Work Management

Course and Exercise Manual

Copyright 2014 AtTask, Inc.

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, sound recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of AtTask, Inc., except as permitted by law.
Printed in the United States of America.
February 2014 (rev. 20140221)

How to use the participant workbook

This workbook is designed to increase your knowledge of the AtTask tool. The margins
on the left are indented to take notes and record any ah ha moments you want to
remember as you progress through the course.

To Get the Most From This Course:

 our instructor will guide you through the objectives and give examples
Y
throughout the course. Follow along as the instructor demonstrates AtTask
using a real-life scenario.

 efrain from distractions. It is best to find a quiet workspace where you

R
can focus your attention fully on the course.

 ait until the instructor gives you directions to begin the simulated
W
exercises. Once you understand the concepts, you will be able to complete
the exercises.

Objectives

 his training is objective based. Each chapter begins with an objective and
T
explains the specific skill or process you will be able to accomplish once
you complete this course.

Scenario / Simulation

 t the end of each chapter, you will have the opportunity to practice what has been
A
taught in a simulated environment. It is recommended you complete all
exercises to allow the instructor to see if there are concepts that need to be
discussed further.

 he scenarios present a possible real life use case that relates to the topic
T
discussed. Instruction for the course will follow this scenario.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Work Management Lifecycle
5
Work Management Overview

Chapter 2 - Project and Tasks

Chapter 5 - Finance
Project Override Rates
Expenses
Billing Records 

Chapter 6 - Work Processing

Project Creation
Create and Manage Tasks 
Edit a Task
Task Management
Smart Assignments
Working on Calendar
Planned Hours And Duration
Predecessors
Task Start/Finish
Lag Types 
Simple Duration in the Gantt Chart 

Chapter 3 - Resources
AssignING Job Roles
Team Builder
Multi-Person Updates

Chapter 4 - Work Collaboration

Reassigning Tasks 
Negotiating Commit Dates
Updates on Projects
The Project Gantt Chart 

10
13
14
16
17
18
19
21
24
25
26
28

My AtTask Application 
Copying and Moving Tasks 
Creating an Issue
Converting an Issue to a Task
Converting an Issue to a Project

47
49
51
55
57
58
59
62
65
66

Chapter 7 - AtTask Support & Services 69

Education Services
Support Services
Consulting Services
Customer Success Program

70
71
72
73

30
31
36
39
41
42
44
45

Queues &
Routing
Rules

WORK
REQUESTS

Tracking &
Status

Prioritization
Framework

Goals &
Initiatives

Projects & Portfolios

Real Time Status Updates

Team Workload
& Capacity

Work Automation

Centralized Repository

Milestones &
Approvals

WORK
PLANNING

WORK
COORDINATION

WORK
COLLABORATION

WORK
ACCOUNTABILITY

Resource &
Work Modeling

Task Assignments

Work Spaces

Time & Expense Tracking

Contextual Work Streams

Work Plan &

Commitments

TEAM WORK

Achievements
& Results
Recognition &
Rewards

Reporting &
Dashboards

Chapter 1
The Work Management Lifecycle

WORK
REPORTING

Objectives
Individual &
Team Insight

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Understand the work flow process specific to

Work Management

Understand how other roles interact with a

Project Manager in AtTask

Work Management
Overview
As a Manager, you make sure you understand each job
preformed in the Work Management Lifecycle and how it fits in
your organization.

Understanding Project Activities in AtTask

It is critical to have a clear understanding of the delineation
of task responsibilities. You should understand how Team
Members input info, how Planned Hours affect the planning
tools, and are able to identify those components on projects.
There are various components associated with AtTask
project and work activities. These are end-to-end highly
visible solutions and range from templates and milestones to
programs and portfolios.

Understanding Licenses in AtTask

AtTask has traditional Work and Plan licenses for users,
allowing users to enter updates and view information in
AtTask. However, as a manger you may find that individuals
involved with your work flow need to view or communicate
information on a scale smaller than a full license. The
Collaboration package provides three unlimited license types
that can meet any need throughout the work management
lifecycle.
Request: c
 an make and receive simple requests (like
documents)
Review:

 an view updates and make comments, approve

c
work

External: can review, download, or view documents

Chapter 1Work Management Overview

The AtTask Work

Management Life-Cycle
The AtTask Work Management course introduces the Work
Management Life-Cycle steps.
The activities outlined here (right) allow you to incorporate
all Enterprise features in AtTask. By understanding and
implementing these steps, you will be better able to build
projects and understand what needs to be done and who will
do it.
We understand that there are several approaches to doing
Project and Portfolio Management (PPM). As a Manager,
you want to make sure you understand each job performed
in the Work Management Life-cycle and how it fits in your
organization as you move forward using AtTask in your
environment.

By adopting a WML of your own:

 ou and your resources know who is responsible for

Y
what.

Data is trustworthy and accurate.

 ransition between Executive leadership and PM

T
leadership is clearly recognized by team members and
stakeholders.

Chapter 1Work Management Overview

Chapter 2
Project and Tasks

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Create and manage projects and tasks

Identify and use Planned Hours, Duration,

and Duration Types

Create Recurring Tasks

Identify and use Predecessors, Start/Finish,

and Lag Types

My AtTask Application

Storyline
Marketing

IT

PMO

You are a member of

the organizations event
marketing group. Your
groups responsibilities
include trade show
representation, hosting
user conferences, and
delivering any other type
of internal or external
event. Your group has
a Director of Event
Marketing who reports
to the Chief Marketing
Officer.

You are a member of

your organizations IT
group. You specifically
help with hardware
issues, including
personal computers,
servers, and phones.

