AtTask Administrator Course Book PDF

Administrator
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.
October 2013 (rev. 201400205)
2
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

R
where you 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
∞∞ ou will have opportunities to practice what has been taught in a simulated

Y
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.
3
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1- Organizing Requirements 5 Chapter 6 - Organizational Setup 53 Issue Management Overview 102
Request Queues 103
Determining Requirements 6 Event Notifications 54 Queue Properties 104
My AtTask Application 8 Reminder Notifications 56 Routing Rules and Queue Topics 108
Frequency of Notifications 57 Routing Rules 109
Chapter 2- System Preferences 12 Email Templates 58 Queue Topics 110
Audit Trails 60
Customer Preferences 14 Schedule Setup 61 Chapter 10 - Consistency 112
System Preferences 16 Creating New Schedules 62
Email Setup 19 Roles 64 Approval Processes 113
Companies 67 Viewing Approval Details 120
Chapter 3 - Customizing User Groups 69 Best Practices for Approvals 121
Work Flow Setup 22 Portfolios 72 Reviewing Items
Program Creation 75 Awaiting Your Approval 122
Custom Statuses 24 Global Reports and List Controls 126
Chapter 7- Customizing the AtTask Shared Reports 127
Chapter 4 -System Preferences: Interface 77 List Controls 128
Work Setup 28 Custom Forms 130
Modifying Access Levels 78
Preferences for Projects 29 Layout Templates 83 Chapter 11- AtTask Support
Preferences for Tasks & Issues 33 & Services 134
Chapter 8 - User Setup 87
Chapter 5 - Time and AtTask Community 135
Expense Preferences 36 Importing Users and Education Services 136
Adding User Accounts 88 Support Services 139
Timesheet Preferences 37 Email Notifications 96 Consulting Services 140
Hour Types 41 Teams 97 Customer Success Program 141
Recurring Timesheet Profiles 43 Done Button 100
Bulk Timesheets 46
Expense Types 48 Chapter 9 - Request Queues and
Exchange Rate Preferences 50 Internal Support Systems 101
4
Chapter 1 Organizing Requirements
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
∞∞ evelop questions to ask during the

D
Discovery Phase
∞∞ Identify common system requirements
5
Determining Requirements
Successful implementations of AtTask require translating
requirements into system configuration choices.
Often there is more than one “right” way to configure AtTask to

achieve goals. However, along the way you also need to consider a
balance between the simplicity and accuracy of data generated and
stored in the system, and how it is accessed.
The purpose of this chapter is not to train you on how to make all
the decisions you will need to make during implementation – this
is something an AtTask Consultant can do. Rather, this chapter
identifies questions you should be asking during the Discovery
phase of your AtTask implementation. It also provides a list of
common requirements; this list of requirements will be used
throughout the course as administration topics are presented.
If your organization is working with an AtTask consultant, you

will become very familiar with the AtTask Implementation
Methodology. The implementation methodology is designed to
add a single existing process and/or key project(s) into AtTask. By
the end of your initial implementation, you will have configured
AtTask to meet the requirements of your processes or project(s).
This course is not designed to make you an expert in each facet

of the methodology. Instead, it will focus primarily on some of the
design and configuration activities you will do.
Chapter 1—Determining Requirements 6

Understanding AtTask Relationships
There are two primary AtTask components: People and Work.

Nearly everything in the system can be directly connected to
one or both of these components.
∞∞ This is not meant to illustrate a comprehensive diagram

of all the relationships to AtTask objects on the people
profile.
∞∞ This is not meant to illustrate a comprehensive diagram

of all the relationships to AtTask objects for work.
As you begin implementing AtTask, you can usually categorize

each security, process or other requirement as a People or Work
requirement.
Chapter 1—Determining Requirements 7

My AtTask Application
Storyline
You have been assigned to set AtTask up for your organization, and are designated as the system administrator. Your responsibilities
include setting up your organization's instance of AtTask to make sure it works within the organization's defined processes.
8
Asking the Right Questions
The following represents the types of questions you should ask
your implementation team and other stakeholders. This list is not
comprehensive.
Initiative Review
∞∞ What problems are you trying to solve that prompted this
initiative?
∞∞ What are the strategic questions you hope to answer through

purchasing AtTask?
∞∞ What metrics have been established to determine the

success of implementing AtTask?
Business Processes/Project Management

∞∞ How are projects managed today? Include any
documentation or illustrations for clarification.
∞∞ With regards to project management, what does the ideal

future state entail?
∞∞ What constitutes a successful project management

implementation?
∞∞ Identify current projects you will be migrating into AtTask.

What application or tool are they currently stored in?
∞∞ Do you have a diagram or documented work flow for each

project defining the process, tasks, resources, and flows?
Chapter 1—Asking the Right Questions 9

Continued...
Resource Management
∞∞ How are resources managed today? Please include any
documentation or illustrations for clarification.
∞∞ What constitutes a successful resource management

implementation?
Issue Management
∞∞ Will you be tracking issues against projects in the system?
∞∞ Please describe the desired process of how project issues

should be handled in the system.
∞∞ Will you be using AtTask as a help desk or issue management

system outside of projects?
∞∞ Please describe the requirements of how you would like this

process handled in the system.

Continued...
Business Users
∞∞ Which departments/divisions will be involved in the initial
roll out? Which additional departments will be involved in
the final roll out?
∞∞ How many unique processes will be involved in the initial

roll out? Final roll out?
∞∞ When are you expecting to roll out your first process to the
implementation team? Each additional process?
∞∞ How many users will need to be trained in the initial roll

out? Final roll out? (Please segment users into the following
groups, Administrators, Project/Program Managers, End
Users, and Executives.)
∞∞ Can you provide an organizational chart that defines the

user community with locations?
Reporting
∞∞ Describe in detail all the reports you plan to generate in
AtTask by group/department.
∞∞ What dashboards are required for the Executive team to

improve visibility and management capabilities?
Other
∞∞ Describe additional requirements determined by your
desired work flow and/or corporate culture that may impact
your AtTask configuration.

Chapter 2 System Preferences
Objectives
∞∞ Identify System Preferences
∞∞ Setup password and security Preferences
∞∞ Establish Email Preferences
12
System Preferences
Primary Audience Administrator

Top Pains
In the past, your organization has had a high number of hackers gaining entry into your system, and accessing
sensitive information. Since your organization has many well-known, national clients whose information is
extremely confidential, you need more security and passwords with a higher complexity.
AtTask Tool General Preferences, HIGH password complexity requirement and Incorrect Password Timeout Function.
Primary Benefit
A higher password complexity requirement will make your organization more secure. There is also an
automatic account freeze period that is triggered after five consecutive failed log in attempts.
13
Customer Preferences
The Customer object represents your organization, an AtTask,
Inc. customer. Several global options appear in this area of the
application.
System Administrators can access and make modifications to

their Customer profile by going to:
Setup › System › Customer Info
From the Customer Info area, click the Edit Customer link in the
left side bar. The primary fields of importance are Time Zone,
and Locale.
Time Zone
This field represents the default time zone for your organization.
It will be the selected time zone as new users are created, but
can be modified for each user. It will set the outgoing date/time
format for the company.
Locale
The Locale field controls the date and number format used in
outgoing email messages. The value selected here acts as a
Supported Languages
default for new user creation, but can be modified on a user-by-
user basis so individuals in remote offices can view dates and
English French German
numbers in conventional formats familiar to their country’s
language. The Locale also controls the language format of
Spanish Japanese Chinese
outgoing emails. The list of supported languages is provided.
Chapter 2—Customer Preferences 14

Practice
Exercises
1. Set the default timezone for new users to Eastern (US)
Timezone.
2. Set the Locale to English (United States).
3. Make note of the values for these settings you will use in
your account of AtTask.
Use the space below to identify the settings you will use in your
account of AtTask:
Timezone
_____________________________
Locale
_____________________________
Chapter 2—Customer Preferences 15

System Preferences
Preferences addressing system security are located in
the Systems area. All AtTask users will be impacted by the
preferences established here.
System Preferences include both Security and General

Preferences for your company. This area is only accessible to
users with System Administrator access.
To access the System Preferences area click:

Setup › System › Preferences
Security
Passwords
As System Administrator, you have the ability to set the
password complexity, frequency of password resets, and lockout
length for incorrect password submissions.
All users are required to use passwords that are not a

recognizable dictionary term.
If using LDAP or SSO, password requirements will be dictated by

your active directory configuration.
Access
The System Admin determines if users can access AtTask on
Mobile devices, how users will collaborate with external users,
and browser security.
When working with external users (collaboration package

required) you can require external users to set a password
should they log into AtTask.
Chapter 2—System Preferences 16

General Preferences
Help URL
When users access Help in AtTask they are automatically routed
to help.attask.com. However, the default destination can be
overridden, sending users to a location better suited for your
organization.
Document Integrations
The System Admin can enable which document integrations
are available for users. Users will link their specific account by
providing permission between their account and documents.
Chapter 2—System Preferences 17

Practice
Exercises
1. Set the password complexity to require 3 characters,
passwords to be reset after 60 days and lock people out
of the system for 30 minutes if they provide an incorrect
password 5 consecutive times.
2. Identify the settings for the following System

Preferences fields that you will use in your account of
AtTask:
∞∞ Password Complexity
∞∞ Incorrect Password Timeout
∞∞ Session Timeout.
Use the space below to identify the settings you will use in your
account of AtTask:
Password Complexity
______________________________________
Incorrect Password Timeout
______________________________________
Session Timeout
______________________________________
Chapter 2—Practice Exercises 18

Email Setup
SCENARIO
Your company has decided to enable replying to
comments via email. You want to display comments as
close to real time as possible.
It has been decided that all system-generated emails

should come from the following email address:
attask@yourcompanydomainname.com.
The Email Setup page controls:

∞∞ Incoming Mail preferences
∞∞ Outgoing Mail preference
Access the Email Setup page by going to Email › Setup
Incoming Mail
Comments on a work item (issue, document, task, etc.) can be
replied to within AtTask or from an email message notifying the
user of the comment.
To utilize replying to comments in an email, the system admin

will need to enable this feature and indicate the POP account to
store these communications. The System Admin can indicate
how often the POP account will be checked by AtTask. The
shorter the time frame used the more comments will display in
real time in AtTask.
Chapter 2—Email Setup 19

Outgoing Mail
System Email Address

This field is the ‘From‘ address for most emails sent from AtTask.
It is suggested this value is changed to something end users will
recognize as coming from an AtTask account.
Suggested Value: attask@companydomainname.com
Sending Emails
Users can utilize the AtTask mail server (default option).
Alternatively, if preferred, your company’s mail server may be
used.
Testing
Testing both POP and mail server settings is encouraged to
confirm configurations.
Note:
Default Port should be set to 25, and 465 if SSL is enforced. It
should be grey when the default is not changed.
Chapter 2—Email Setup 20

Practice
Exercises
1. Update the system email address field to use the

following address: attask@yourcompanydomainname.
com.
2. Set up a POP Account: use Notes@yourcompany.

com, Username- AtTaskNotes, server-Mail, Password=
PassWord .
3. Set up all outgoing emails to use the AtTask mail Server.

