Clarity

  • 1.  changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 12:50 PM

    I have a user with both tasks with resource assignments and tasks with no assignments. The % complete calculation is set to Effort.  When she switches to manual for % complete calculation she is able to update the non assignment tasks, but when she switches the % complete calculation back to effort for the project she loses those updates on non assignment tasks.  Has anyone run into this or know why it reverts back on the tasks.

     

    Art



  • 2.  Re: changing % complete calculation
    Best Answer

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 01:10 PM

    Hi Art. Sadly, according to CA this is functioning as designed. 

     

    Please vote up Enhance 'Effort' % Complete Calculation Method Design / Functionality Idea in hopes that one day this functionality will be useful to our users.



  • 3.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 01:16 PM

    Thanks for the quick response.  That's what I thought, but figured I'd check to make sure.



  • 4.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 01:19 PM

    If you don't have a resource assignment for a task its effort is zero. Therefore, it isn't (and shouldn't be) considered for effort-based % Complete. 



  • 5.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 01:43 PM

    Alexandre - we agree. The problem to solve here is the Update % Complete job changes the PM's deterministic status update and reverts them back to Not Started. We agree that these aren't (nor shouldn't be) considered for effort-based % Complete: therefore, ignore them. The Update % Complete job should simply ignore all tasks without resource assignments. Is it not this simple?

     

    If a PM wants to create a task with no resource assignments for their own purposes and mark it complete when they wish to - let them, then don't change their deterministic status decision. Current functionality is to revert these back to Not Started when the job runs, which then hits all the PMs in their Late Task portlets and reports. This doesn't please them or leadership and no amount of explaining why this is occurring helps. It hinders leadership & our PM's opinion of PPM. These are the people that pay the bills - let's take care of them.



  • 6.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 01:59 PM

    One of the reasons I like the new "To Do" list feature in 15.x.  Allows you to create up to 25 "To Do" list items per task for all those follow-ups that you don't want to create tasks for but still need a reminder to follow-up.



  • 7.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 02:35 PM

    "To Dos" aren't available in reports or scheduling tools where my PMs live & communicate. We don't yet see where Adaptive project management fits into our world, so To Dos will probably not become a viable alternative until this feature become standard for all projects. Regardless, even with To Dos in the new UX PMs will still want to create their tasks and mark them as they please, will they not? In the new UX, Effort based calculation method has an even worse user experience on tasks with no assignment: They can't even be marked complete:

     

    I can think of a couple better User Experiences than providing users a drop down control that does nothing but frustrate them. Don't make them think! Simply let tasks without assignments be whatever the PM wants them to be even if the project is set to Effort % Calculation Method. 100% of 0 equals zero - these tasks do not mathematically interfere with the functional goal of Effort % Complete calculation.

     

    I'll remain curious - is there some harm in tasks with no effort being marked 'Complete'?



  • 8.  Re: changing % complete calculation

    Posted Jul 10, 2017 02:52 PM

    Rob - I'm with you for sure on ability to mark the tasks complete (regardless of % Complete method used).  Glad you submitted an idea.  I'll vote up.