You are a member of the Project

Management Office. Your
department is responsible for the
delivery of projects that are on time,
on budget and meet the goals of
those projects. Your team ensures
that the projects your company
is working on are in line with the
strategy of the organization, and
creates internal processes that help
people get their work done.

SCENARIO
Your Executive Team has decided to install a
new phone system. You will create a project
and call it New Phone System.

Project Creation
To Create a New Project
1.Locate the projects area in the
Navigation Menu.
2.Under the Projects tab, locate the New
Project sub-tab.
3.Select the New Project option.
4.Give the Project a name.
5.Click the Project Details tab, and then
select Edit Overview. Set the fields for
the project, including status, start dates,
groups, etc.

Chapter 2Project Creation

10

Practice Exercises

Create a new project called Upgrade Servers.

 escription: Current production servers have antiquated

D
hardware and servers. We need to check the viability of
performing upgrades to all production servers.

 ake Jennifer Campbell the Project Owner (The Project

M
Owners is usually the Project Manager).

Set the priority as High.

Change the Status to Planning.

Chapter 2Practice Exercises

11

My AtTask Application

Creating a Project
Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Director of Event Marketing

Director of IT

Director of Project Management

Top Pains

Once an event is approved,

you need to create the
project. Typically you do this
by sitting down and listing
out the work that needs to
be done, and what skills you
need to have on those work
items. Its a process you could
recite in your sleep, but you
have to do it for every event,
and it takes hours out of your
week.

Youve approved a project

to update the computers
for the Customer Support
team. There are a number
of tasks that need to
scheduled into the project
plan. You anticipate this
type of project happening
in the future again, so
youd like to save the
project outline as a
template.

Your company is developing a

new app for the iPad that helps
executives and business leaders
understand what work is being
done for their projects. Your
responsibility is to outline the
project so the app can be developed.
Youve never done this before, but
you anticipate that your company
will want to start doing this type of
project more in the future.

12

Create and Manage Tasks

Once a project is created, start planning it out.

To Create Tasks:
1.Navigate to a project.
2.Under the Tasks tab, click the Start Adding Tasks
option.
3.Click the cell in the Task Name column, and type a
name for the task.
4.Enter the necessary attributes in corresponding
columns. All fields are in-line editable.
5.AtTask will display up to seven levels of child tasks.

Chapter 2Create and Manage Tasks

13

Edit a Task
To edit a task
1.Highlight a task by clicking on the task number. All fields
are in-line editable.
2.Select the field to edit.
3.Begin typing the changes in the field. Those changes
will auto save when you click away from the field.
Complete any other necessary information fields.
If a task is directly selected, AtTask will navigate to a screen that
allows users to edit that individual task. Click the task details
tab and then Edit Overview to update the task name, percent
complete, or duration.

Chapter 2Edit a Task

14

Bulk Edit
If necessary, bulk edit several tasks at once. Multi-select tasks to
edit and select the Edit button.

Make changes to the tasks to accurately represent what you

want for the project, such as the status of the project, the task
priority, settings on the tasks, and any custom data included.
Click Save Changes when you are finished.

Chapter 2Edit a Task

15

Task Management
To Delete Copy or Move a Task
1.Select the task to delete, click the More drop-down
button and choose Delete. A warning will appear to
ensure that deleting this task is what you want to do.
2.Select Move to to move a task to a different project.
3.Type the name of the project in the destination field.
4.Select Next Step to go to the Options page. Choose to
clear items associated with the task.
5.Click Next Step again to select a parent task if required.
6.Select Copy to to copy this task.
The options are the same for copying a task as they are for
moving a task to a different project.

Chapter 2Task Management

16

Smart Assignments
Occasionally it may be necessary to reassign a task or issue.
AtTask provides you with an easy and intuitive method for
task assignment.

To reassign a task
1.Highlight a task by clicking on the task number. All
fields are in-line editable.
2.Select the Assignments field. A drop-down box
appears listing the top recommendations for the task
in descending order.
3.Below the name of each recommended person is
a color bar representing the persons allocation,
expressed as a percentage. The differences in color
and shading provide a visual representation of actual
and projected allocation based on the selected task,
along with a projected percent.
4.Click on a person in the list or type in the name of
another person to reassign the task.
If you decide to assign a task to someone who will become
over-allocated as a result, a notification will appear next to
their name in the task list. You can hover over the notification to see the total percentage allocated and you have the
option to view all of the assignments.
This process ensures you make the best decision and
assign the work to those who are most able to complete the
assignment.

Chapter 2Smart Assignments

17

Working on Calendar
If you choose to view a persons work assignments from a task or
issue list, you will be directed to the Working on Calendar. This calendar provides you with a simple view of everything being worked
on by the person as well as that persons team. Allocated time includes work assignments, personal tasks, issues, and time off. Work
assignments can be balanced throughout a team by dragging and
dropping tasks on the calendar.
Each task is represented as a color that is tied to a project. These
colors may not currently be customized. The shading in each task
represents the percent complete.
You are able to click and drag tasks in the calendar as long as you
stay within the tasks constraint. Hovering over a task displays the
projected dates.

Chapter 2Working on Calendar

18

Planned Hours And Duration

Planned Hours: The estimated total number of man-hours
needed to complete the task (work required or effort).
Duration: The window of time allocated for completion of the
task on the project, e.g. the time between the Planned Start Date
and the Planned Completion date, usually expressed in days or
planned hours. By default, all tasks in AtTask are set to default to
the Simple Duration type. This type allows you to allocate hours
to multiple users based on assignments you make on the task.
To learn more about other duration types available visit help.
attask.com.