Chapter 3Customizing Work Flow Setup
Objectives
∞∞ Configure AtTask to match existing work

flow terminology through custom status
labels.
22
Customizing Workflow Setup
Primary Audience Administrator

Top Pains Several departments of your organization have a different lingo for what they call in-process work, planning
work and finished work. You have to remember who you’re talking to and what department they are from. You
need a way to standardize it.
AtTask Tool Custom Statuses
Primary Benefit Establishes a standardize method for referring to the work flow process.
23
SCENARIO Custom Statuses
Your organization has decided to relabel some of the task status options and AtTask allows administrators to customize the status options
add two additional task options. The hope is to translate this part of AtTask into presented on Projects, Tasks, and Issues.
terminology your team members are already familiar with and to support your
unique process for identifying tasks that will not be completed. This customization provides flexibility to an implementation
team in defining statuses to meet an organization’s unique
Modify the task statuses to reflect the following requirements: needs and vocabulary. It is strongly recommended that custom
statuses are set up prior to a general roll-out of the software.
Previous Statuses New Names New Statuses Equates With

System Administrators can set these preferences by going to:
Setup › Processes › Configure Status
New Not Started - New
1. Navigate to the Configure Status page and click the ‘Task

In Progress Started - In Progress
Statuses’ button.
Complete Finish - Complete

2. Click the cell that reads ‘New’, and input ‘Not Started’.
- - On Hold In Progress
3. Choose the cell that reads ‘Add a new status’, and input
‘On Hold’.
- - Canceled Complete
4. Select a color to display the status on reports.
5. In the Key column, input ‘ONH’ and change the ‘Equates
With’ value to ’In Progress’.
6. Click into the cell that reads ‘Add a new status’, and input
‘Canceled’.
7. Select a color to display the status on reports.
8. In the Key column, input ‘CAN’ and change the Equates
With value to ‘Complete.’
9. Save all changes.
Chapter 3—Custom Statuses 24

Issue Status
There are four issue types in AtTask: Bug Report, Change Order,
Issue, and Request. These issue types can be reclassified to
meet the needs of issue management for your organization.
Renaming issue types allow the further development and
support of managing issue statuses. There are three statuses
that cannot be configured (New, In Progress, Complete). When
setting up Issues statuses, flexibility exists to change the
remaining seven statuses to meet your organization’s naming
and use needs.
Project Task Issue

Approved Complete Awaiting Feedback
Complete In Progress Cannot Duplicate
Current New Closed
Dead In Progress
Idea New
On Hold On Hold
Planning Reopened
Rejected Resolved
Requested Verified Complete
Won’t Resolve

Custom Priorities and Severities
Project, Task, and Issue priorities (and severities) can be updated
on the Configure Statuses page. The foundation for updating
priorities and severities has already been covered.
There are a few distinctions when updating Priorities and

Severities. Unlike Status, pre-built options can be both deleted
and hidden. Priorities and severities cannot be completely
removed; at least one must be available in AtTask.
The order of displayed statuses can be reordered in the drop-

down menu. The options can be dragged and dropped into the
order best displayed on a project, issue or task.
As the System Administrator, you are able to define the default

priority/severity. Using the Default Priority drop down, you can
set the priority or severity that will display on work items.

Practice
Exercises
Rename or add several status options, priorities, and severities for the Issue object.
1. Status:
∞∞ Change ‘Won’t Resolve’ to ‘As Designed’
∞∞ Add a status ‘Escalated’
Once changes are complete, go to an issue on the Cruzer Project and observe the changes.
2. Priorities:
∞∞ Change ‘None’ to ‘Code White’
∞∞ Change ‘Low’ to ‘Code Blue’
∞∞ Change ‘Normal’ to ‘Code Yellow’
∞∞ Change ‘High’ to ‘Code Orange’
∞∞ Change ‘Urgent’ to ‘Code Red’
Change the colors to match.
3. Severities: Change all values to reflect customer impact,
∞∞ ‘No Customers’
∞∞ ‘One Customer’
∞∞ ‘Several Customers’
∞∞ ‘All Customers’

Chapter 4
System Preferences: Work Setup
Objectives
∞∞ Access Preferences for Projects, Tasks and

Issues to set defaults for new project and task
creation.
28
SCENARIO
Preferences for Projects
The Project Preference page impacts the properties of projects
When creating new projects, your organization wants all projects to and their sub-units (tasks and issues).
begin in ‘Planning’ status.
When defined well, project managers can spend less time
setting these values as they create new work items and can get
right to planning.
Administrators have the ability to set global preferences for

project work, which cannot be overridden when creating work
items.
This section presents a number of scenarios and suggests

alternative defaults from those shipped with AtTask. The
instructions for completing each scenario assume you already
know how to navigate to the Preference page.
Access the preferences page by going to:

Setup › Project Preferences › Projects
Project Status
To Set the Default Status of New Projects
1. Open the Project Preferences section on the Setup area.
2. Select and open the Project Status drop-down.
3. Select the ‘Planning’ option.
Calculating Percent Complete

A Project’s or parent task’s percent complete is based on the
overall progress of tasks. This information can be calculated
based on either Duration or Planned Hours of tasks. For
example, using duration will factor each task on the project to
determine the overall percent complete for the project or each
subtask for the parent task.
Chapter 4—Preferences for Projects 29

Condition
SCENARIO This option allows users to control setting the condition of a
Your organization wants to have a consistent method of observing the project (On Target, At Risk, In Trouble) or having AtTask set the
condition of projects. Set your project preferences to create consistent condition (progress status) automatically based on the project’s
visibility for project conditions. Update the Condition field to support this progression on the timeline.
request from Executives.
Create Baseline Automatically

When projects are created from a template or when the status
changes to Current, AtTask will automatically create a baseline
(snapshot) of task and project details.
To Enable Automatic Baseline Creation

1. Open the Preferences section, Projects area.
2. Under the Project Status section, locate Create Baselines

Automatically.
3. Select the check-box to activate the option. Save your

changes.
SCENARIO
As already identified, projects will be created in the Planning Calculate Performance Index
status. While in this phase the WBS will be planned. System administrators can set whether Hours or Costs recorded
on projects will be used to calculate the Earned Value Metrics
When the project status is changed to Current, you want the such as Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Estimated Actual
system to create a baseline automatically. The baseline will be Cost (EAC). For example, if hours are used make sure costs are
used to measure current progress and scope creep against the either associated with job roles (best practice) or with each user.
originally approved plan.

Timelines
SCENARIO Schedule Mode for Projects
Your organization wants to have all new projects scheduled based on the This sets the default date that project schedules are based on
start date of a project. Set your project preferences to create consistent when they are created. Using Start Date, new tasks will default
project timeline creation. Update the Scheduling of Project Dates to to the As Soon As Possible task constraint and project managers
support this desire. will be prompted to provide a Planned Start Date for the project.
Using Completion Date, new tasks use the As Late As Possible

task constraint and project managers are prompted to provide a
Planned Completion Date for the project.
Automatically Recalculating Project Timelines

When projects are created, the timelines can be adjusted to
account for changes. Admins can determine when this will
happen for projects in your system. Project Managers will
be able to recalculate a timeline manually, or choose to run
automatic recalculations as conditions are met.
Multiple Users Assigned to a Task

In a collaborative work environment it is not uncommon to
assign more than one person to complete a task. Users can
SCENARIO
have unique schedules from one another (personal time, daily
As already identified, projects will be created in the Planning schedule, etc.). In these situations, the System Admin will
status. While in this phase the WBS will be planned. indicate to AtTask which schedule to use in the event there is a
conflict between multiple users’ schedules on a task. Either the
When the project status is changed to Current, you want the project schedule can be used or the Primary user assigned to
system to create a baseline automatically. The baseline will be the task.
used to measure current progress and scope creep against the
originally approved plan. Timeline Calculations
System Administrators can set the number of hours in a typical
work day (8 hours is the default). They can also set the standard
work week for their organization. AtTask is set to 5 days by
default. These values will be used in planning projects.

Business Case
SCENARIO Default Business Components
These preferences determine which tabs are visible on the
Individuals initiating Project Requests want a simple interface that does Business Case form.
not include unnecessary tabs. According to the project management best
practices you have adopted, project initiators will not be using the Goals
component of the Business Case, but they will need to access the Custom
Data form. Update the Preferences to reflect these requirements.
Life after Death

As a System Administrator, establishing preferences sets your
SCENARIO
organization’s rules regarding what will happen to Task; Issues,
Your organization has decided it does not want to allow users Documents, and other data with a project after it has been
to delete issues or tasks from complete or dead projects. Your marked as Complete or Dead.
organization does want to allow editing issues, adding documents
and templates to completed project. Using Project Preferences The rules established will determine what users can update or
establish these guidelines for your organization’s projects. remove from a project once it is no longer active.

SCENARIO
Preferences for Tasks &
Issues
You want to create consistency in project planning by establishing
that all new tasks created use the same start date based on the New Task Defaults
project’s start date. Start Date on New Tasks
As System Administrator, set the default start date for new
Your project managers have indicated that when they create tasks tasks. New tasks start date can be based on the day the task was
they want to quickly assign a resource and independently control created or the project’s planned date (Start or Completion) .
the duration and effort required to complete the task.
Duration Type
Business analysts need to produce financial estimates based on A task’s Duration Type controls the relationship between the
the amount of effort planned for tasks and the number of hours number of resources (and their percent allocation) and duration
actually recorded. Specifically, business analysts want to derive or total effort for the task.
revenue and cost estimates from the rates defined on the user
profile. Change the Revenue Type field to User Hourly. Revenue Type
This field is used to calculate planned and actual revenue
estimates for a task. When Revenue Type is set to Not Billable,
the hours planned and actual hours recorded will not generate a
revenue estimate for the task. In addition, work on the task will
not contribute to project-level revenue.
Cost Type
This field is used to calculate planned and actual cost estimates
for a task. When set to No Cost, hours planned and actual
hours recorded will not generate a cost estimate for the task.
Furthermore, work on the task will not contribute to project-
level costs.
To Set the Default Revenue and Cost Types for New Tasks
1. Open the Tasks & Issues preferences section.
2. From the New Tasks Defaults section, locate and expand

the Revenue Type field.
3. Select the ‘User Hourly’ option.
Chapter 4—Preferences for Tasks & Issues 33

Issues
SCENARIO Organization’s can establish rules for working with issues.
For example, an issue’s status can automatically mirror that
Your organization wants to allow primary contacts to access issues after of a resolvable object (e.g. if converted to a project or task). In
they have been converted to both tasks and projects. Furthermore, you addition, when converting Issues (to task or project), you can
want to see when task and issues are actually started and completed. determine if the originator of the issue can retain access to the
Update the Tasks & Issues preferences to reflect the information your new item.
organization wants to have in place for users.
Setting these options as part of global preferences creates
consistency, while helping to ensure they are maintained
throughout your organization.
Actual Dates
When a user creates or completes a task (or issue) rules are
established to indicate what the desired dates for these items
should be. For instance, your organization wants to track all
information in real time, managers want to know the actual start
date of a task and have that information reported rather than
using the planned start date.
Chapter 4—Preferences for Tasks & Issues 34

Practice
Exercises
Establish your organizations preferences in the Setup Area.

