Status Changes on Project

[NRYNR]

I would like to create a report that provides the dates or elapsed days between status changes on a project. For example, days between Current to Pending Approval, Pending Approval to Pending Implementation, Pending Implementation to Closed. We would like to identify where significant delays occur within projects occurred. Suggestions?

[TimGo1]

If you’re not talking about approval path timing, you should be able to get close by using the milestone view on a list of projects. This assumes you have 1) a milestone path set up that includes the different phase gates you want to track, and 2) you have aligned the project tasks to those milestone phases in the schedule.

Tim Golden

[EricLu2]

Interestingly enough, I worked through this myself about two months ago:

Here is what I learned:

1) The date a change in status occurs is not stored in any database table or attribute;

2) The only place that change in status is documented is in the Audit attributes of the Note reporting object;

a. Note text is stuff people enter into updates;

b. Audit text is stuff the system documents;

3) To find it, you have to search the notes for a specific set of characters. I’ve tried to create a Note report that show audit (not note) text where:

a. Note>>audit text contains “approved”;

b. Note>>Thread date is greater than equal to $$TODAY-3w (this looks back three weeks);

4) That shows me all notes where the word Approved appears. You can search for other unique strings in the note texts this way. I have a version that shows all projects approved in the last three weeks and another that shows all projects that were moved into or out of another status;

If you want to report on where a project is in an approval workflow, it is a similar challenge. I have some text mode code to help with that.

Hope this helps.

[AnthonyIm]

Going on what Lucas said, I would recommend a Note object type report and have the filter so the Audit Type is Status Change. The only thing I have not been able to figure out is how to isolate it for just the project. It currently pulls in all status changes on the project including changes to tasks and issues. There is a filter "Project - Audit Types" but when I used that I got a "SQL database error." So even though it is there, it doesn't look like you can use that.

[EricLu2]

There is an attribute called “Note ObjCode”

DOCU – It is audit text on a document

TASK – It is audit text on a task

OPTASK – Something, not sure, but it is audit text

Null – I think this is a note, not audit text.

I can’t get to other values because of a defect that keeps changing my report filter criteria. Sorry. I just opened a ticket for that.

Eric

[TimGo1]

OPTASK is an issue, if memory serves.

[GregBe1]

Yes, it is.

[GregBe1]

So, if you filter by Audit Type = Status Change, and Note ObjCode is blank, you should get all project status changes I think.

[Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore]

Hi Narayan. A couple of years ago a large Workfront client engaged us to build out a similar solution for tracking the response and resolution time on Issues. The resulting SLA (Service Level Agreement) Package has some very cool reports and dashboards on it such as this one , but The Math behind it is not for the faint of heart! That said, the end justified the means, and I'm certain it could be adapted to accomplish what you are after: tracking Status state-times at the Project level. Regards, Doug

[LauraRa1]

Hi there I've read through this thread and can't seem to pull all our projects where the status was changed in the last week. Sounds like adding a date to it can't be done but if I could at least pull a report that shows only project that have changed, that would work for us. I have a project report and have filtered it as suggested in this thread... Audit Type = Status Change, and Note ObjCode is blank This doesn't show any projects for me. Can you help?

[LauraRa1]

Correction... The report shows 4 projects but if I test it by changing the status of a project, it doesn't pull in that newly changed project so I believe it's not working.

[Former Community Member]

This would be a note report not a project report

[Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore]

Hi Laura,

Fun fact: Workfront does carry a Previous Status field under the hood (eg at the Issue level, etc)...but not the date that it changed, which is I think what you seek.

It is possible to track that information in custom date parameters, as I alluded to in The Math above, but it is very complex. That said, once those custom forms are in place, it becomes trivial to then Filter, Sort, and Group on them using Workfront's standard reporting (eg Report all Projects that have changed Status within the past Month, Grouped and Sorted by the Week in which the Status changed and then by Project Owner, and show the Portfolio Name, Project Name, Last Note, Previous Status, and Status in the grid). If you'd like more information, please drop me an email at doug.denhoed@atappstore.com.

On the other hand, without that custom date being stored at the Project Level, you can at least get a list of Projects -- as Melinda asserted -- using a Notes report and plucking out the Project Name and date of a particular Audit Text change (eg Contains "status changed ").

Regards,

Doug

[CORYSW]

I am having the same issue. i have a few that will populate but not others and can't figure out why.

[LauraRa1]

Hi Doug, I still cannot get it to work, as Cory suggests below, some show up and some don't, I can't trust the results. I've tried the notes report this time and set filters for the particular milestone path that projects have that we are interested in as well as added Note Obj Code 'is blank'. I've tried using both the Audit Type by selecting status change and well as swapping that out for the Audit Text and contains 'changed the status' which is how WF spells it out. The project I changed the status of to test the report STILL doesn't show up. Am I missing something or is there an error in WF?

[AnthonyIm]

Hi Laura,

Two things:

1. Like mentioned before, you need to make sure that it is a Note report, not a project report.
2. Also, you need to include the Audit Type Combined Entry. If someone changed the status AND did something else on the project, it goes to that audit type. I've been playing around and I think if you use these filters, you can get what you'd like.

[AnthonyIm]

On my filters, you can ignore Project Owner ID equals $$USER. I just did that when I was playing around. ;) (Unless you only want to see status changes for your projects)

[LauraRa1]

This is great, thanks for sending.

I have that report setup correctly but it still doesn’t show a project I changed the status on 5 mins ago.

Also, can you explain the ‚Äòcombined’ part, I don’t really understand that part. Sorry, we’re very new to WF‚Ķ.

[CORYSW]

Anthony, I set my filters up the same way but I am still not getting some changes to pull in. There are two changes that should have come in. One I put into Planning yesterday for about an hour to move some tasks around and put it back into Progress. That is not showing. There was also one that was Closed on Saturday and then moved to Planning and In Progress on Sunday. I am not sure why these are not coming in. Thanks, Cory

[AnthonyIm]

Hi Laura, Combined Entry is used as an Audit Type when multiple things change on at the same time. For instance, in the sample I attached to my previous thread, you can see that at 10:42 am on July 28th, not only did the status of the project change from Plan Set Up to Current, but the planned completion date change from 8/8 to 8/5. Because both things happened at the same time, the Audit Type is Combined Entry. I thought that might be why some of your projects were not appearing.

[LauraRa1]

Ah, got it, thanks for the explanation.

Ok, well I don’t know why the project I used as a test isn’t showing up. UGH. I think I read somewhere where Eric had submitted a ticket. Maybe it’s an issue with WF.