Chapter 2Planned Hours And Duration

19

Recurring Tasks

Recurring Tasks take a lot of work out of creating repeating

tasks on a project. For example, the IT Department will
backup data on a regular basis as it undergoes a software
implementation. Rather than creating each of these tasks
individually, use the Recurring Tasks feature. AtTask will
recreate these tasks for you on the project plan.

To create recurring tasks:

1.Navigate to a project, create a new task.
2.Scroll to the Recurrence Frequency drop-down in the
Task builder.
3.Identify how often the task should occur (daily, weekly,
monthly, etc...).
4.Set how often the task will be created.
5.Establish the timeline for creation (set dates or number
of occurrences).
6.Set any other task details (description, assignment).
7.Save the Task.

Once tasks have been created, they show on the project plan.
The tasks can now be moved, predecessors established or other
project planning components set.

Chapter 2Planned Hours And Duration

20

Finish-Start (fs)

The predecessor task must finish before the dependent

task can start. This is the default dependency type. .

Finish-Finish (ff)

The predecessor task must finish before the dependent

task can finish.

Start-Start (ss)

The predecessor task must start before the dependent task

can finish.

Scheduled-Start (sd)

One way to arrange a task is to set a start and completion

date. But if you specify a start and completion date for each
individual task, you will need to manually edit all other tasks
and change the dates any time one task needs adjustment.

The predecessor task must start before the dependent task

can start.

Start-Finish (sf)

Predecessors

This schedules a task as a Finish-Start, but actual

To avoid this, we recommend users estimate durations

and required work hours for all tasks and use predecessor
relationships to sequence those tasks. AtTask will automatically
update schedules whenever a tasks duration changes.

enforcement type is a Finish-Finish. When you use this, the

dependent task is scheduled to start after the predecessor
task is completed. However, the enforcement makes it so
the dependent task can start anytime, but cant finish until
the predecessor task is finished

This area also allows the addition of a Dependency Type.

A dependency type represents how relationships between
predecessors to work and how they will be enforced. If a
predecessor has an enforced dependency, AtTask will not allow
a user to update the completion status of a dependent task until
the predecessor condition is fulfilled.

Chapter 2Predecessors

21

Chapter 2Predecessors

22

My AtTask Application
Creating a Project
Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Director of Event Marketing

Director of IT

Director of Project Management

AtTask Tool

Create a project using in-line

edit and save it as a template

Create a project using

in-line edit to save as a
template

Create a project using in-line edit to

save as a template

Primary Benefit

Standardizes the project

planning procedure

Standardizes the project

planning procedure

Standardizes the project planning

procedure

23

Constraint Value

Abbrevia-

Description

tion

As Soon As
Possible

ASAP

Places the start date and time of the task at the planned start date of
the project. When a predecessor is used, the task start date is placed
as close to the project planned start date as possible. This is the
default constraint if a project uses a schedule mode of Schedule from
Start Date.

As Late As
Possible

ALAP

Places the finish date and time of the task at the planned completion
date of the project. When a predecessor is used, the task finish date
is placed as close to the project planned completion date as possible.
This is the default constraint if a project uses a schedule mode of
Schedule from Completion Date.

Earliest Available
Time

EAT

This constraint acts just like the ASAP constraint except in certain
extremely rare situations; we recommend using ASAP instead of this
option.

Latest Available
Time

LAT

This constraint acts just like the ALAP constraint except in certain
extremely rare situations; we recommend using ALAP instead of this
option.

Start No Earlier
Than

SNET

The task is scheduled to start at any time AFTER the date that you
specify. So if you pick April 15 as a constraint date, the task needs to
start any time after April 15.

Start No Later
Than

SNLT

The task is scheduled to start at any time BEFORE the date that you
specify. So if you pick April 15 as a constraint date, the task needs to
start any time before April 15.

Finish No Earlier
Than

FNET

The task is scheduled to finish at any time AFTER the date that you
specify. So if you pick May 20 as a constraint date, the task needs to
finish any time after May 20.

Finish No Later
Than

FNLT

The task is scheduled to finish at any time BEFORE the date that you
specify. So if you pick May 20 as a constraint date, the task needs to
finish any time before May 20.

Must Start On

MSO

The task must start exactly at the time and date that you specify. The
duration of the task determines the Planned Completion Date.

Must Finish On

MFO

The task must finish exactly at the time and date that you specify.
The duration of the task determines the Planned Start Date.

Fixed Dates

FIXT

You specify the exact start and end dates in the Planned Start Date
and Planned Completion Date fields. This selection determines the
duration of the task.

Task Start/Finish
When you create a task, you must select a
Start/Finish value so AtTask can put the task in
its proper time frame on the project. Users may
want certain tasks done as quickly as possible,
but other tasks may need to be reserved until a
certain date. Start/Finish allows this to happen.
Depending on the Start/Finish chosen,
users may have to indicate a Planned Start,
Completion, both start and completion dates,
or none at all.
The table lists possible constraint values with
their abbreviations.

To Set a Start/Finish
1.Select the task where you need to add a
constraint.
2.Select the Task Details tab.
3.Click the Start/Finish drop-down and
then select from the list.

Chapter 2Task Start/Finish

24

Lag Types

Description

Days

The lag time is expressed as workdays. This is the default.

Calendar
Days

The lag time is expressed as calendar days, including weekends and holidays.

Percent

The lag time expressed as a percentage of estimated duration

of the predecessor task. So if the predecessor task takes 4 days
to complete, and you specify 50% lag, the actual lag time is 2
days.