1. New projects status should reflect projects in the ‘idea’
status.
2. Your organization wants to create baselines

automatically and schedule projects based on start date.
3. Your Project Managers will not be using the Goals

feature on the Business Case. Update the Business Case
area in the Project Preferences to reflect that change.
4. Allow users to delete Tasks and Issues after a project has

been marked complete.
5. When new tasks are created, they should be based on the

day the task was created.
6. Establish your revenue and cost types to reflect your

focus on roles.
7. Automatically have issue status match the resolvable

object.

Chapter 5Time and Expense Preferences
Objectives
∞∞ Update Timesheet Preferences
∞∞ Set Hour Types
∞∞ Establish Recurring Timesheet creation
∞∞ Set Expense types and Multi-currency

support
36
SCENARIO
Timesheet Preferences
An important part of preparing timesheets for end users is
People accessing timesheets need the ability to: setting Timesheet and Hour Preferences.
∞∞ Record time at the project level These preferences will determine the fields that appear on each
timesheet.
∞∞ Record future time
To set timesheet preferences go to:
∞∞ Record expenses toward work items Setup › Timesheet & Hour > Preferences
Some options are set by default for AtTask accounts. Review the options in To Update Timesheet and Hour Preferences
the Timesheets & Hours Preferences. Where the option is not set according 1. Navigate to the Timesheet page.
to the requirements listed above, update the setting.
2. Locate the preferences section containing the field that
needs to be enabled or deactivated.
3. Select the check box next to the field. A check enables

the item; removing a check disables the item.
4. Click Save.
Chapter 5—Timesheet Preferences 37

General Preferences
These fields will allow System Administrators to determine
what users see on their timesheet or are able to do with their
timesheet.
Log hours directly on projects

This field activates the ability to log time on a project (via
updates tab and a timesheet). If users are not recording time at a
project level, keep this option unchecked.
Log Hours on projects that are complete.

This field allows users to record time on a project that has been
marked complete in the system. If this option is disabled, users
will not be able to record time for the work they have completed.
Log hours on projects that are complete

Like the previous preference, if enabled users can log hours on
projects in the ‘dead’ status.
Log hours on future dates

When enabled users will record future time on a timesheet or
on an item). Organizations may wish to have users record time
on a task or issue in the future because they will be away from
the office.
Add expenses from a timesheet

This field enables users to record both time and expenses while
they are in the timesheet.

Pre- Populate Timesheets
Pre Populate timesheets with work

Typically, planned tasks and issues will display during the time
frame of the timesheet. System Admins can extend the time
frame to include planned tasks and issues up to four weeks
outside of the timesheet’s date range in either direction (before
or after).
Pre Populate Timesheets with...

Completed
If multiple resources are typically assigned to a single task, it is
recommended this value be set to ‘Yes’. This means when one
resource records time against the task and marks it as complete,
the other resources assigned to the task will still be able to view
the item on their timesheet to record hours.
Planned Dates
When set to ‘Yes’ the timesheet will include tasks and issues that
have either a Planned Start Date or Completion Date that falls
within the time frame of the project.
Projected Dates
When set to ‘Yes’ the timesheet will include tasks and issues that
have either a Projected Start Date or Completion Date that falls
within the time frame of the project, even if the planned date of
the issue or task falls outside of the timesheet date range.

Practice
Exercises
Set up Timesheet and Hour Preferences for your organization
using the provided test environment.
1. Your organization wants to record time on projects.
2. Your organization wants to log hours on future dates.
3. Y
ou want to have timesheets display work within 3
weeks of the timesheet’s dates.
4. Y
ou want to have timesheets display work with both
planned and projected dates within the timesheet’s date
range.

SCENARIO
Hour Types
An Hour Type is a label that allows System Administrators to
Your team of business analysts wants more information about the categorize an hour entry. Depending on reporting requirements
hour-based reports generated from AtTask. Specifically, they want for hours, this may be an essential step.
to know how people are spending their time. They have requested
the following hour types be added to the system so they can look for Customizing hour types or building a list of available hour labels
trends of what people are doing to complete tasks: will provide consistency in reporting. Alternatively, Admins can
instruct end users to be consistent in recorded hour comments.
∞∞ Meeting Time
Timesheets provide a list of General Hour types, which let your
∞∞ Research Time users track hours not related to projects or tasks. You can also
create a project-specific hour type. This hour categorization
∞∞ Travel Time allows organizations to further identify hours entered for the
project time and it’s associated tasks and issues.
They want to use the default Task Time hour type shipped with
AtTask to collect work that cannot be tied to Meetings, Research, or Custom hour types (both project-specific and general) are created
Travel time. and managed by going to:
Setup › Timesheet and Hours › Hour Types
To Create the Meeting Time Hour Type

1. Navigate to the Hour Types page.
2. Click the ‘Add More Hour Types’ link below the table.
3. Input an Hour Type name (Meeting Time).
4. Change Scope Value to ‘Project Specific’.
5. Change Count As Revenue to No.
6. Click Save.
The Scope field is used to identify hour types from the generic
(general) option or one that is tied to projects and tasks.
Chapter 5—Hour Types 41

Explanation of Fields
Hour Type
Enter a name for the hour type in the Hour Type field (this is
required). The value entered here displays as the hour type label
on hour entry and hour reports.
Description
Enter a description, as needed.
Scope
Scope field controls whether the hour type created is used for
General Hours or project specific. This means the label will be
available at the project, task, and issue hour-entry screens.
Count As Revenue
The Count As Revenue radio button indicates if the revenue
preferences defined on a task should be ignored when the hour
type is coupled with hour entry.
Is Active
Checking the ‘Is Active’ check-box will make the hour type
active. This provides the same result as clicking the Enable light
bulb icon from a list of hour types.
Chapter 5—Hour Types 42

SCENARIO
Recurring Timesheet
Users in the Marketing department need a timesheet profile to Profiles
generate timesheets on a weekly basis. These timesheets should be
approved by Jennifer Campbell. Recurring timesheet profiles automate timesheet creation.
Users in the IT department need a timesheet profile to generate The timesheet profile identifies the duration of the timesheet
monthly timesheets. As a cost center, IT’s work does not need to have based on normal pay period types (Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Semi-
the same degree of oversight, so no approver is necessary. Monthly, and Monthly). When the profile becomes associated
with a user, AtTask generates new timesheets automatically,
reducing the administrator’s need to create new timesheets
each pay period.
To access this Recurring Timesheet area go to:

Setup › Timesheet and Hours › Recurring Timesheets
To Create the Marketing Timesheet Profile

1. Navigate to the Recurring Timesheet Setup page.
2. Click the New Recurring Timesheet button from the

tool-bar.
3. Provide a name for the profile (Marketing Timesheet

Profile).
4. From the Pay Period Type field, select the Weekly option.
5. Select the date you want the system to begin generating

timesheets. (Select last Saturday’s date).
6. In the Approver field, search for and select Jennifer

Campbell.
Adding the Recurring Timesheet Profile to user profiles can be

done either through individual edits or through a bulk edit.
Chapter 5—Recurring Timesheet Profiles 43

Recurring Timesheet fields
Name
Enter the name of the profile in the Name field. This is a
required field.
Description
Enter a description to identify to other administrators the
purpose of this recurring timesheet profile.
Recurring (Pay Period Type)

Choose a pay period type from the Pay Period Type menu. The
default is Monthly. However, you can also choose Weekly, Bi-
weekly, and Semi-monthly.
Starts On 
The ‘Period Starts On’ will change depending on the pay period
Weekly and Type.
Start Date
Enter an Effective Start Date in the field, or click the calendar
icon to choose a date.
Approver
Choose an approver from the Approver drop-down. An
approver has the authority to approve or reject a timesheet after
it is submitted. Click the search icon to find an approver that
does not appear on the list.
Select General Hours

From the Select General Hours menu, select one or more
general hour types to appear on the timesheet. Use the Control
(Windows) or Command (Mac), and Shift keys to select multiple
hour types.

When to Create Multiple Recurring Timesheet Profiles
Generally, approvers are not project managers. They are
typically a functional manager or an HR/Payroll representative.
By not selecting a general hour type, such as ‘sick’ time, all

available general hour types will display by default.
When to create Multiple Recurring Timesheet Profiles:
∞∞ When there are unique pay periods
∞∞ When there are unique approvers
∞∞ When there are unique general hours

Bulk Timesheets
Recurring timesheets are a great way of tracking time on a
regular basis. However, your organization may choose to
only track time as the occasion arises. Using Bulk Timesheet
creation allows for the use of a one-time timesheet for users.
To create these unique timesheets, Admins will navigate to the
timesheet page. It’s important to keep in mind that only one
timesheet at a time can be active for users, so both recurring
and bulk timesheets (or any combination) can’t be used with
simultaneous dates.
To access Bulk timesheets go to:

Timesheets > All Timesheets > + New Timesheet
How to create a one-time Timesheet Profile:

1. Navigate to the timesheet page.
2. Select the All Timesheets tab.
3. Click on the ‘+ New Timesheet’ button.
4. Input who will use the timesheet.
5. Provide start and end dates.
6. Assign approvers, if needed.
7. To save the timesheet, select ‘Create Timesheet’.
Timesheet Administrators come to the timesheet area to search

for timesheets. Direct all timesheet approvers to find and review
timesheets in the Timesheet area.
Chapter 5—Bulk Timesheets 46

Practice
Exercises
1. Add the following project-level hour types to the system,
so that Project Managers can better track how employees
are using their time:
Meeting Time
Travel Time
Research Time
2. Create two recurring timesheet profiles. One for

the Marketing department and another for the IT
department.
3. Set Jennifer Campbell as an approver for Marketing and

Ray Andrews as an approver for IT.
4. Set the Marketing timesheet to generate on a weekly

basis and the IT timesheet to generate on a monthly
basis.
5. Create a one time use timesheet for Jennifer for this

week. Marc Lewis will be the approver.

