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Idea Exchange Promotion

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Level 5
Hi everyone! I've collapsed down a list of ideas that we have upvoted within our internal team and would appreciate your support too! Managing Tasks/Approvals Prevent Task from Being Marked as Complete If Required Fields on Custom Form Attached to the Task Are Blank Routing Custom Forms for Approval or Print to PDF Link Proof and Task approvals Task getting auto-approved when a Proof or Document associated with the Task is approved Managing Proofs Proof reviewer / approver delegation by current reviewer / approver Add/Edit Automated Proof Workflow from Inside the Proof Viewer New Proof: Change default from basic to automated Automated Proofs: Add option to create automated proofs as default or expose to API UX/Other/Admin Ability to export Custom Forms "https://community.workfront.com/discussions/community-home/digestviewer/Ability%20to%20report%20on%20issues,%20tasks,%20and%20projects%20together%20in%20one%20report" Ability to report on issues, tasks, and projects together in one report Allow screenshots in updates/comments Ability to convert the field type to another field type Make Custom Forms Appear as Tabs Implement Quick Pins for Custom Forms for shortcuts to Layout Templates New Home: Bring back Recent Updates I want to be able to set a default View/Filter/Grouping from Layout Template Ability to move from Sandbox to Production Mandatory logging of time on task Out of Office auto replies to directed updates Populate empty profile pictures with user's initials James Hill
285 Replies

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Level 10
I guess I'm in the camp of "Work On It" just brings it in to my queue (I've accepted it). It doesn't automatically mean I'm starting it because it may have dependencies I'm waiting on etc. When I change the Status from New to In Progress is when I am truly starting. So if the goal is to calculate an Actual Duration on a Task, I've done something similar with Issues. I believe it'll work the same way. If I remember correctly, the Actual Start Date is triggered by the Status getting set to anything besides New . So if you go from New to In Progress, it'll set the timestamp. So as soon as your assignee is ready to work, they change the Status. Then when they complete it, they obviously should mark it Complete (and you have your Actual Completion Date set). Then to calculate the Actual Duration you could use one of the expressions below in your report. WORKMINUTESDIFF({actualStartDate},{actualCompletionDate }) WEEKDAYDIFF({actualStartDate},{actualCompletionDate }) Does that help at all?

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Our issue is that these tasks are already assigned to users, our resourcing person assigns them, and often the task is assigned to multiple people, each with a different role. So when one of those users click Work on It, they are starting the task now. We're not keen on asking them to do a 2-step process of clicking Work on It and change the status. It seems there should be a button to indicate they are starting the task, same as the Done button that indicates they are finished. If I could have it watch for that Update ID to match one of the assigned users and capture that date/time in a custom field, that might work for most instances. There's always that chance though that one of the assignees is posting an update asking for the task date to be shifted out because they can't start on it yet.

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Level 5
Hi Vic, We had users who just clicked Work On It even if they were not. The problem is that "Work On It" locks the timeline of the task so the person does not know when predecessors are running early or late. So my project owners were very frustrated because they could not see that Work On It was clicked and could not understand why the task timelines were not rolling up as we had all been told they would. We were manually having to change the Planned Start Date until we finally had a support tech help us figure out what was going on. I still remain flabbergasted that clicking that button is not reportable. Aileen Aileen Taylor Cell Signaling Technology

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Level 10
Hi Aileen, I'm not sure what is meant by Work On It locks the timelines. I have not found that to be the case at all. As far as I know it simply moves the Task to your My Work (and that's pretty much it). If tasks are getting locked I would suspect something else is causing it. If you have Predecessors on the tasks and the proper Task Constraints (i.e. As Soon As Possible). When your Pred is late (and you update the dates on it), WF will move the Planned Start Date of the subsequent (successor) task(s). The Work On It button will have no impact on that. Am I missing something else?

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Level 5
Hi Vic, That is exactly how we thought Work On It behave but the button doesn't actually work that way. If someone clicks "Work On It" the planned task dates will not change even if the predecessors are done early. We had a project running three months early but no one downstream of the writer knew that because she had clicked "Work on It" for all of her tasks and thought she had three months before starting work. It makes sense because the person is saying they will work on the task so the system should not automatically change the dates for a task being worked on, the system has no way of knowing the person is not actually starting when they click the button. The user clicks the Work On It button to accept that task and its dates, then they change the task status to say In Progress. It all makes sense except the part where we can't tell when they click the button. Aileen Aileen Taylor Cell Signaling Technology

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Level 10
Hi Aileen, OK I've tested this and I believe something else is causing those dates to lock on you. I'm very confident the Work On It does not lock dates. I'm 99.6% confident �� . They say always allow for the 1% chance that you're wrong, but I'm willing to only allow a .4% chance on this one �� . It'd be great if someone from WF would confirm, but I've been running projects in WF for 5 years and never had it do that and I just confirmed it in a test. So let's talk about other possibilities for the lock problem. If you're talking about early completion the first thing I look at is your Planned Completion Dates. This is what drives the predecessors (and successors). If you have a task that completes early, you need to manually change that Planned Completion Date to correspond with your actual Completion Date. WF won't use the Actual Completion Date to change the task date for you. You have to change that Planned Completion Date (by either reducing the Duration or flat out changing the Planned Completion date depending on what you want to happen). Then your subsequent dates will draw in (assuming you have the proper Task Constraints). Is this a possibility for the issue?