Day of
Week

The dependent task can start on the specified day of the week
following the completion of the predecessor task.

Day of
Week
(Nonzero)

If the predecessor ends on the day of the week identified in the

lag field, the dependent task is delayed by one week.

Lag Types
A lag is a delay in time that must occur after the completion of
an enforced predecessor task and before the dependent task can
begin.
For example, if you use a Finish-Start dependency type and you
want the dependent task to start one day after the predecessor task
completes, then you can set the lag time to one day by putting a 1
in the lag field and selecting day as the lag type.
You can also use a negative number, such as -1 days, if you
want the dependent task scheduled to start one day before the
predecessor task ends.

To Set the Lag Type

1.Navigate to a task and then select the More drop-down.
Then select the Predecessors tab.
2.Click Add Predecessor, under lag and enter a number to
represent the time of the lag.
3.From the Lag Type drop-down, select the lag type.
4.If you want this lag to be enforced, mark the Enforced
check-box.

Enforcing the Dependency

A check-box labeled Enforced exists. If check the box is enabled,
AtTask enforces the dependency. This means the user assigned
to the dependent task cannot update the task status or complete
the task until the predecessor task completes. Without this
enforcement, AtTask still schedules tasks based on the predecessor
type you select; but it will not enforce the predecessor constraint.
For example, users can create a Finish-Start relationship, but unless
the relationship is enforced, the dependent task can start before
the predecessor task is completed. Without the enforcement, the
dependency becomes more of a suggestion.

Chapter 2Lag Types

25

Simple Duration in the Gantt

Chart
A task list may be viewed alongside a Gantt chart. This displays
a task-level view for a project and shows planned completion
dates for the milestones.
This allows users to see which milestones are approaching
completion so they can focus on the projects that need
attention.
If a duration is updated in the task view, the Gantt view will
automatically reflect the change.

To Access the Gantt Chart

1.Go to the Projects area and select a project.
2.Select the Gantt chart in View.
3.After the project-level Gantt loads, click the Chart
Options icon to select display options.

Chapter 2Simple Duration in the Gantt Chart

26

Practice Exercises

Create a task plan for the Upgrade

Servers project. Add and edit the
following tasks to the project so it
appears similar to the image:

Use the in-line edit to include

predecessors, durations, and planned
hours.

Assign job roles to tasks.

Add a new task. Name the task Install

New Monitors.

Set the Start/Finish as earliest available

time. Give it a 1-week duration.

 dd a predecessor to this task. Use the

A
Meet with Installation Teams task.

Include a 3 day lag.

Chapter 2Practice Exercises

27

Chapter 3
Resources

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Assign a job role to a task

Use the Team Builder

Use User Utilization

Access the Resource Grid

28

My AtTask Application

Assigning Resources to a Project

Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Event Marketing Manager

Hardware Project Manager

PMO Project Manager

Top Pains

You need to decide whom

you would like on your
project team for the kick off of
your newly designed running
shoe, but you dont know
who is available. History
has shown that most people
would be happy to work on
your team, but their other
work gets in the way of your
deadlines. You want to be
able to select people that will
be available when you need
them.

Youve got several people

you can use for this
project, but most of them
are busy on other projects.
You need to see who
the most available team
member is for your project
so you can plan the project
schedule.

You need a very distinct skill set

to create the new iPad app. Your
development team is busy, but can
take on new projects. You need to
know who is available with the right
skill set. Typically, you ask each
manager for input.

29

SCENARIO
It is time to decide who is going to be on the New Phone System
project team. You need to include resources that will best fit the
needs of the project and who will fill both the general and the specific
skill-sets necessary to complete task assignments.

AssignING Job Roles

In order for the Team Builder tool to work as intended, it is
necessary to assign a job role to the tasks created on the project.

The Team Builder tool helps you assign users to tasks based
on their scheduled availability. This lesson will introduce the
Team Builder interface and includes:

A review of project planning requirements.

Instructions for setting Team Builder preferences.

An orientation and work-flow example using the Team

Builder.

The purpose of the Team Builder is to help manage a project

team by assigning users to tasks based on the best match.

Chapter 3AssignING Job Roles

30

Team Builder
User Panel

Work Schedule Panel

The interface is divided into four major areas; users and their
work schedules are displayed in the upper panels with Tasks
and Task schedules in the lower panels.

To Locate the Team Builder

1.Navigate to the project to use the Team Builder with.
Task Panel

Task Schedule Panel

2.Locate the More drop-down and select the Staffing

option.
3.Click Team Builder.

To Add Users to the Project Team Using the Team Builder

1.Locate the User Panel in the upper left side of the
Team Builder.
2.Click the Group tab. If a group is assigned to the project
users belonging to the group associated with the project
will display in the panel.
3.Decide which users to include on the project team and
select the check box next to the users name. To remove
a user, simply uncheck the box.

Chapter 3Team Builder

31

The Matching Feature

AtTask bases the match making ability on the following criteria,
depending on configuration:

A users default job role is assigned to the project (Team

Role).

A tasks default job role is found in an users profile.

A users unallocated time during work hours.

Matching only works if:

Job roles are assigned to tasks in the project.

Users have their work schedule in AtTask.

Users are assigned a default job role.

Chapter 3Team Builder

32

To Assign a User to a Task in the Team Builder

With the matching feature turned on, click a users name in the
User Panel and see tasks the user is able to perform. These will
be highlighted below in the Task Panel.
1.Turn on the Matching Feature by clicking the
preferences icon. Select the Matching tab and choose
from the matching options. Click OK.
2.Next, select the desired task in the task panel on the
lower-left side of the Team Builder.
3.All users available to perform the task will be highlighted
in green the user panel.
4.Drag and drop the name of the user you want into the
task you want them assigned to. This will add the user
to the project team if they are not already a member and
assign the task to the user.