Expense Types
Expenses represent non-labor costs on tasks or projects.
The image displays a list of expenses that have been planned

and recorded for the Cruzer Web Site project.
The Expense Type is a label that is used in reporting. It will allow

managers to look for patterns and consistently see how money
is being spent from project to project, or across projects.
AtTask has built-in expenses which cannot be modified or

deleted.
You have the ability to create additional expense types to

support your financial reporting needs. Custom expense types
can be managed and created by going to:
Setup › Expense Types
To Create the Mileage Expense Type

1. Navigate to Setup and select Expense Types.
2. Click ‘Add More Expense Types’.
3. Input the name for the expense type.
4. Select the Miles option from the Calculated Units field.
5. Input the rate per mile.
6. Click Save.
Chapter 5—Expense Types 48

Expense Type
Provide a name for the Expense Type. Expense labels are
defined by the implementation team or by your Finance
Department.
Calculated: Units and Rate

When set Miles, Kilometers, or Other, the expense form will
prompt for a numeric unit that will be multiplied by the rate
specified.
Chapter 5—Expense Types 49

Exchange Rate Preferences
AtTask is designed to support multiple currencies within
a project. Exchange Rates are accessible by the System
Administrator and users with appropriate editing rights for
exchange rates.
In order to set exchange rates on a project go to:

Project Preferences > Exchange Rates
∞∞ More than one currency needs to be present in order to

adjust currency on a project.
∞∞ Any newly created project will default to the “base”

currency defined in Setup.
∞∞ A project’s currency cannot be changed if there is already

financial information on it.
∞∞ Rates are used for labor cost and revenue calculations and
will be used in the future for reporting purposes.
∞∞ By default, all full license users have access to view

currencies and exchange rates. System Administrators
need to grant a user Edit Exchange Rates access to set
specific rates on projects.
∞∞ On any list, objects related to the project will be shown

using the project currency code. Any fields not related
directly to the project (e.g. User rates, Job Role rates, etc.)
will be shown in the system default currency.
Chapter 5—Exchange Rate Preferences 50

To Create the Exchange Rates:
1. Navigate to Preferences for Exchange Rates.
2. Click the ‘Add Currency’ button.
3. Input the name for the currency.
4. Select the exchange rate.
5. Click Save.
Chapter 5—Exchange Rate Preferences 51

Practice
Exercises
1. Add a new Expense Type called ‘Mileage’, so that

individuals can record mileage on project-related
activities.
2. Set ‘Exchange Rate’ Preferences to reflect the most

common way to calculate and look at revenue in your
organization.

Chapter 6 Organizational Setup
Objectives
∞∞ Identify and set up Notifications
∞∞ Establish schedules
∞∞ Establish Job Roles for assigning resources

to work
∞∞ Create companies and know how they are

used on user profiles
∞∞ Map the groups object to departments in

your organization
∞∞ Distinguish between Portfolios and

Programs
53
SCENARIO
Event Notifications
As an implementation team (in discussion with your project managers) you
decide project managers should receive an email when… Event Notifications allow administrators to turn on email
notifications for users. When Event Notifications are enabled,
∞∞ Issues are added AtTask adds the item to the email notification list for users.
Each person has the ability to turn off individual notifications to
∞∞ Milestone tasks are completed match their preference for emails they receive from AtTask.
∞∞ Tasks’ progress status changes from ‘On Time’ to ‘Late’ to the projects System Administrators will want to consult with Project
they own Managers and Executives to identify which email notifications
best meet your organizations needs.
The Event Notifications area is accessible to users with System

Administrator access by going to:
Setup › Email › Notifications › Event Notifications
Chapter 6—Event Notifications 54

A partial list of the available Event Notifications is shown below.
To Activate the Event Notifications
1. Navigate to the Event Notification page.
Name Description
2. Locate and select the check boxes to the left of the Event
All Predecessor Task Completion to Task When all predecessor tasks have been
Notification(s) you wish to enable.
Dependents completed, the assigned resources for
dependent tasks will be emailed.
∞∞ ‘Issue Add to Project Owner’
Milestone Task Completion to Project When a task designated as a milestone

∞∞ ‘Milestone task Completion to Project Owner’
Owner is completed, the Project Manager
receives an email. Other options send
∞∞ ‘Task Progress Change to Project Owner’
the notification to the entire team or the
Project Sponsor.
3. From the header bar, click Activate. A red check mark will
appear next to the newly activated Event Notification(s).
Task Progress Change to Project Owner When a task on a Current project regresses
from the On Time to At Risk, Behind or
To Deactivate an Event Notification
Late progress status, the Project Manager
1. Left of the Event Notification select the check-box.
will be notified. Another option emails the
assigned resource.
2. On the header bar click on the Deactivate button – a red
check mark will disappear on the Event Notification.
Unassigned Issue Added to Project Team When an issue is added to a Current
project and no user resource is assigned to
Review the full list of Event Notifications in your AtTask account
it, the entire project team will be notified.
and discuss which events should be enabled to best facilitate
communication and not be a nuisance to recipients.
Approval Decision to Object Assigned To When a project, task, or issue has an
approval attached to it, AtTask emails the
Keep in mind some Event Notifications can be redundant. For
assigned resource when the work item is
example, if you enable the Issue Completion to Project Team email,
approved or rejected.
you likely do not need to enable the other ‘Issue Completion to…’
emails.
Object Pending Approval to Approvers When a project, task, or issue has an
approval attached to it, AtTask emails the
designated approvers to inform them a
work item is awaiting their approval.
Chapter 6—Event Notifications 55

Reminder Notifications
Reminder Notifications are time-based notifications. These
notifications allow an administrator to define a before and after
threshold to send an email to users. An email template needs to be
created and associated with a reminder notification. Furthermore,
a notification must be associated with an item to complete the
setup process.
To access reminder notifications go to:

Setup > Email > Notifications > Reminder Notifications
Reminder Notifications can be associated with Issues, Projects,

Tasks, and Timesheets.
To Create a Reminder Notification:
1. Navigate to the Reminder Notification page.
2. Select ‘New Reminder Notification’.
3. Name the notification and select the object type.
4. Indicate duration.
5. Identify when the email should be sent (before or after) and

the dates to be used for that information.
6. Choose the criteria used to trigger the email.
7. Select the Recipient(s).
8. Attach the email template.
9. Save the Reminder Notification.
Remember an email template must be associated with a reminder

template. This option will not show if none exist in AtTask.
Chapter 6—Reminder Notifications 56

Attaching Reminder Notification
Once Reminder Notifications are created, they must be attached to
a specific object to generate the requested notification.
To attach a reminder notification:

1. Go to the object.
2. Edit the item.
3. Reminder Notifications will be visible.
4. Select your reminder notification.
5. Save Changes.
Once a reminder notification is attached, an email will be sent if

the conditions of the notification are meet.
Frequency of Notifications
As a System Administrator you can determine how often a user
receives email notifications. This includes both Event Handler
notifications as well as Reminder Notifications. Frequency of
notifications can be set for either Daily or Hourly emails.
To access these settings go to:

Setup > Email > Notifications> Settings
In settings, establish your company’s preference.
Chapter 6—Frequency of Notifications 57

Email Templates
Email Templates are created and attached to Reminder
Notifications. Like Reminder Notifications, they can be associated
with issues, projects, tasks and timesheet objects. Email Templates
allow Admins to provide content messages to users when they
receive a reminder email.
To access Email Templates go to:

Email > Notifications > Email Templates
To Create a Email Template:

1. Navigate to the Email Templates page.
2. Select ‘New Email Template’.
3. Name the template and select the object type.
4. Provide a subject for the email.
5. It’s optional to provide a description and message in the

email.
6. Save the Email Template.
Remember an email template must be associated with a Reminder

Notification. Email Templates will not show in reminder
notifications if there are none in the AtTask. It is recommend that
you create these first.
Chapter 6—Email Templates 58

Automatic Reminders
Reminder Notifications are time-based notifications. These
automatic notifications allow the administrator to define a before
and after threshold to send an email to users. These notifications
once established will apply to both task and issue work items, on a
global level. Where Reminder Notifications can be controlled on a
work item by work item basis. Automatic Reminders do not need to
be associated with email templates or a specific item, like a task, in
order to function.
To access reminder notifications go to:

Setup > Email > Automatic Reminders
To create an Automatic Reminders:

1. Navigate to the Automatic Reminders page.
2. Identify when and who should receive an email.
3. Set the time frame for when the email should be sent.
4. Save the Automatic Reminders.
Chapter 6—Email Templates 59

SCENARIO
Audit Trails
Using Audit Trails allows organizations to track what is happening
Your organization wants to know when someone deletes a task from to select items in AtTask. As a System Administrator, you can select
a project. Establish an audit trail to display information in the updates which objects to track, including custom fields. All items tracked
feed of a project. will display on the updates feed. The Actions tab will display which
feed will show the changes. For example, if you track when issues
are deleted this will show on the projects feed, whereas logged
hours will show on projects, tasks, and issue feeds.
Audit Trails are created by going to:

Setup › Interface > Update Feeds
To setup your Audit Trails to display on an update feed:

1. Navigate to the Update Feeds page. Clicking the schedule
takes you to the edit screen.
2. Select ‘+Add Fields’.
3. Select the object field, then identity the object you want to
track.
4. Select ‘Add Fields’ to begin tracking that field.
All items displayed on the updates fields will be tracked universally.

