Users backing each other up

[DreadkiailiWork]

How do you all handle people backing each other up? We'd like to be able to assign 2 people, in the same role, to tasks. Is there a way to do this via staffing or do we have to manually add the 2nd person on each task? In our old tool, users could mirror the dashboard of any user, which made it easy to keep an eye on their teammates' work, if someone was out. I can set up a dashboard of reports that show all for their team and let them filter, but does anyone else have a better idea? Thanks Kristine Ross Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

[VicAl]

Hi Kristine, Well there's a couple of ways to address this (including the dashboard you mentioned). You can bulk edit the tasks to assign the two people. You can also use a Team view by using Agile or KanBan. If you set the Team up, you can use either Kanban or Agile (you don't have to actually practice Scrum with Iterations etc. if you don't want). But that would allow you to assign the task to a Team. WF will email the whole team, and the Task (or Issue) shows up in that Team View (People > Teams). The whole team can see them and assign themselves or you can assign people. Then you can assign one person if you want (and the Team). The Team acts as a backup. So you have the one person assigned, but the Team can still see it out there in case they need to back the person up. And as you mentioned you can use Filters to just see their own tasks if they want. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you need more details.

[BrandonNW]

We use the dashboard approach and group it by user and then type of work. All of our People Leaders and PMs have access to this dashboard (and report) so if one of their team members is out they can easily bulk assign all of their tasks to another user. Additionally, I will point out that there is an idea for this that is currently under consideration if you would like to up-vote it. Delegate Assignments Brandon Pritchard System Administrator iNHouse Marketing - Nationwide pritcb1@nationwide.com

[DreadkiailiWork]

Thanks, that helps Krissy Ross | Senior Associate Marketing Technology Empower Retirement 11500 Outlook, Overland Park, KS 66211‚Ä® Direct: (913) 664-0955 Email: krissy.ross@empower-retirement.com‚Ä® www.empower-retirement.com<> ________________________________ The information contained in this message and any accompanying attachments may contain privileged, private and/or confidential information protected by state and federal law. Penalties may be assessed for unauthorized use and/or disclosure. This message and any attachments are intended for the designated recipient only. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately and return or destroy the information. This e-mail transmission and any attachments are believed to have been sent free of any virus or other defect that might affect any computer system into which it is received and opened. It is, however, the recipient's responsibility to ensure that the e-mail transmission and any attachments are virus free, and the sender accepts no responsibility for any damage that may in any way arise from their use.

[HolgerMo]

Hello Vic we have a similar problem: We created a Team (not agil at the moment). We assign a special person and the team in parallel - i.e. a role to be assigned and the team in our project template, see below - in our tasks so that the team can backup in case of illness or vacation. the Drawback is that updates in this task are always spead to all members of the team (like an address group in Outlook). What the team would like to have is that there is a team view so that messages to the team could be looked up in the team view but will only spread to this team view and the single person assigned to the task. All team members should still be able to work on the task as it is now (all have work license). Could this be managed somehow? Holger Morlang EAC - Atlas Copco Application Center Europe GmbH

[VicAl]

Hi Holger, The messaging works as follows: Team - The only message the Team should get is the original assignment notification (i.e. New Work Request email) and when specifically tagged in a message. So if you want to make a comment on a Task without notifying the whole team, you can simply not tag them. If they get tagged in a comment and are now in the thread, they will continue to receive updates on that thread. But if you no longer want them to receive those, just start a new thread and not tag them. Individual Assignee - will receive every comment/message on the Task. Role : won't receive any message (and can't be tagged). Am I understanding correctly?

[KatherineHa1]

We use a combination of Portfolio level sharing (with a team of all PMs, so that the backup can access someone else's project) and dashboard/hotsheet of upcoming work. Katherine Haven, PMP VP, Director, Business Technologies - PMO FCB

[HolgerMo]

Hello Vic, I think my request was not understood completely. We have assigned the task to a single assignee (purchaser) and to the team of purchasers (to enable them to take over in case of illness or vacation. From my understanding each update will be send to the single assignee and to all single members of the assigned team, right? What we would like to do is to send all updates to the single assignee and to something like a "team address" but still keep the possibility that each member of the team can take over in case of illness or vacation. The difference lies in the fact that not all single members of the assigned team will get all the updates but somehow only a purchase team-address where they can look up the updates. This would reduce the update traffic tremendous for the team members. BR Holger Holger Morlang EAC - Atlas Copco Application Center Europe GmbH

[VicAl]

Hi Holger, So when you say "Team" I assume you are referring to a Team you've created in Workfront (at least that's what your screen shot shows). Updates are only sent to the Team if that Team is directly tagged in the update. Otherwise they shouldn't be receiving every update. Only the Assigned To individuals will get an update (without tagging). Sounds like this is what you want. So in my screen shot you can see I've assigned a person (Generic Reviewer) and a Team (WF Test Team). In my update below I don't tag anyone in the Notify section. This update will go to Generic Reviewer and no one else. I'm not sure if you need the "tool address" as the updates will be in the task/issue and they can see them if they have to jump in to work it. Am I still missing something?