Note:
When assigning users to Tasks, it is important to assign users
with a full license. If you have a Collaboration License and
assign a Review users (which you can) they will not be able to
mark an item as complete. They will not receive a notification
they were assigned a task.

Chapter 3Team Builder

33

To Remove the Task Assignment

With the matching feature turned on, you can click a users
name in the User Panel and see tasks the user is able to perform.
These will be highlighted below in the Task Panel.
1.You may have to click on the arrow next to the user
name so it will display the task name. You can also go
to the tasks panel and find the users name and double
click it.
2.Right click the task name in the User Panel. All users
available to perform the task will be highlighted in green
the user panel.
3.Select Unassign Tasks. The user will be removed from
the task.

Why Use the Team Builder?

The most effective way to use the Team Builder is to first assign
job roles to the tasks in the Gantt chart, and then go to the Team
Builder to determine who can perform each task.
The Team Builder allows you to see users scheduled work
hours. By using either the Work Schedule or Task Schedule
panels for reference Managers are able to make accurate
decisions regarding whom to include on a project team.
The Work Schedule panel displays cells in red to indicate if a
user is over-allocated for that particular time period.
The Task Schedule panel displays: the Gantt view of tasks, hours
required for tasks, or the remaining hours needed to complete
a task.

Chapter 3Team Builder

34

Useful Shortcuts for the Team Builder

1.Hold the mouse button (left mouse button on a twobutton mouse) and move the cursor left and right, while
hovering over the timeline. This function allows users to
zoom in and out of the Work and Task Schedule panel.
2.Right click on the timeline (Control-Click on the Mac). It
will open a menu to choose different zoom options.
3.Hold down a Shift key, select the part of the Work or
Task Schedule panel with your mouse that you want to
zoom into and release the mouse button. It will zoom
into the selected portion of the panel.

Chapter 3Team Builder

35

Multi-Person Updates
Users are able to send updates to multiple people, including
whole teams, departments, or any list of individul users. There
are a couple of ways to take advantage of this feature:

Updates can be sent to everyone on a project by

navigating to the project, clicking on the More dropdown list and selecting Staffing. Click on the People tab
to see the list of people on the project. From here, you can
either choose Update All or select individual people from
the list.

The update button is also available on any list of users including search results and user reports. You can select
any person and send an update from AtTask. An email
and notification are send and the comment appears on
the stream in your profile.

My AtTask Application

Assigning Resources to a Project

Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Event Marketing Manager

Hardware Project Manager

PMO Project Manager

AtTask Tool

Team Builder

Team Builder

Team Builder

Primary Benefit

Understand who has time to

work on your project

Understand who has time

to work on your project

Understand who has time to work

on your project

37

Practice Exercises

Using the Product Launch Template

project, select all tasks.

Choose the Edit button.

Open the Team Builder and click the

Preferences icon.

Select the Matching tab and activate

the matching options to match on
user role.

Click the All tab in the User Pane.

Select a task and using the matching
tool, find someone suited to
complete that task.

Assign a user to the task by dragging

the task name to the user name.

NOTE:
Assigning a user to the project team from
the Group or All tab requires the appropriate
access level. If you have appropriate access,
the user will automatically be added to the
project team.

Chapter 3Practice Exercises

38

Chapter 4
Work Collaboration

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Reassign tasks

Negotiate commit dates

Make updates

39

My AtTask Application
Work Processing and Collaboration
Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Event Marketing Manager

Hardware Project Team Member

iPad App Project Manager

Top Pains

You invite your new team to

brainstorm the next event for
the new running shoe launch.
Its a great meeting, and lots
of ideas are discussed. Work
is divvied up and you plan
to meet again in a week to
figure out where you are in
the event planning process.
However, no one keeps notes
on who will perform each
task and no one understands
who is supposed to finish
what work and in what order.
This happens again and
again, and soon the launch
event is falling behind.

Youve divided up the list of

responsibilities among the
team youve assembled for the
new computer upgrade for the
Customer Support team, but arent
clear on when things will happen
and what the actual deadline is
for the project. You have status
meetings to keep you updated,
but those seem to be inadequate.
Moreover, people continue to keep
asking you for more time, citing
other work. But youre not sure
what theyre working on and your
computer upgrade project will
soon be late.

You have 5 developers on your

team that are fully committed to
this project. You kickoff the project
with a great team meeting, but a
couple of weeks go by and other
projects have come up and taken
your developers away from your
project. Your project seems to have
gone by the wayside and you are
supposed to give a progress report
to the Executive Committee in five
days. At this point, youve decided
you may need a few more people on
your team.

40

Reassigning Tasks
Occasionally a task may need to be reassigned to a different
team member.

To Reassign a Task
1.Navigate to the task that needs to be reassigned. View
who is currently assigned to the task. The resource grid
appears as a light box.
2.Select the Reassign option.
3.Type the name of the person to reassign the task to.
4.Click Assign.
The task is now unassigned to the previous individual, and
reassigned to the new person. The previous individual will get a
notification that a task is no longer assigned to them. The new
assignee will see the task appear in their Work Requests.