They cannot be hidden on the update status feed unless they are
no longer tracked by AtTask.
Chapter 6—Audit Trails 60

SCENARIO
Schedule Setup
Schedules represent the normal work schedule. They are necessary
The default schedule provided with all new AtTask accounts assumes to identify when project work will occur, or more importantly,
a Monday through Friday 9 AM to 5 PM schedule (no time for lunch) when it will not occur.
for the Mountain Standard Time zone.
AtTask is shipped with a ‘Default Schedule’ for a typical workweek
Update the Default Schedule provided with your AtTask account (Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm). Organizations schedule
to change the time zone to match the system setting. Update the exceptions to account for corporate holidays.
Schedule Exceptions to match the established corporate holidays.
Schedules are created (and updated) by going to:
New Year’s Day Independence Day Setup › Schedules
Presidents Day Labor Day To edit the Default Schedule:

1. Click the Schedule named Default Schedule.
Good Friday Thanksgiving and Day After
2. Clicking the schedule takes you to the edit screen.
Memorial Day Christmas Eve
3. Rename the Schedule and make other changes, as needed.
Christmas Day Boxing Day
Rename the schedule to US East Coast. 4. Go to the Schedule Exceptions tab and select each day of
the year that represents a corporate holiday.
5. Click the ‘Edit’ icon to the right of the November 21, 2013
entry.
6. De-select the Entire day off check-box.
7. Set the start and end range to reflect the time that people
will be working.
8. Repeat step 5 to 7 for the next three to five years.
9. Click Save to store the changes to the date.
Generally, the Default Schedule is updated to match your

requirements as early as possible. Schedules can be copied and
updated.
Chapter 6—Schedule Setup 61

SCENARIO Creating New Schedules
Chris Manning is going to do his project work during normal business To Create the US West Coast Schedule
hours – 9 am to 6 pm Pacific time zone – with a 1-hour lunch break. 1. Navigate to the Schedules area.
He and possibly others working on the West Coast should also have the 2. Click on the New Schedule button.
normal corporate holidays built into the schedule:
3. Input a name for the schedule, identify the groups that
New Year’s Day Labor Day should have modification rights, and select the time
zone the schedule supports. DO NOT mark it as the
Presidents Day Day Before Thanksgiving (Half Day) default schedule; this will automatically assign it to new
users as they are created.
Good Friday Christmas Eve
4. Navigate to the Schedule tab.
Memorial Day Christmas Day
5. Select the Monday 9 AM cell and drag it to the Monday
Independence Day Boxing Day 12:30 PM cell.
Create a schedule called US West Coast.
6. Click the Monday 2 PM cell and drag to the Monday
5:30PM cell.
7. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each weekday.
8. Navigate to the Schedule Exceptions tab.
9. Click each day of the year where project work will not be
done because of corporate holidays.
10. Repeat step 9 for the next three to five years.
11. Select Save to submit the schedule.
12. Choose Save again to save the user profile.
Chapter 6—Creating New Schedules 62

When to Create Multiple Schedules
Reason Tip
Users In Different Time Zones Create a master schedule with your Schedule and Schedule Exception tabs defined, then copy
that Schedule and change the time zone.
Offices With Different Holidays Create a master schedule, then create a copy of it, and then modify the Scheduled Exceptions
tab. You may also need to adjust the time zone for the schedule.
Part Time Employees You will then be able to modify only the Schedule tab, without having to set corporate holidays
again.
Schedule Description
User Whenever a user is assigned to a task, the schedule assigned to the user, combined with the user’s PTO
schedule, will be used for the given task.
Exception: When multiple users are assigned to the same task, and if any of the user schedules conflict,
AtTask will either:
Use the schedule assigned to the project where the task resides.
Use the schedule assigned to the default assignee of the task.
The behavior described in this exception depends on the preference set on the Project Management
Preferences page.
Project The project schedule is utilized when any of the following conditions are met:
A user has not been assigned to the task.

Several users with differing schedules are assigned to the same task.
Default Schedule The system default schedule will be used if no schedule has been set for the project and when the conditions
for using the project schedule are met.
Chapter 6—Creating New Schedules 63

SCENARIO Roles
Project managers in the Professional Services group need to make Job roles in AtTask are affiliated with both users and work (tasks
sure they are assigning the resources with the specific skill sets. and issues). Each user may be assigned a job role or a skill set.
Additionally, resource availability is a primary concern. Project
managers will build templates with job role assignments and use the It is important to note the job role a user has in AtTask is more
Team Builder to satisfy those requirements. closely tied with the function they perform in the tool and not
necessarily the job title they have in your organization.
Professional Services Roles Cost Rate Billing Rate Users can, and often do, have multiple job roles within the tool.
A user will have a default/primary role and other roles they may
Associate Consultant $25 $50 perform. By assigning a user a specific job role, you qualify
Consultant $50 $100 them to perform any task that requires the said job role.
Assigning a specific job role to a user does not determine what

Solutions Architect $45 $90 group or company they belong to, nor does it define who their
manager is. A job role defines what skill set the user will fill for
an assigned task.
Technical Consultant $60 $125
An Administrator can create new job roles by going to:

Setup › Job Roles page
To Create Job Roles:

1. Click the ‘Add More Job Roles’ link.
2. Input Associate Consultant in the name field.
3. Provide a description, as needed.
4. Input the Cost Per Hour and Billing Per Hour for this
role.
Chapter 6—Roles 64
Cost Per Hour
SCENARIO When a task has a role-based cost rate and a job role assigned to
the task, this value will be used to estimate a planned cost and
The following roles have incorrect cost rates. the actual cost of the task.
Existing Roles New Cost Rate
Billing Per Hour
Consultant $65
When a task has a role-based revenue rate and a job role is
Project Manager $45
assigned to the task, this value will be used to estimate a
Sales $28 planned billing amount and the actual revenue of the task.
Representative
Max Users
Use the in-line edits to make the necessary updates. When max users are set, it limits the number of users who can
be assigned to the job role. By Default, a max user is set to zero,
allowing for an unlimited number of users to be assigned to the
job role.
Keep in Mind:
The Job Role name must be unique. If you are attempting to
import a job role that already exists in the system, you will
receive a message indicating you should check for duplicates.
To Edit Job Roles

1. Select the job role you wish to edit.
2. Make any changes you need to make and click the Save
button.
Associating job roles with users will be discussed in the User

Setup lesson.
Chapter 6—Roles 65
Practice
Exercises
1. Update the default schedule to change the timezone to
Eastern Standard Time.
2. Update Schedule Exceptions to include the following

corporate holidays:
New Year’s Day Thanksgiving
Presidents Day Day after Thanksgiving
Memorial Day Christmas Eve
Independence Day Christmas Day
Labor Day Boxing Day
3. Rename the schedule to US East Coast.
4. Create a US West Coast schedule to show typical work

hours from 9am-6pm with a 1 hour lunch break.
5. Add all corporate holidays, including Groundhog Day.
6. Create the following job roles:
Associate Consultant Graphic Designer
Technical Consultant Solutions Architect
7. Input Cost and Billing rates for each job role created.

Companies
SCENARIO
The next several sections will focus on setting up both
Create a Company to represent your organization. organizational components as well organizing projects.
Companies are associated with both user profiles as well as with
projects.
A company is associated with a user to help identify available

resources within an organization. Companies are associated
with Projects so that reports can be created and information
tracked. Since companies can be linked with projects, a
company and an external client often have a 1:1 relationship
for an organization. Not every organization has external
clients, so Company may not be used to track projects. Later
in this chapter, others ways projects can be organized will be
discussed.
System administrators can access Companies by going to:

Setup › Companies
To Create a New Company:

1. Access the Companies Page.
2. Select the ‘New Company’ button.

How are Companies used?
Companies are used to identify an user’s organization in AtTask. It makes it 3. Type the name of the Company.
easier to find users when they are associated with a company. Associating
users with Companies can help identify direct report relationships. 4. Update additional Company information if relevant. Like
Custom Data and Company Billing Rates.
Companies are also used for organizing projects. For example, if you
wanted to look at the projects completed for the Acme company, associating 5. Save your company.
projects with that company will allow that information to be found quickly.
Our Project Management course goes in-depth regarding updating project Users can be added during this process, it’s recommend that
information. you add users to companies via their profiles.
Chapter 6—Companies 67
Practice
Exercises
1. Create a company to represent your organization
so during user creation you can make manager-
subordinate relationships.
2. Your organization completes projects for several

companies. You want to associate an external company
with each project.
Create the following companies:
∞∞ Acme co.,
∞∞ Widgets of New York,
∞∞ XYZ, Inc.
3. Set up special contract rates for Widgets of New York &

XYZ, Inc.
Widgets of New York XYZ, Inc.
Job Role Rate Job Role Rate
Associate Consultant $40 Associate Consultant $45
Consultant $80 Consultant $90
Solutions Architect $72 Solutions Architect $81
Technical Consultant $100 Technical Consultant $113
Graphic Designer $60

User Groups
SCENARIO
The following departments will be using AtTask to manage their Groups represent a unit distinct from companies. In general,
unique projects: groups coincide with departmental divisions. Groups serve
Create these groups. primarily two purposes: to organize projects and keep
department information separate from other departments (such
∞∞ Development as templates, custom data, and projects).
∞∞ Marketing When creating a user profile, you should add that person to the
appropriate group. This gives the user abilities to access objects
∞∞ Professional Services associated with the group. For example, if you associate a new
template project with an IT group, then users who are in the IT
∞∞ Information Technology group can access that template. Users in the marketing group
will not be able to access the template.
Your organization may have several departments work together

to manage projects and the resources working on these
projects. If this is the case, it may not be necessary to divide
departments into separate groups. A few high-level groups may
suffice.
A project can only be assigned to a single group. That is not

to say users from different groups cannot work on the same
project, but only one group name can be associated with that
project. This can be thought of as the primary group responsible
for completing the project.
Chapter 6—User Groups 69

System Administrators access the Groups area by going to:
Setup › Groups
To Create a New Group:

1. Access the Groups page.
2. Click the ‘New Group’ button.
3. Provide a group name and description (Optional).
4. Save your Group.
Users can be individually added to a group. They can also be

bulk added during user creation or when editing a user’s profile.
Remember:
Group membership impacts what a person can see. Most default
access levels do not allow project collaborators to view work
items on projects associated with other groups unless they are
specifically on the project team.
Chapter 6—User Groups 70

Practice
Exercises
1. Create the following User Groups:
Development
PMO
Professional Services
Marketing Design

Portfolios
You have already learned how projects can be organized by
way of Companies and Groups. Projects can be additionally
organized with the use of Portfolios and Programs.
This lesson will show how to set up a Portfolio. Our Portfolio

and Resource Management course will go into further depth
regarding how Portfolios can be used in your organization.
An important part of Portfolio (and Program) setup is to

understand the difference between a Portfolio and Program.
What is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of projects competing for the same
resources, budget, and schedule slot. The projects in a portfolio
are similar enough that they would use the same Resource
Pool and are measured against the same scorecard. This
often means there is a 1:1 relationship between Portfolios and
Resource Pools.
General Examples of a Portfolio:

Portfolios are often grouped by product line, by division, by
department, by company, or other business units.
Chapter 6—Portfolios 72
What is a Program?
A program is essentially a subdivision of projects in a Portfolio.
Programs allow Portfolio Managers to delegate certain
responsibilities (i.e., Business Case completion, or Business
Case approvals) to Program Managers.
General Examples:
Programs are based on projects grouped by a common goal,
such as increasing customer base, product improvement, client
retention, decreasing costs, etc.
Projects in Programs are not prioritized solely against each

other; instead, the projects are optimized against all projects in
the Portfolio. It is sometimes necessary to create the Resource
Pool relationship with Programs instead of doing it at the
Portfolio level.
To Access the Portfolios area, go to Projects › Portfolios
To Create a Portfolio
1. To get to the Portfolio page, navigate to the projects area
and select the portfolio tab.
2. Select the ‘New Portfolio’ button and give the Portfolio a

name.
3. Select the Portfolio Details tab. Click Overview and ‘Edit

Overview’ to identify a Portfolio Manager.
4. Add a description, scorecard, and status of the

Portfolio.
Enabling these options will only record changes to the portfolio

definition. It will not record changes to the project in the
portfolio notes.
Fields on the Edit Portfolio page

∞∞ Name: Give your portfolio a name.
∞∞ Description: Optional but often useful.
∞∞ Portfolio Manager: Who will oversee the Portfolio?
∞∞ Scorecard: Assign a scorecard to the portfolio.
∞∞ Groups with Access: Selected Groups will be able to see

this portfolio on the Project Request.
Program Creation
Similar to Portfolios, programs can also be used to organize
projects in AtTask. Programs must be associated with a
portfolio. A Program is subcategory of a Portfolio.
To see Programs within a Portfolio go to:

Projects › Portfolios › Programs tab
To Add Programs to a Portfolio

1. Click the portfolio where you want to add the program
(Marketing).
2. Click the Programs tab.
3. Select ‘New Program’; give the program a name (Client

Retention).
4. Select the Program Details tab, Edit Overview sub tab.

