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DavidCo3
Level 10
June 29, 2016
Question

Commit Dates are killing us

  • June 29, 2016
  • 75 replies
  • 8014 views
Hi, Commit Dates are really killing us and causing a lot of confusion/frustration with users. e.g. A task is originally scheduled for a certain date and an assigned user clicks 'Work On It', Workfront sets the commit date to the planned date (assuming the user doesn't propose an alternative commit date - and we ask them not to do this). If the task's planned date is later changed, the user's original commit date remains. Our users don't remember to go and update their commit dates on such tasks. This then affects tasks' and projects' projected dates, and more confusingly for the user, it leaves the original commit date on their mini-calendar on the My Work screen. We would love to just be able to switch off the Commit Date functionality completely. As this doesn't appear to be possible, how else can we try to keep the commit dates aligned with the planned dates? There doesn't seem to be a way to centrally edit commit dates (even one-by-one, let alone in bulk). The only way I know of doing this is to log on as the user and change the commit date on each task. This is impractical with thousands of tasks in progress per month. Do other customers have this issue? How do you handle it? We have a team who are in charge of scheduling people at the right time, so we really don't need the users to be setting alternative commit dates. Thanks, David.
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KarenRu
Level 6
July 27, 2016
Doug- We still have launched yet- new "go live" date is Sept 1st! I'm going to forward this threat to our implementation consultant- to make sure I fully understand the commit date issue- and based on what I've read here- I think it will annoy us too- so will like to see how the new solution you offered works! I'll reach out offline- thanks! Karen
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MichaelLaberge
Level 4
July 28, 2016
This is great, Doug! It's my first time getting in to AtAppStore and I'm having a hard time gaining access to UberCalc to install/connect. Any advice or suggestions would be great. Thanks! Mike
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
Community Advisor
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStoreCommunity Advisor
Community Advisor
July 28, 2016
Ah, you busted me, Mike! I'm just about to step onto the golf course for the rest of the day, and I believe my colleague Malcolm is also out of pocket. I'd be happy to get you set up tomorrow though. I'm in Calgary (Mountain time) and currently open from 10am-11am, or after 1pm. Would you please send a meeting request to doug.denhoed@atappstore.com for a slot that suits you? Regards, Doug
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
Community Advisor
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStoreCommunity Advisor
Community Advisor
August 3, 2016
Hello fellow non-committers, I'd like to invite you to view this "http://screencast.com/t/MlrO66OC3tT">video of the "http://store.atappstore.com/product/ubercalc/">Synchronize Commit Date solution I announced last week, which shows how it works in action. Also -- with thanks to a colleague of mine at Workfront who pointed out that in principal, the Commit Date concept is a powerful communication tool when used properly -- I'm also pleased to announce that our solution can also be configured to EXCLUDE Projects where the As Designed Commit Date functionality is valued. I look forward to chatting further with those interested offline -- doug.denhoed@atappstore.com Regards, Doug
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
Community Advisor
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStoreCommunity Advisor
Community Advisor
September 5, 2016
Hi David. Welcome back from vacation. When you get to it, I look forward to your thoughts on our solution to your Commit Dates Are Killing Us challenge. As you were away, I would also be happy to extend our August offer to you, in appreciation for raising the original concept. Regards, Doug
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DavidCo3Author
Level 10
September 5, 2016
Hi Doug, Thanks for the welcome back! I've had a look at the video and read through the thread regarding the scope you used to build the tool. It looks like it should work for us. I will discuss with those who hold the purse strings. I've got a bit to catch up on, so any answer on this will likely be a week or two away I suspect. Would you license this separate to, or only with UberCalc? Obviously our natural preference is for Workfront to modify the system rather than us needing to pay for (very good) 3rd party solutions, but we will see how the ROI looks. Thanks for responding to the community concerns and I hope you already have some people signed up! Cheers, David.
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore
Community Advisor
Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStoreCommunity Advisor
Community Advisor
September 5, 2016
Thanks David -- I'm delighted to hear that you think it should work for you. UberCalc is the underlying framework that allows us to provide scheduled jobs such as Syncronize Commit Date , so they do go together; but only the former has ongoing annual licensing. When you're ready to proceed, please drop me a line at doug.denhoed@atappstore.com. Regards, Doug
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LauraRa1
Level 7
October 4, 2016
Sorry to go back to this but.... Doug.... You mentioned in your post to me that although you can hide the commit date for the user, the system still relies on the Commit Date. Could you please clarify what calculations it does/what relies on the commit date please? I now have a report that shows where the commit date doesn't equal the planned date and there's over 1400 tasks in that situation. I'm concerned but I don't know why I should be concerned. Thanks :)
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PhilipSt
Level 4
October 4, 2016
Hi Laura, The one concern I have is that the Worker who changes the commit date, only sees the new date, whereas the Project Manager still sees the original planned completion date. So, you are working to two different dates. Cheers, Phil
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EricLu2
Level 10
October 4, 2016
Hi: We have issues with comparing the commit date and the Planned date. The root of the problem is that the CLEARTIME function doesn’t work the way you think it should. As a result, when you compare two dates (DATEDIFF) and don’t want to consider the hours/time associated with that date, well, it doesn’t work. We also get thousands of tasks where the commit date doesn’t equal the planned date. That can happen because: 1) The commit date is originally set when the planned date is calculated originally. If you move the planned date, the default commit date doesn’t change (I think this is true…); 2) When someone commits to a date, and the planned date changes, they need to go back and recommit given the new planned date change; 3) The commit date was set to Planned date, but when you compare them, they don’t match - something to do with the hours, we have a ticket open on that. We have a ticket open to address the whole ability to find the difference between two dates without considering the hours. How are you calculating the difference between the two dates? Thanks, Eric
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