Chapter 4Reassigning Tasks

41

Negotiating Commit Dates

A Commit Date is the date your Team Members agree to have a
task completed.
Team Members can log in to AtTask and see various tasks and
assignments assigned to them. While it is ultimately up to the
Project Manager to make sure the team member completes
the task in a timely manner, AtTask allows individuals to make
updates to task timelines and notify the manager as to when the
task will be completed.
If a Team Member renegotiates a date, the Project Manager
will receive a notification and a message if a new commit date
affects the project time line.
The manager may then choose to update the project, or contact
the Team Member and continue to negotiate the deadline.
The Project Manager should welcome this feedback because it
gives them a better sense of when work will really be done and
whether or not the project timeline needs to be adjusted.

Chapter 4Negotiating Commit Dates

42

Update the Task Schedule When a Date has

Been Re-Negotiated
AtTasks calculations are based on work completed, percentage
complete, and planned duration. These objects may not
accurately paint a whole picture of when a task will finish.
Often, the one completing the work can give the most accurate
measure of when a task will be done.
1.Open the New Phone System project and navigate to the
Tasks tab.
2.Select a task and open it.
3.Click Due On and change the Due Date to one week
from today.
4.Save your changes.
In other words, there may be some back and forth, but
ultimately the goal is to balance the project timeline with the
availability of the assigned resource.

Chapter 4Negotiating Commit Dates

43

Updates on Projects
Making updates to tasks helps the Project Manager get a feel for
how a project is progressing. It is important that regular updates
are made on assigned tasks.

To Make an Update on a Project

1.Navigate to the project that needs to be updated.
2.On the Updates tab, click the Enter an Update field.
3.Make a note regarding any changes made to the task, or
any information relevant to the project.
4.Click the Condition drop-down to enter a current
condition.
5.Select the status drop-down to enter a new status for the
task.
6.Select the Include icon to add others on this update. This
will send a message to anyone selected and they will be
notified of the update.
7.Click the privacy icon to make this update private. When
this is selected, only those in the company can see the
update.
8.Click Update when finished.
Once the update is made, it appears as part of the project stream
and can be viewed by a Project Manager.

Chapter 4Updates on Projects

44

The Project Gantt Chart

The Project Gantt view is a read-only version of the Gantt Chart.
Its purpose is to show how project timelines compare to one
another. This view does not allow a task-level view to be seen for
each project; however, it does show planned completion dates
for the milestones.
This allows users to see which milestones are approaching
completion so they can focus on the projects that need
attention.

To Access the Project Gantt (non-interactive) View

1.Go to the Projects area.
2.Select the Gantt chart in View.
3.After the project-level Gantt loads, click the Chart
Options icon to select display options.

Chapter 4The Project Gantt Chart

45

My AtTask Application
Work Processing and Collaboration
Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Event Marketing Manager

Hardware Project Team Member

iPad App Project Manager

AtTask Tool

Project Collaboration Suite:

Negotiating Commit Dates,
Reassigning work, Make
Updates, Recording Expenses

Project Collaboration Suite:

Negotiating Commit Dates,
Reassigning work, Make Updates,
Recording Expenses

Project Collaboration Suite:

Negotiating Commit Dates,
Reassigning work, Make Updates,
Recording Expenses

Primary Benefit

Streamlined project execution Streamlined project execution

Streamlined project execution

46

Chapter 5
Finance

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Calculate revenue and cost

Override billing rates

Track expenses

Create billing records

47

Revenue and Cost

Calculating Revenue and Cost
Track billing and revenue by creating billing records to record
what has been billed and what remains to be billed on a task/
project.
When a task is created, he option exists to set how revenue will
be calculated. Set this on the Task Details tab under Finances.
Revenue Type: This allows you to set a billable amount for your
task. The amount can be hourly, fixed, or a combination of both.
Cost Type: This determines the method of cost calculation the
task is going to use. The options include User Hourly, Fixed
Hourly, Role Hourly, or No Cost.
AtTask can track revenue and billing automatically when
you create tasks and projects. As users enter hours in their
timesheets, AtTask keeps track of the hours spent on specific
tasks so you can bill clients for these hours. You can bill a flat
rate for tasks or projects, or you can bill by the hour. You can
even set a cap to the maximum amount you charge for hourly
billing.
Another option is to set a flat rate for a project, and then set
hourly rates for the tasks within the project. AtTask adds the
hourly rates for the tasks to the flat rate for the project. For
example, a mechanic using AtTask could enter a cost for parts
as fixed revenue for the project, then bill hourly for the time
spent fixing a car. Fixed Revenue on projects or tasks is then
realized on completion.

Chapter 5The Project Gantt Chart

48

Project Override Rates

Situations arise which require managers to deviate from
existing billing rate types. This is something that is anticipated
and you can override rates on the project level without
headache.
When a System Administrator creates a job role, she needs to
assign an hourly billing rate for that role in order for the Project
override rates to be useful. AtTask allows for the provision of
specific overrides to these global rates.

To Override Billing Rates at the Project Level Cost Type:

1.Navigate to a project; click the More drop-down and
select Billing Rates.
2.There will be a list of job roles assigned to the project
with the Default Billing rate and a field to enter an
override-billing rate.
3.Override the rate and update the current billing rate by
clicking the Enter Override field. Enter a new rate.
4.When finished hit the Save button.

Chapter 5Project Override Rates

49

Practice Exercises

Using the Upgrade Servers project,

override the Consultant role-billing
rate. Change it to reflect a 50%
discount to the current hourly rate. If
there is no existing billing rate, enter
an amount of $50.00.

Chapter 5Practice Exercises

50

Expenses
AtTask allows tracking expenses for projects and tasks. If
expenses need to be logged to a project, the Project Manager
enters them. However, expenses are recorded on individual
tasks, managers may choose to have Team Members log
expenses. Users have the option to record negative expeneses
as well.