Here you will assign a program manager.
5. Choose Save.
Chapter 6—Program Creation 75

Practice
Exercises
1. Create the following Portfolios:
Marketing
Professional Services
2. Create the following Programs for the IT Portfolio:
Quality Assurance
Process Improvement
Systems Stability

Chapter 7
Customizing the AtTask Interface
Objectives
∞∞ Understand Access Levels
∞∞ Create Layout Templates
77
Default Access Levels Modifying Access Levels
Name Rank Explanation
Access Levels are applied to user profiles to determine
System Administrator 99 User can have administrative access to AtTask and
what a user is able to see and do inside AtTask.
can access all functions and information. Very few
users should have this set of permissions.
As an administrator, you have the ability to create a
copy of an existing Access Level and modify a copy
Multi-Group 85 User can access all AtTask information and functions
to restrict or grant access to meet your organization’s
Administrator within any of the assigned groups.
security requirements.
Group Administrator 80 User can access all AtTask information and functions
within this user’s home group.
Portfolio Manager 65 User can access information and functionality that is

generally limited to this person’s own portfolio.
Executive 60 User can view everything, but can only edit his or her
own tasks, documents, and issues.
Project Manager 50 User can access and edit information and functions
within this person’s own projects.
Individual Contributor 25 User can access and edit information and objects that
are directly assigned to this person.
Team Member 25 User can access and edit information and objects that
are directly assigned to this person.
Timesheet User 10 User can view only limited project information. This
access level requires only a Limited-Use license.
Help Desk Requester 5 User can only submit help desk requests, and requires
only a help desk requester license.
Chapter 7—Modifying Access Levels 78

System Administrators navigate to the Access Levels area by
SCENARIO going to:
Setup › Access Levels
The implementation team has determined that the default Project
Manager access level is too strong. It gives the project managers the Access Levels can be created from scratch by clicking the New
ability to add tasks and modify task details on any project where they Access Level button. However, it is recommended you create
are a member of the project team. a copy of an existing access level and then make changes as
necessary.
You need to create a Project Owner access level that only allows a
project manager to add and edit tasks on projects where he/she is the To make a copy of an access level, decide which of the access
project owner. levels best meets the permissions for the resource.
To Create a Copy of the Project Manager Access Level

1. Navigate to the Access area.
2. Click the Project Manager access level.
3. Make a copy of the Project Manager access level; rename

it Project Owner.
4. Click Save.

Understanding the Moving Parts of Access Levels
Access Levels are defined on two tabs. The Access Level Details tab contains general access permissions that can be granted or restricted. The
Access Scopes tab identifies individual Add, Delete, Edit, and View rights for each object. Once you make a copy of an access level, you can then
make changes to it.
Definitions
Access Area Access Areas allow administrators to review the permissions for an Access Level on an object-by-object basis.
Help Article Link: https://help.attask.com/#url=/index.php/node/load/107
Access Action Combined with the Access Scope, Access Actions determines the activities a person can perform. The actions common to
most Access Areas are:
∞∞ Add
∞∞ Delete
∞∞ Edit
∞∞ View
Some Access Areas provide additional activities, such as:
∞∞ Change Status
∞∞ Custom Data
∞∞ Request
∞∞ Update
Access Scopes Combined with Access Actions; Access Scopes determine the criteria for permissions assigned.

Edit the Project Owner Access Level
SCENARIO 1. Navigate to Setup > Access Levels > New Access Level
The implementation team has determined that the default Project 2. Name it Goal Sports Project Owner.
Manager access level is too strong. It gives the project managers the
ability to add tasks and modify task details on any project where they 3. Go to the Access Scopes tab.
are member of the project team.
4. Select Task from the Access Area drop down.
Create a Project Owner access level that only allows a project manager
to add and edit tasks on projects where he/she is the project owner. 5. Change the Add, Edit, and Delete actions to the Owned
by Me Project Tasks access scope.
6. Select the Change Status and Custom Data actions to

include Project Tasks, Assigned To Me or Entered by Me
Tasks.
7. Click Save.
According to the scenario, the View action can remain on the

Home Group, Project, or Entered By Me Tasks scope. This access
scope allows users to view any project in their Home Group, any
project they are assigned to as a project team member, and any
project they created.

Group associations and project team membership impact what
SCENARIO users can see and do more than any of the other user profile
conditions.
After creating the Project Owner access level, you decide you also want
to restrict which projects users with this access level are allowed to edit. Individuals using the same access level may see different results
or totals on reports because of the groups and/or projects they
Go to the Project access area and reduce the access to edit only those belong to.
projects where they are set as the project owner.
1. Select the Goal Sports Project Owner access level you
just created.
2. Go to the Access Scopes tab and select Project.
3. Make the necessary changes and click Save.

Layout Templates
Layout Templates provide administrators with the option to
place reports directly in front of individuals.
Administrators can customize the workspace tabs on
the following pages:
∞∞ AtTask Home
∞∞ Global Areas-Projects, Requests, Reporting
∞∞ Task, Project, Issue, and Portfolio Tabs
A well-defined layout template can significantly reduce the

learning curve for the application because it streamlines click
paths and makes navigation to relevant data easier.
To Access the Layout Template page go to:

Setup › Interface › Layout Templates
To Create a Layout Template

1. Navigate to the Layout Template page.
2. Select the ‘New Layout Template’ button.
3. A Light Box will generate; name the template.
4. On the Set Details tab, set the default login Area.
5. In the Customize Tabs section, set any specific views or

reports for users.
6. Customize Lists allows you to set specific list controls for

the layout.
7. The last tab, Assign People, allows you to connect the

template to job roles, teams, or specific people.
Chapter 7—Layout Templates 83

Layout Template options
On Login
Determines the default login area for the user. For example, My
Work will take the User to the My Work area each time they log
in—this will be their home screen.
In the Global Navigation Bar

This option will allow areas to be turned off or on for a user.
By default My Work and Projects cannot be removed. Adding
Reporting will provide access to reports for users with a team
member license.
Any Personal Preferences a user sets will override layout

preferences.
Customize Tabs
A Maximum of six viewable tabs can be placed on any global
area or page setup. The default tab will be the farthest tab
option on the left. Any additional tabs will reside in the More
drop-down.
Reporting elements like dashboards can be added here. If

you add a report for Late Tasks on the Project area, by default
the report will pull the available late task information on the
selected project.

Layout Template options
Customize Lists
This section allows the customization of list controls within the
different reports. As the System Administrator, you can specify
what Views, Filters, and Groupings you want to have available
on a report type using the Layout Template. Customized
reporting elements or standard elements can be incorporated
into the template for use. Add to a menu by selecting the Add
Filter, View, or Grouping link and search for the element you
wish to incorporate.
Assign People
Layout Templates can be assigned to specific users, job roles, or
teams of people. By assigning a template to a job role or team,
any user with that classification on their profile will have the
template automatically applied to their settings.
When assigning templates, personal preferences will override

layout template settings. Any individually assigned layout will
supersede a team or Job Role layout. Job role layouts supersede
Team layouts.
It is a good idea to test new Layout Templates before distributing

them to actual resources. To do this, assign the Template to your
own user account and verify it meets the requirements for those
users.

Practice
Exercises
1. Create a Project Owner Access Level that only allows a

Project Manager to add and edit tasks on projects where
he/she is the project owner.
2. Navigate to the Layout templates section and create a

new Layout Template. Call It ‘Project Managers’. Locate
the ‘customize Tabs’ and on a ‘project’ remove the
documents and risks tabs. Add the Approvals Tab.
Navigate to the Customize Lists tab and hide the “Over Cost
Budget” filter.
3. Assign the new layout template to Jennifer Campbell

and observe the changes.

Chapter 8 User Setup
Objectives
∞∞ Add users to the system
∞∞ Incorporate the building blocks to develop

user profiles
∞∞ Develop Teams for work management
∞∞ Discuss Personal Notifications
87
Importing Users and Adding
SCENARIO
User Accounts
The Development group needs to add a scrum team with four individuals that
do not have user accounts.
User Names Email/Username Access Level Group Creating user accounts is easy. When users are created, a
System Administrator can invite them to join AtTask (they
Adam Michaelson am.test@attask.edu# Project Manager Development
create their own password) or set them up with a password.
Jason Waters jw.test@attask.edu# Team Member Development
Jesse Dowdle jd.test@attask.edu# Team Member Development To Access where people are added navigate to People › People
Sean Stephenson ss.test@attask.edu# Team Member Development
To Import Users
Additional requirements for these user accounts will be provided in the 1. Navigate to the People page.
subsequent lessons.
2. Select the ‘New Person’ icon.
3. Choose Import People.
4. In the light box, download the Sample File. (This is a

binary file and will open in excel).
5. Update First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and

Access Level for each user.
6. Upload the updated file.
7. Utilize Bulk Edit to update the important details of a

user’s profile including group, job role, and schedule
information.
8. When users are imported, you will be asked to invite

users with an email or choose to manually set their
passwords in the system.
You will need to set up invitation details for users.
Chapter 8—Importing Users and Adding User Accounts 88

Invitations
AtTask creates user profiles for each person inputted into the
form and sends an invitation to those individuals.
The specifics of the invitations are determined in the Setup

area.
System Administrators can manage the invitations at Setup ›

Email › Invitations
The image shows what the preference page looks like.

Organizations can set the number of days the invitation
is active and set the details of the welcoming email sent
recipients.
In addition to establishing preferences for invitations, System

Administrators will see a preview of the AtTask and Help Desk
Invitations.

