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On a report, can you summarize a custom expression column in the grouping? How to report a predecessors actual completion date?

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Level 5

I have a task report that has some calculated columns. Has anyone figured out a work around to summarize a calculated column that has a value expression? On my report I'm also trying to get a column with the predecessor task's actual completion date (or better yet the custom field "Actual Audit Date" on the predecessor task). The tasks on this report all only have one predecessor task each.

5 Replies

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Level 10

I have an idea Kristy,

Since there is only one predecessor, when that predecessor’s Actual Completion Date is filled in (which, procedurally, you could set to the Actual Audit Date, and make the latter a calculated parameter that then points to the Actual Completion Date), Workfront will automatically then set the successor task’s Handoff Date to that same Actual Completion Date, which you can then easily report on and summarize (eg Max) directly as a column (Handoff Date) on the successor task row.

Regards,

Doug

That works. Will a tasks Handoff Date be affected if the predecessor has an approval process. Does the handoff happen when the task is marked as CPL-A or when it is CPL?

Also, my calculated column is calculating the DATEDIFF between 2 dates (baseline audit date and actual audit date) and I was hoping to SUM summarize by project (the report grouping) so I would have the total number of days added/subtracted to the project because of changes in dates.

Mmm...that one's trickier Kristy.

Although it might be possible, I don't recall a way to calculate a sum of an expression in that fashion.

What you're trying to do is similar to something I'm working on today, by coincidence: I'm looking to compare a Project's Planned Hours as a percentage of the Baseline Planned Hours, as the means of measuring when a Project's Scope has changed ("enough"; i.e. > 110%). I cold not find a syntax that from the Project would allow me to retrieve the Default Baseline Planned Hours in a calculated parameter, so (short term) I instead created a numeric text box, and filled it in manually, which in turn made the calculation trivial (i.e. ROUND((Planned Hours * 100)/ Baseline Hours, 0), as a rounded percentage. Persisting that data is helpful, since it can then be used for Filters, Views, Groupings, Sorting and Charting. With that in hand (long term), I can then use our UberCalc solution to automate the population of that numeric text box (and prevent "gaming" the system).

Perhaps you could use a similar approach (whether manual, or in time, automated), at the Task level, with the same benefits.

Regards,

Doug

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Level 10

Worth testing, but I expect that not until (but as soon as) the predecessor's Actual Completion Date is filled in will the successor Handoff Date then automatically populate.

Regards,

Doug