Project Expenses
To Manage Expenses on a Project
1.Navigate to a project.
2.Select the More tab, and then select Expenses.
3.Select the Add an Expense button.
4.A light box appears where expense information is added.
5.Include an expense description in the Description field.
6.Enter the Task name in the Task Field.
7.The Expense Type drop-down shows various expense
categories. Expense Types are simply different
categories of expenses that can be accrued.
Add additional expenses by clicking Save and Add Another.
If applicable, be sure to enter a date when the bill was paid. In
order to have the expense appear when creating a billing record,
mark the billable check-box. This indicates that the expense
should be billed to a third party.
Users may also check the Reimbursable check-box. Be sure to
save updates.

Chapter 5Expenses

51

Task Expenses
To allow Team Members to update expenses on a task, make
sure AtTask is configured correctly. Team members will need to
have access to make these updates. A Team Member will be able
to add expenses via timesheets, if this options is enabled.

To Enter Expenses on a Task

1.Go to a project and select the task you want to add
expenses to.
2.Click the More tab and choose the Expenses option.
3.Select Add an Expense. A light box appears.
4.The information for this page is the same as the project
expenses. Complete the fields and save your changes.
Include a description of the expense in the Description
field.

Chapter 5Expenses

52

To Update Expenses
1.Navigate to a project or task and click the Expenses tab.
2.Click the check box of the expense you want to update.
3.The expenses added earlier will show. Make the
necessary updates in-line or add expenses at this time.

Changing Currency
AtTask allows currency rates to be modified using the view drop
down. A Change Currency view can be added and customized
by the System Administrator. Once this is done, toggle between
currencies and see them exhibited differently in a report.
Select the View drop down and click Change Currency.
A fly out menu will appear to select the desired currency for the
report.

Chapter 5Expenses

53

Practice Exercises

Using the Upgrade Servers project, add an

expense. Select materials as an expense type, the
description as More RAM needed, and an actual
amount of $1,000, and then mark it as billable.

Locate a specific task assigned to you and add

an expense. Select General as an expense type,
enter an actual amount of $5,000, and mark it
billable. Be sure to save it.

Using the same task, make an update that tells

the project manager you have added an expense
to the task.

Change the condition to Going Smoothly, and

update the status to In Progress. Then change
the commit date for the task to push it out 4 days.

Chapter 5Expenses

54

Billing Records
Billing records are generally used to take hours recorded in
AtTask and create invoices in an external financial system.

To Create a New Billing Record

1.Open a Project.
2.On the More tab, select Billing Records.
3.Click the New Billing Record option. A light box appears.
4.Enter a description (required).
5.Enter the billing date in the Billing Date field. The default
is todays date, but any date can be selected.
6.The Billed Revenue to Date field displays the total
revenue and billable expenses sent to a third party for
this project.
Billing records allow you to mark a billable hour, billable
expense, or a Fixed Revenue value on a task or project entry as
billed.

Chapter 5Billing Records

55

Practice Exercises

Locate the Upgrade Servers project and create a

new billing record. Enter the description Billing
Record for Upgrade Servers Project.

Chapter 5Practice Exercises

56

Chapter 6
Work Processing

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Copy and Move Tasks

Create and Manage Issues

Chapter 6Billing Records

57

My AtTask Application
Creating a Project
Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Director of Event Marketing

Director of IT

Director of Project Management

Top Pains

Once an event is approved,

you need to create the
project. Typically you do this
by sitting down and listing
out the work that needs to
be done, and what skills you
need to have on those work
items. Its a process you could
recite in your sleep, but you
have to do it for every event,
and it takes hours out of your
week.

Youve approved a project

to update the computers
for the Customer Support
team. There are a number
of tasks that need to
scheduled into the project
plan. You anticipate this
type of project happening
in the future again, so
youd like to save the
project outline as a
template.

Your company is developing a

new app for the iPad that helps
executives and business leaders
understand what work is being
done for their projects. Your
responsibility is to outline the
project so the app can be developed.
Youve never done this before, but
you anticipate that your company
will want to start doing this type of
project more in the future.

AtTask Tool

Create a project using in-line

edit and save it as a template

Create a project using

in-line edit to save as a
template

Create a project using in-line edit to

save as a template

Primary Benefit

Standardizes the project

planning procedure

Standardizes the project

planning procedure

Standardizes the project planning

procedure

Chapter 6My AtTask Application

58

Copying and Moving Tasks

Its possible to copy several tasks at once. For example,
managers may want to copy an entire section of a project either
into a different phase of the same project or into and entirely
different project.

To Bulk Copy Tasks

1.While viewing the Tasks List on a project, select tasks to
copy.
2.From the More actions menu, select the Copy to
option.
3.A light box appears. Type in the name of the project
where these tasks will be moved.
4.Click Next Step and identify options to clear, including
Predecessors, Approvals and Constraints.
5.Click Next Step and select any Parent tasks.
6.Click Save.

Chapter 6Copying and Moving Tasks

59

Moving Tasks
If a task needs to move from one project to another, hours
logged to that task move as well.

To Move a Task to Another Project

1.Open a project and select the task you want to move.
2.Click Move Task from the More menu.
3.Type the name of the project to move the task to, in the
field.
4.Click Next Step.
5.Under options, identify the task properties to include on
the new project.
6.Click Next Step and select the Parent tasks (if any).
7.Click the Save button when finished.
The task will now be removed from the previous project and
placed into the project you selected.