Creating Individual Users using a template
Users can be created on an individual basis. A user can be
created from another user’s profile. This method essentially
uses the selected person’s profile as a template for new users.
To Create a New User with a Template

1. Navigate to People › People
2. Select the user who will serve as the template, mark the
check-box next to the name.
3. Using the ‘New Person’ button, select ‘New From

Selected Person’.
4. In the light box, provide the new user name.
5. Notice that their profile details are replicated based on

the selected user. The user can be invited to by email to
register.
6. Make sure to select the ‘Add This Person’ button.

Adding Individual Users
So far, we’ve covered how to add users by importing them and
using current users to serve as a template for profiles. System
Administrators may find that establishing a user profile from
scratch is necessary.
To Create a New User

1. Navigate to People › People
2. Click the ‘New Person’ button. A light box appears.
3. In the light box, provide the new user name, email and
access level.
4. The user can be invited to by email to register.
5. Make sure to select the ‘Add This Person’ button.
Advanced Options will provide all of the specific profile details

allowing you to designate a job role, group, or schedule, etc. Do
not forget to set these fields for the user.

Practice
Exercises
1. Navigate to the People tab and add six new employees:
Adam Michaelson
Jason Waters
Jesse Dowdle
Sean Stephenson
Natalie Johnson
Paul Hancock
2. All new users should be assigned the Team Member

Access Level and all should be assigned to the
Development Group.
3. Provide each new user with a unique AtTask email

address. Suggested email @GoalSports.com

Updating User Profiles: In-line & Bulk Edit
SCENARIO There are several ways a user’s profile can be edited on
the People page.
The Development users you imported in the last lesson
require the following Access Level and Company In-line editing, is an option available throughout AtTask,
associations, which can be done through the User allowing for quick updates to viewable information.
Worksheet. While modifying specific users on an individual basis is
helpful, it can also be very time consuming.
User Names Access Level Company
Adam Michaelson Project Manager Goal Sports However, several users can be edited at the same time
Jason Waters Team Member Goal Sports through Bulk Editing. Bulk Editing is the same as editing
Jesse Dowdle Individual Contributor Goal Sports an individual user, except multiple users are updated at a
Sean Stephenson Team Member Goal Sports single time.
Bulk Editing is ideal for making multiple updates to

several users.
To Bulk Edit Users

1. Navigate to People › People.
2. Select the check boxes to the left of the user.
3. Select the ‘Edit’ button.
4. Marking the check-box to the left of a field

activates the field. Only active fields can be
modified. These fields are included in the edit
when you click Save.
5. Make the necessary changes and click the Save

button.
To modify Custom Data fields, change them on the

Custom Data form.

Updating User Profiles: Individual Edit
SCENARIO It is usually not necessary to use the multi-user edit options
when modifying a single user profile.
Ray Andrews is part of the IT group and works primarily on
his group’s projects. Ray’s job role is also incorrect. Change his Additionally, certain user attributes are easier to modify in an
job role to Engineer and change his home team assignment to individual edit. In this lesson, you will learn how to navigate to
Infrastructure. and modify a user profile.
To Update Ray’s Profile

1. Use the quick search field in the top right of the interface
to search for Ray Andrews.
2. Click on Ray’s name in the search results.
3. Select ‘Edit Ray’s Info’ from the information

header.
4. Go to the Organization section.
5. Change Ray’s home team association.
6. Modify Ray’s default job role.
7. Update Ray’s time zone to Pacific Standard Time.
8. Expand the Schedule field and select the US West Coast

schedule.
9. Click Save.
When a person is given a default job role, the job role is also
assigned as one of the selected options in the Job Roles field,
which shows all job roles the individual can fulfill. In Ray’s case
he shouldn’t have been assigned as a Support Engineer, so he
needs this option to be deselected in the Job Roles field.

Practice
Exercises
1. Do a Bulk Edit on the following individuals:
Adam Michaelson
Jason Waters
Jesse Dowdle
2. Change their Access Level to Project Manager and

assign the ‘Project Manager’ Layout Template.
3. Update their Primary Role to Project manager.

Email Notifications
SCENARIO
Go into your user profile and deactivate the following notifications: Each user has the option to unsubscribe from AtTask generated
emails, particularly Event Handlers. Unsubscribing from emails
∞∞ The status changes on my request is done in the My Settings on a user profile.
∞∞ The status changes on one of my work items To Update Your Email Notifications Preferences
1. Click your avatar in the Global Navigation Bar.
∞∞ I get a new work request
2. Select My Settings.
∞∞ A Document upload request is fulfilled
3. Navigate to the Preferences Section.
4. Using the ‘Email Me When’ drop-down, unselect the

identified notifications.
5. Click Save.
Additional notifications are automatically added to the ‘Email

Me When…’ list and enabled when System Administrators
enable Event Notifications. See the section on Event
Notifications for more information about these items.
Some notifications are redundant. However, do not spend too

much time making sure redundant emails are accounted for.
When redundant notifications could be issued, AtTask is smart
enough to only send one.
Chapter 8—Email Notifications 96

Teams
SCENARIO
Teams are a collection of individuals that work together.
Project mangers in the Development and Marketing groups are not The individuals on a team may have different job roles or
required to review resource availability before making specific user responsibilities. However, because they work closely together,
assignments. To simplify and streamline the project manager’s planning their goals are intertwined.
activities, team assignments should be made in the Gantt Chart instead
of role-based or user-based assignments. The purpose of teams in AtTask is to allow project managers
to quickly assign work. Through in-line editing or other tools,
According to the requirements you identified, you need the following project managers can assign task and issue work to the team.
teams: Members of the team see these work requests on the Team
Requests page and can then volunteer to take on the work.
Development Teams Marketing Teams

This generally works well in cultures where individuals have a
Product Management Creative strong sense of ownership for their work and where the skill set
required to do the work is universally shared among all Team
∞∞ Dave Parker ∞∞ Elizabeth Powell
members.
∞∞ Paul Turner ∞∞ Ken Sato

Teams also allow other users (non-project mangers) to request
work from other teams. This is especially useful when you are
∞∞ Jona Matsu ∞∞ Marci Watson
not completely sure of whom to assign, but you know it will be
Quality Assurance Events
someone from the Team.
∞∞ Marshall Thompson ∞∞ Anita Jordan

Try not to confuse Teams with Project Teams. A Project Team
consists of all individuals who are assigned to the project.
∞∞ Ray Andrews ∞∞ Carlos Rodriguez
Where as a Team is assigned work, perhaps on a task in a
project or on an issue.
∞∞ Jennifer Campbell
Scrum Team 1 Lead Generation
∞∞ Erin Davis ∞∞ Jack Oliver
∞∞ Kim Louis ∞∞ Marc Lewis
∞∞ Pam Reynolds
Chapter 8—Teams 97
Teams
SCENARIO
To navigate to the Teams Area go to People › Teams
The following departments will be using AtTask to manage their unique
projects: To Create a Team
1. Navigate to the Teams Page.
∞∞ Development
2. Select the ‘New Team’ Button.
∞∞ Marketing
3. Identify a Team Name.
∞∞ Professional Services
Review the groups already created in your demo accounts of AtTask 4. Identify team members.
and add the missing groups.
5. Provide a description (Optional).
6. Select ‘Create Team’.
It is strongly recommended to discuss your organization’s

team needs with all stakeholders before creating teams.
Team Settings
Once teams are defined, team settings help define the team
home and work flow to meet the work process.
To access the Team Settings go to:

People › Teams › Selected Team › Team Settings
Views
The structure of the My Work and the Requests areas can be
customized to reflect information important to users.
To Create a Custom View go to Setup › Interface › Views

Here System Administrators can set a unique view for these
areas. When adjusting Team Settings the custom view will be
found available in the View drop down.
Done Button
The Done button allows System Administrators to control
which status options appear when a Team Member finishes a
task.
A System Administrator can customize these options to

display only those that best fit within an organization’s
structure. These selections are made individually for the task
object and the different issue types.
To Alter the Done Button

1. Navigate to the Team Home page.
2. Select ‘Team Settings’.
3. Go to the Done Button section.
4. From the list below, select the status you want to appear
when your team members finish a task. You may select
more than one option if you want a variety of statuses
to apply to a finished task or issue. Be sure to save your
changes.
Chapter 8—Done Button 100

Chapter 9 Request Queues and
Internal Support Systems
Objectives
∞∞ Establish Request Queues for both issue and

service support
∞∞ Establish Automatic Request Routing
101
Issue Management Overview
Your organization’s implementation plan for AtTask should
include strategies for providing internal support to your user-
base.
These support options can include documentation, training

seminars/workshops, video tutorials, and an AtTask help desk.
This chapter suggests one way that an internal support system
can be implemented within the application.
Requests are used in two ways. To either represent obstacles

to completing project-related work (Issue) or to represent a
request to a service queue.
Issues Submitted to Projects:

Managing issues along side the tasks allows Project Managers
to see a consolidated snap shot of the work and priorities.
Project Managers would triage new issues and assign them out
to the person most capable of resolving the impediment.
Request Submitted to services Queues:

Service queues can be very useful for internal support systems.
Examples of service queues may include a traditional IT Help
Desk, a bugs queue in a development environment, or an
internal support system, like Marketing Requests.
Request Queues can be defined as public, where they are open

to all AtTask users; or private, where just certain users are
allowed to submit issues. The Request form can be customized
for the information needed to manage requests, then route the
request to a single person or group of people.
Chapter 9—Issue Management Overview 102

Request Queues
The Requests area in AtTask is a central place where various
issues and requests are collected and managed.
For instance, many companies have a system or a help desk

where employees can submit computer related problems and
requests to IT personnel. Once an issue is submitted, an IT
person can review the issue and make an appropriate decision.
In the scenario below, you will record a request to the

Infrastructure Request Queue, identifying a problem with your
telephone connection.
To Record an Issue to a Service Queue

1. Navigate to the Requests Area.
2. Select the ‘New Requests’ button.
3. Select a request type from the drop down.
4. Name the request and input the values you need.
5. Click the ‘Submit Request’ button to send the request.
Chapter 9—Request Queues 103

Queue Properties
SCENARIO
In AtTask, a Request Queue is a project designated as a
Your users need a place to submit issues, requests, and questions about receptacle. A benefit of utilizing request queues is once a
AtTask. Create a queue called AtTask Help where end users in your Request Queue is published, users can submit issues or requests
environment can submit support and change requests for AtTask. without actually accessing the project. When you set a project
as a queue, you indicate that the project will be published to the
Request area and that is where information is submitted.
You can set up any kind of queue you want. Many organizations
have multiple queues to meet their particular needs. These
queues are internal and specific to your organization. Do not
confuse the Request feature with AtTask Support.
Chapter 9—Queue Properties 104

To Create an AtTask Request Queue
1. Go to the Projects page, selected the ‘New Project’
button (Don’t use a template).
2. Provide a name for the project (AtTask Help).
3. Navigate to the More drop-down and select the queue

setup option.
4. Using the tab Queue Setup, select ‘Publish Request

Queue’.
5. Set the viewing privileges to Public.
6. Navigate to the Queue Properties tab.
7. Identify the types of issues you will record (Issue,

Request, and Change Order).
8. Input the amount of time you expect requests to take to

resolve in the Default Duration field.
9. In the New Issue Fields section, identify the fields you
want displayed on the Request Form page.
10. Change the ‘Show All Fields’ option to ‘No Users’.
11. Click Save.