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Level 10
Hi Vic and Aileen, I suspect that when clicking Work On It, it is the side effect that sets the Task's Commit Date (i.e. to the Planned Date at that point in time) that is then causing subsequent strife (where the Commit Date "overrules, since a human set it", even if the Planned Date were to otherwise be moved at a later point in time (e.g. due to re-planning due to other scheduled influences). If so, we have an "https://store.atappstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SynchronizeCommitDates.png" antidote , for those who'd prefer that (newer) Planned Dates overrule Commit Date (particularly those of the side effect nature). Regards, Doug Doug Den Hoed - AtAppStore

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Level 10
Yeah that's a good point. I meant to mention that. The Commit Date may appear locked when they click Work On It. It's not locked, it just doesn't change unless the Assignee changes it from that point forward. But the Planned Completion Date does not get locked (and as far as I know has no connection to the Work On It button).

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Level 10
Here again for another Arbitrary Oddities submission: I honestly expected Support to come back to saying it was a bug, but alas... Hiding Milestone View https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z000000XhTVAA0/detail Kevin Quosig

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Level 7

I just put up an idea about including the actual decision made on a proof in the documents tab view without clicking into details. In the documents tab, it shows if a proof has been sent, open, commented on and if a decision has been made. But it doesn't show WHAT the decision is. Was it approved? Or are changes required? You have to click into details to find out. It would be great if the decision could be shown right there with the document information without clicking on anything. https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z000000XhTpAAK/detail Leah Janz Metro Transit0690z000007Zh80AAC.jpg

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Level 5
Excellent idea! Can't agree more and I think this is just a bit of a code for dev. Upvoted! ImreMagyar VODAFONE Group

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Level 10
Squeaky wheel here... Make Decision Date (WF Proof) Available for Reporting https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z000000XhUnAAK/detail Kevin Quosig

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Level 5
Hi, I need to be able to filter on project status on document and proof approval reports. Someone did have an idea exchange entry. Would appreciate help in upvoting this one: https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z0000004VtAAAU/detail Thanks Kristine Ross

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Level 7
Hi Kristine. I have up-voted this idea for you. When it comes to PHQ and reporting on proofs, WF has many brides to cross. Two thoughts here: 1. If you are referring to WF reports, you could just add the project filter to only include projects with the status of current. That should shorten the amount of proofs they need to sort through. 2. If you are referring to PHQ reports or views, have you considered adding a custom field to the proofs with the project status? Any field you add to the proof would then be a reportable or filterable object in PHQ. We use this for our project reference numbers to associate the proof back to the project it was generated in. Brandon Pritchard System Administrator iNHouse Marketing - Nationwide pritcb1@nationwide.com

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Level 10
Ran up against a brick wall when it comes to trying to do a summary report for my project managers who often have dozens of Workfront Proof (PHQ) reviews running concurrently (each with 6-12 reviewers). And the wall's name is "less than robust reporting from Workfront Proof"... Workfront Proof (PHQ): Robust Reporting https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z000000XhVlAAK/detail I would suggest folks add in the comments section of this Idea any other reportable objects I have not explicitly listed. Kevin Quosig

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Level 10

0690z000007Zh7MAAS.pngAgree and upvoted!! We created this report so they could see all routes in a portfolio (for us that is a Brand) and what stages are active. See attached pic. Katherine Haven, PMP VP, Director, Business Technologies - PMO FCB

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Level 5
Hi Katherine, That is a great report. I have some questions: How did you get the activated / unlocked stages and also the project name is through text mode, or a calculated field? Thanks! Miranda Rais GVC

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Level 10
@Miranda Rais - How did you get the activated / unlocked stages: = Current Version > Active Proof Stages also the project name is through text mode, or a calculated field? Text Mode Grouping: group.0.displayname=Producer group.0.valuefield=project:owner:name group.0.valueformat=HTML group.1.displayname=Project group.1.valuefield=project:name group.1.valueformat=HTML textmode=true Katherine Haven, PMP VP, Director, Business Technologies - PMO FCB

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Level 10
Just to clarify a few things: This is a Document object type report. In the document, you can get the "Current Version" fields that Kathy mentions Also, to get different portfolios, you do have to do a prompt for Project Portfolio ID. Putting the report inside a layout template for the Portfolio does not work. Not sure if the object type is too far away or if the ability to have documents on the Portfolio as well messes it up. Anthony Imgrund FCB

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Level 2
Re-visiting this one as the new Workfront Experience sort of solves for this. Yay! and thank you, but it only does that within some of the tabs like Tasks, Project Details, Documents, but not Issues, Updates or custom dashboards. Any chance that it can get applied to all the tabs? Please? Giselle Quintero Cross Country Home Services

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Level 6
Howdy all, I would love some help getting this laddered up or finding a solution that exists but in my talks with the folks at workfront there currently isn't anything in place. IDEA EXCHANGE LINK: https://experience.workfront.com/s/idea/0870z000000XhYBAA0/detail what i need is more robust logging on the hours objects - and timesheets. We've had users re-open their timesheet and log hours to a timesheet from long ago - unfortunately there is no way to tell when a user logged time to a specific element, just that they logged time to that element. What i'd like to see is on the user timesheet (for the time period) Day / Date / Timestamp of when they logged the hour(s) to what object they logged the hour(s) if there was an edit to the logged hour(s) we should capture day / date / timestamp of when the hour(s) were edited on what object they were edited what they were edited from --> to this would help with compliance and control regarding hours entry and edits Ryan Carroll Integrated Marketing Services