Chapter 6Copying and Moving Tasks

60

Moving Task Information

Under the Parent tab, configure the relationship of the new
tasks to the other tasks in the project. Predecessor and Parent
options must be defined before clicking Finish during the move
task process described. If they a parent is not selected, tasks will
be moved and placed as the last task in the plan. Select the task
that must be completed before this task can begin.

Chapter 6Copying and Moving Tasks

61

Creating an Issue
Often unplanned events affect the team and the project as a
whole. These outside events can become issues and, if not
resolved, may be detrimental to the projects progress.

To Create an Issue on a Project

1.Navigate to a project and select the Issues tab.
2.Click the New Issue button.
3.Give the Issue a name and fill in relevant information.

Chapter 6Creating an Issue

62

To View and In-Line Edit All Issues on Projects

To Create an Issue on a Project

1.Locate a project.
2.Click the Issues tab. Here you can view all issues logged
to the project.
Open Issues are unresolved and need attention. The status
column displays the current status of the issue. In-line edit the
issue and make updates to any issue on the project if desired.

Chapter 6Creating an Issue

63

Managing Issues through Assignments

When an issue appears on a project, managers may decide

to assign that issue to a specific user. To do this, find the
Assignments column. Choose the user to oversee and resolve
this particular issue and type their name, team or job role in the
field.

Chapter 6Creating an Issue

64

Converting an Issue to a
Task
There will be times when an issue becomes severe enough that
it evolves into a task. It may even evolve into an entire project. If
this is the case, then convert that issue to deal with it in a more
strategic way.
1.Navigate to a project with an issue that needs to be
resolved. Locate the Issues tab.
2.Click the issue to convert.
3.Locate the Issue actions drop-down.
4.A light box appears to insert the information necessary
to turn the issue into a task.
5.Make sure the Keep the original issue and tie its
resolution to this task option remains selected so the
issue isnt deleted when converted.
6.The Allow Jennifer Campbell to have access to this task
option will add the person who created the issue to the
project team, if that person is not already on the team. In
this case, Jennifer.
7.Make other changes, as needed, and click Save
Changes.

Chapter 6Converting an Issue to a Task

65

Converting an Issue to a
Project
1.Click the issue you want to convert.
2.Select the Issue Actions drop-down.
3.A fly-out menu will appear.. Choose to convert the issue
to a new project or select an existing project.
4.Complete the necessary fields and click Save when
finished.
The Keep the original issue and tie its resolution to this project
and the Allow Jennifer Campbell to have access to this project
boxes are selected by default. Complete the fields the same as
you would when you convert an issue to a task. Users will be
able to assign a project owner, a group, and use a Template if
needed.

Chapter 6Converting an Issue to a Project

66

My AtTask Application

Managing Issues Through Assignments Solution

Marketing

IT

PMO

Primary Audience

Event Marketing Manager

IT Project Manager

iPad App Project Manager

AtTask Tool

Issue Creation, Assignment

and Management

Issue Creation, Assignment

and Management

Issue Creation, Assignment

and Management

Primary Benefit

Insight into problems that

delay the project progress

Insight into problems that

delay the project progress

Insight into problems that

delay the project progress

Chapter 6Converting an Issue to a Project

67

Practice Exercises

Navigate to the Upgrade Servers project and

create a new issue. Call it Defining New Process
and give it the description: The IT organization
needs to define new processes to implement this
change.

Take this issue and convert it to a project.

Create another issue on the Upgrade Servers

project and call it,Identify Policies and give it
the description: Need to identify policies to map
out and redefine our IT processes.

Convert this issue to a task.

Chapter 6Converting
Chapter 6Practice
an Issue toExercises
a Project

68

ChapteR 7
AtTask Support & Services

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Navigate the Community Site

Find additional AtTask Services

69

Education
Services
onDemand Learning
AtTask is now offering a variety of
eLearning courses to help optimize
your use of the product and really drill
down into the core functionality that
will make work easier for you and your
organization.
New courses are being added all the time
so check back often to see what is new.

Webinars
Webinars are live, instructional sessions
designed to provide information for up
to one hour.
Webinars are topic-specific, they are
available to anyone who would like to
attend. They are free of charge.
You can find a list of upcoming webinars
and recordings of past webinars on the
community site.
Visit: community.attask.com/webinars

ChapteR 7 Education

70

Support
Services
AtTask offers four customer support plans,
ensuring you receive the level of support
that is appropriate for your business.
Support plans can be adjusted at any time.
Online Help Desk: 24x7
Phone Support: Sunday 8pm Friday 8pm
(Eastern Time)
Telephone: 801-373-3266 opt. 2
Toll Free: 866-441-0001 opt. 2
Visit the Community Site for release notes
and additional support guides.

ChapteR 7 Support

71

Consulting
Services
The AtTask roadmap for success follows this
simple formula:
Success = Realistic Scope + Right Resources + Achievable timeline

Following this formula, AtTask consultants

provide best practices consulting to businesses
looking to implement work management
principles to their projects and processes.
Additionally, AtTask consultants provide design
and implementation approaches, tailored to your
business needs, to get your AtTask solution into
production quickly and easily.

ChapteR 7 Consulting

72

Customer Success
Program
The customer success program puts you, the
AtTask user, at the forefront of the AtTask business
model. Our customer success consultants
connect and engage with you to ensure you
receive maximum value from the AtTask platform
by providing additional resources and expertise
tailored to your AtTask solution.

Customer success program:

Dedicated customer success consulting

Conference calls

Quarterly reviews of your account

Customized success road-map

For more information contact

Gwendolyn Smith
VP of Customer Success
Desk Phone: 801-477-9586
gwendolynsmith@attask.com

ChapteR 7 Customer Success

73