Task Groups
Task Groups are specific tasks combined in one category to form a group. Task Groups are useful if your projects have some common, well-defined structures (sub-levels of information). Task Groups can simplify how assignments are made and how reporting is accomplished on similar types of work.
For example; if many projects have a common phase requiring employees to create specifications, you can create a task group called ‘Specifications’ and assign precise specification-type tasks to this group.
You then assign the task group to one or more projects and then have the ability to monitor and report on how much time is spent on ‘Specifications’ as a general category rather than the individual specificationtype tasks.
The following describes how to add a task group using the Project Assignments view.
Task Groups can be added in 2 ways:
OPTION A: Add a task group and enter detailed information.
OPTION B: Quickly add a task group by entering only the minimum amount of information.
Task Groups can also be added using the Task Groups Items List view (page 36 ).
OPTION A: To add a task group with detailed information:
1. Click the Project Assignments tab located in the Project Workspace view. The Project Workspace view is located in the Projects section of the side navigation bar.
2. Locate the Task Groups list pane (lower right corner).
3. Click the New (Details) button in the Task Group pane toolbar.
A task group properties window opens.
4. Enter a unique task group Name (up to 250 characters).
5. Click Done to automatically save the information and close the window or click New to save the information and create a new task group.
OPTIONAL INSTRUCTIONS:
6. From the Limited Access field, select which managers or Access Groups can access this task group. Only the selected managers (or members of the selected access groups) are permitted to view and report on this task group.
Depending on which limited access operating mode is enabled, a list of managers or a hierarchy tree of access groups is displayed in the limited access drop-down list. See Notes below.
Check the managers or access groups who require access to this item. Click the ‘check all’ icon to select all. Clicking the ‘unselect all’ icon removes all extra check
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marks while leaving at least one manager or one access group selected. This is to guarantee that at least one person can access the item.
Click anywhere outside the Limited Access window to close the list.
Notes:
If the Limited Access list displays user names then Manager-level limited access mode is likely
enabled (page 196 ). Otherwise, Hierarchy-based limited access mode is likely enabled (page
202 ).
When an access group is checked, any parent access group is automatically checked.
7. Enter a Description for the task group (up to 250 characters).
8. Check the Flag for archive box if you want to remove this task group from the database the next time the Archive Database function is run.
9. Click Done to automatically save the information and close the window or click New to save the information and create a new task group.
Tips:
You can add a new task group by right clicking in the task group list pane.
Additional tabs are available at the bottom of the task group properties window to add Notes, Phone
Numbers and Addresses.
You can add fields to track extra task group information by using Custom fields.
Use the Limited Access Group filter
(page 231 ) to only view those items assigned to specific
Access Groups.
Warning: If a task group is deleted, all assignments made using the task group are deleted along with any estimate information entered for those assignments. Time entries associated with the task group are not deleted.
OPTION B: To quickly add a task group:
1. Click the Project Assignments tab located in the Project Workspace view.
2. Locate the Task Groups list pane (lower right corner).
3. Click the New button in the task group pane toolbar.
4. At the very bottom of the task group list, an edit box is displayed. Enter a unique name for the task group (up to 250 characters).
5. Press ENTER or click elsewhere to save the new task group.
Note: Using this option (quick add) to add a task group does not force the user to enter information in required custom fields.
To add a task group using the Items List view:
1. Click the Items List tab located in the Project Workspace view. The Project Workspace view is located in the Projects section of the side navigation bar.
2. Select Task Groups in the drop-down list at the upper left corner of the view.
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3. Click the New button located on the toolbar.
4. A task group properties window opens. Enter task group information as described in Option A
(page 35 ).
5. Click Done to automatically save the information and close the window or click New to save the information and create a new task group.
Note: The number of task groups displayed in the view is limited by the Paging setting (page 171 ). You may
need to click the paging buttons or (at the top of the screen) to view additional pages.
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