Is there a notification option when CFT member changes planned completion date of their task

[EricLu2]

Hi: What settings do you have that allow the user to change the dates on their task? Are they committing to a new date using MyWork? Do your users with Contribute permission have the ability to add tasks? Let me know how it is that your users can change dates in the plan and we’ll see what is possible from there. We do not allow anyone to modify the project plan, except the project owner. We do not allow people with Contribute permission to add tasks or make assignments. The Project Owner is responsible for the plan and working with the team to define and refine that plan. If a project team member needs to adjust the dates, they use MyWork and change their commit date. WorkFront automatically notifies the project owner and makes it easy for the project owner to adjust the plan (or reject the change) from there. Let me know! Eric

[TimGo1]

Ditto to what Eric said. That is how we handle it, as well. However, It isn’t as easy for us to update the plan from the WF notification since the one click “Accept” from the PM’s perspective causes issues with he critical path (via applying the “Must Finish On” constraint instead of extending duration). Tim Golden

[EricLu2]

<> As the head of the PMO here, I frown on PMs using a task constraint of fixed dates, must start on or must finish on. A project plan, in my opinion, is an elastic model of the future work. Putting fixed dates in the plan is like nailing the plan schedule down, effectively constraining its elasticity. If a PM wants to plan a project by dictating, and not calculating, the dates, they are better off using Excel to manage their projects. WorkFront - and every other decent PM tool - assumes a project plan is an elastic model of the future. Change one aspect of the project and the software shows you the roll-through impact of that change. As you point out, fixing dates takes the elasticity and ability to understand the roll-through impact of change away. Having said that, when it is appropriate to use fixed dates? I think it is appropriate to fix dates when there are critical events in the project whose date is not under the control of the project team. If there is a contract expiration date, for example, it doesn’t make sense to let the date float. If you’re working on a Marketing campaign as part of celebrating the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (Remember, remember the Fifth of November), then it doesn’t make sense to let that date float - it’s the fifth of November. You have to fix those dates because they are beyond your control. The way we handle dates beyond our control does not involve the use of fixed dates. We have a custom attribute on the task called “Promise Date”. I tend to put fixed dates in there, so that I can run a report that tells me when the Promise Date comes before the Planned / Projected Completion Date. Then, I adjust the predecessor work until the Planned Completion date is the same as the promise date. I think Must Finish On, Must Start On, and Fixed Dates are siren sisters who lead PMs astray. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology) Thanks. >

[TimGo1]

Eric, I couldn’t agree with you more. Critical path management is a fundamental element of effective waterfall project management. The problem with fixed dates and “Must” constraints is that they cause the projected dates to ignore the reality of actual work progress. I agree with you that items outside the team’s control, e.g. contract expiration dates, are fine for fixed date usage but everything else (including a sponsor’s “line in the sand” drop-dead dates) should be handled with normal ASAP-style scheduling. If Workfront only allowed me one feature request, it would be to change the PM’s “Accept” button’s default behavior via a project-level configuration option (which could then be applied to some or all projects via template(s). The option would be: 1. apply a “must finish on” task constraint matching the new commit date (same as how it currently works), 2. extend the task’s planned duration to the new commit date and add an update to the task with what it changed from / to 3. take the PM to the “edit item” dialog for the work item so that they can edit in more detail Tim Golden Enterprise Arch & IT Governance Manager McGuireWoods LLP Gateway Plaza 800 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219-3916 T: +1 804.775.1417 tgolden@mcguirewoods.com< VCard< ">http://vcards.mcguirewoods.com/E24F1961AFB2F3A092B9AF2CE5A6C2A7.vcf> | www.mcguirewoods.com< ">http://www.mcguirewoods.com> Visit our blog: Password Protected http://www.passwordprotectedlaw.com [McGuireWoods LLP] http://www.mcguirewoods.com

[EricLu2]

Hi: I like your proposal. I’ll take alternative number 2 - extend the duration. This retains the elasticity of the plan. If it used alternative 3, I would manually adjust the duration. May as well let the technology do it for me (which is alternative 2). Thanks! Eric

[LindenRh]

Thanks, Eric. Our users can change dates in the plan because our PMs are granting manage access to their cross functional team members. We understand that this is not the recommended way to use the WF tool and I am continuously pushing our organization to try and change our current process. Our projects move at an incrediblly fast pace with very technical plans constantly changing, so having an 'original' plan to look back on has become somewhat redundant. Our PM team have found that enabling the CFT members to change their planned dates themselves encourages better usage of the tool and more accurate data for them to work with. Also our PM team are handling projects with thousands of tasks and a high number of projects, so unfortunately having each PM handle every notification of changed commit date is not currently feasible. Thank you, Linden

[EricLu2]

Hi: In that case, I might suggest (gulp) putting the PM on every task, so that when the task dates change, the PM gets a notification just like every other person assigned to the task. That sounds like an exciting place to work as a PM! Eric

[LindenRh]

Eric, thank you! Is there a way to do that without affecting resource totals for both the project owner and individual assigned to the task? Thanks, Linden

[EricLu2]

Sure. When you assign the project manager, you assign zero planned hours. In this screenshot (below), I am assigned in a role, and given 15 planned hours. Adrian is the PM and she is assigned zero hours. [cid:image003.jpg@01D1B1D8.ABC8F060] As some point, you’ll think, oh geez, that is a LOT of editing each task to add the PM. But it isn’t. Select all the tasks in the project and click EDIT. [cid:image004.jpg@01D1B1D8.ABC8F060] Scroll down to assignments. Add the PM with zero planned hours, give them the PM role. Scroll down and click SAVE CHANGES. That will add the PM to every task in the plan with zero planned hours in one fell swoop. Try it! Eric

[LindenRh]

Thanks, Eric. And Thanks also to all others who contributed on this topic; you’ve provided some great information.