the Timeline sections to filter & group the report.
Resources
Global lists: Timeline segments [in-depth guide]
Global lists: Project templates [in-depth guide]
Project schedule overview [in-depth guide]
Resource manager overview [guide]
New custom report [in-depth guide]