Queue Details
Queue Types
Publish as Help Desk: Selecting this option makes the Request
Queue Active.
Who can add requests to this queue?

∞∞ Anyone This is a default option. When this option is
selected, the queue will be open to all users to submit
requests.
∞∞ Project Team Members When this option is selected,

only individuals (Team Members) on the project will be
able to submit requests to the queue.
∞∞ People in this project’s company When this option is

selected, only users associated with the company and
the assigned to the project can see it on the Request
page.
∞∞ People in this project’s group (Default Group) When this

option is selected, the project is published as a request
queue; however, only users associated with the group
the project is assigned to can see it on the Help Desk
page.
The group on the project must match one of the groups

assigned to the user.

Queue Properties
Types of Issues
One or more issue types can be chosen. The ‘Issue’ type
is selected by default. Other options include: Bug Report,
Request, or Change Order. When multiple types are selected,
users can pick one of these issue types when submitting an
issue. The labels for these issue types can be modified when
creating custom issue statuses.
Default Duration
The default duration for incoming issues is set.
Default Form
Choose a custom data form to be attached to all requests
submitted to the queue. Use this if custom information needs
to be entered. If no issue form exists then the default form will
not appear on the request form.
New Issue Fields

Choose from any of the 12 fields to appear on the New Issue
form. Description, Priority, and Document Upload are selected
by default.
Show All Fields

Choose which users can see all 12 issue fields when they create
a new issue. You have three choices:
∞∞ Members on the project (Full License)- only those

associated with project will see all the fields
∞∞ All Users (Full License)- any one with full license
∞∞ No Users- will only see the selected fields
Selecting the No Users option does not allow any user to see
non-selected fields.

Routing Rules and Queue
SCENARIO
Topics
Create the following Routing Rules and Queue Topics to support an
internal AtTask Help queue. Routing Rules and Queue Topics allow for the automatic
assignment of new requests to a specific user, job role, or team
based on the Topic selected on the Request form. Routing rules
Topic User Assignment Route Role Assignment Route
work together with queue topics.
Access Level Change Admin User

Routing rules control what AtTask does with the Request (assign
to a user resource or job role, and/or move the to a different
General Support Project Manager
project) when a Topic is selected on the form. Topics are used
to control which category (or custom data form) and which
Process Change Project Manager
routing rule will be applied to the new request.
Report Request Jennifer Campbell
Because a routing rule is assigned to a queue topic, it is
System Settings Chris Manning customary to create a list of rules before creating the topics.
Therefore, it is suggested to write down topics and rules on
paper before attempting to configure this part of a project. The
following table is one example of how routing rules and queue
topics might be organized.
When multiple Topics are routed to the same person or job role,
the Routing Rule only needs to be created once for the project.
Chapter 9—Routing Rules and Queue Topics 108

Routing Rules
SCENARIO
To Create a Routing Rule
Follow the steps to create the other Routing Rules for Jennifer Campbell and 1. Go to Request Queue project.
Chris Manning.
2. Select the Queue Setup Tab.
Name
It is recommend you provide a clear name so others who use the routing rule 3. Select the Routing Rules sub-tab, New Routing Rule
will know what it does. It is a good idea to identify it by the Assignee or the button.
Topic where it will eventually be added.
4. Input ‘Route to Admin User’ in the Name field.
Description
Give the rule a description, if needed. 5. Select the Admin User from the Default Assignee drop-
down.
Default Assignee
From the Default Assignee, choose the name of the user you want to assign 6. Click Save.
the incoming issues. If you do not see the person you want to assign, use the
search icon to find a user. It is recommended to provide a clear name for rules, so others
who look at the routing rule will know what it does. It is a good
Default Team idea to identify it by the Assignee or the Topic it will eventually
You can make team assignments for new requests by selecting a default team be added to.
in the Default Team field.
Route to Project
Usually if an issue is submitted to a help desk, you want that issue to be
routed to the Help Desk project. Therefore, from the Route to Project drop-
down, you select that project; however, it is possible to route the issue to
some other project using this drop-down menu.
Chapter 9—Routing Rules 109

Queue Topics
SCENARIO
Follow the steps o create the other Queue Topics for the scenario Queue Topics are used to designate which route to use on the
listed on pg 108. new issue form. Topics can be used for reporting purposes.
Name and Description For example, an IT request queue is created, and users need to
Enter a name for the topic. This is a required field. Enter a description indicate if it’s a software-related problem or hardware-related
to explain whom accessed this area and what the topic is meant to problem, create queue topics called Software Problems and
do. Hardware Problems. When a user submits an issue, they select
one of these topics. Based on the topic chosen, the form will
Default Category display different custom data and issue types, and the new
This will add custom data fields to your queue topic. This category issue will be assigned different duration and routing rules.
and its parameters must be set up before the topic is defined.
To Create the Access Level Change Queue Topic
Parent Topic 1. Navigate to the Request Queue project.
Your queue topics can be hierarchical. If you already have topics in
the system, and you want to make this queue topic a subtopic to one 2. Select the Queue Setup Tab.
of those topics, you can do so with the Parent Topic menu.
3. Select the Queue Topic sub tab, ‘New Queue Topic’
Default Duration button.
The Default Duration sets an automatic duration period for each
incoming issue. 4. Input a Name for the topic (Access Level Change). This
is the value displayed in the Topic drop down on the
Default Route New Issue form.
The Default Route comes from routing rules that have been set up
earlier, as you did in the previous section. 5. No categories have been created to support this queue
yet, so leave the Default Category value as ‘N/A’.
Issue Types
Choose one or more issue types for the topic. The Issues option is 6. Input an appropriate duration for this type of request in
selected by default. You can also choose Bug Report, Request, or to the Default Duration field.
Change Order.
7. Select the appropriate Routing Rule for the Default
Route drop-down.
8. De-select the Issue and Request issue types.
9. Click the Save button.
Chapter 9—Queue Topics 110

Practice
Exercises
1. Create a Request Queue called ‘Marketing Requests’.
∞∞ Allow all users in the system to submit requests to this

queue.
∞∞ Allow users to submit Requests or Issues.
∞∞ Set the Default Duration to 2 days.
∞∞ Add Severity and Status to the new issue fields.
∞∞ Save and Submit a Request to Order New Business Cards.
2. Create two Routing Rules. One to route all Service

Requests directly to Marci Watson and a second to route
all Feature Requests directly to the Product Marketing
Team.
3. Create two Queue Topics. Name the first Service

Requests and add the Service Request custom form
and route it to Marci Watson. Call the second Feature
Requests, add the Feature Request custom form and
route it to the Product Marketing Team.

Chapter 10 Consistency
Objectives
∞∞ Create an Approval Process
∞∞ Attach an Approval Process
∞∞ Utilize List controls
∞∞ Utilize Global Reports
112
Approval Processes
While each task is integral for project completion, certain tasks
may become more important than others and hinder progress
on the project until the task is completed properly.
AtTask provides the ability to attach Approval Processes to

critical tasks that require approval from a manager or colleague.
Approval Processes are made up of a number of individual

Approval Paths, each corresponding to a status option in your
account. Approval Paths are made up of Approval Steps, and the
sequence of Approval Steps determines the order each step’s
designated approver(s) will be prompted for their input.
Throughout this chapter, you will be provided with several

examples of Approval Processes used to meet common business
objectives.
Chapter 10—Approval Processes 113

Creating new Approval
Processes
Administrators (users with System Administrator, Multi-Group
Administrator, or Group Administrator access levels) have the
ability to create global Approval Processes that may be utilized
by portfolio owners as projects are defined and by project
managers as new tasks or issues are created.
To create a new Global Approval Process go to

Setup › Process › Approvals
As with other configuration options, organizations should

decide what Approval Processes are needed before doing any
configuration steps. System Administrators can create global
Project, Task and Issue approvals.
The process for creating a global approval is the same as

creating an approval on a work item. This topic will focus on
creating them at the global level.
Approvals Settings
When establishing global approvals, System Administrators
can choose to add time to a work item’s planned duration to
account for the approval process.
In addition, Admins can require that an approver be on the

project team.
To access global approval settings go to:

Processes > Approvals > Settings

Object Type # Process Description Purpose Table of Sample Approval Requirements
Project 1 The two issue Approval Processes could be combined as
Project Approval by Utilizes multiple Approval
unique steps on a single Approval Path. The QA representative
the Portfolio Manager Paths and Approval Steps
can then review a completed issue and then the originator
on Completion of the to create staged approvals
provides a final check.
Business Case, and by the as a project progresses
Portfolio Manager and through the project life
Project Sponsor when cycle.
the Status is Changed
to Current, and by the
Project Owner when
the Status is Changed to
Complete and then by the
Project Sponsor. Issue 3 Issue Approval by the Issue Can be used along with
Issue 2 Primary Contact on Issue the AtTask Help Desk
Issue Approval by the QA Ideal when AtTask is used Closed, Resolved, Will not so the originator of an
Engineer on Issue Closed/ in a software development Resolve, and Cannot Duplicate. issue can verify the issue
Resolved. environment and the is completed to their
QA department relies on satisfaction.
the AtTask Help Desk to Task 4
track issues and requests. Approval of Document Creation Provides a solution to allow
This process can easily Tasks on Task Completion by the document approval. When
be adapted to any other Project Manager. a document is attached
industry where the Help to a task, project, or issue
Desk is utilized. with an Approval Process,
then you might assume
the approval or rejection is
based on the contents of
the document.
Task 5
Task Approval by the Assigned Allows a resource’s
Resource’s Manager on Task functional (organizational
Start, and by the Project chart) manager to
Manager on Task Completion. approve the work his/her
resources complete, and
then through a separate
Approval Path, allows the
project owner to verify
satisfactory completion.
To Define a Multi-Part, Multi-Step Project Approval Processes
SCENARIO
Create a new Project Approval Process that satisfies the requirements of 1. Go to Setup › Processes › Approvals
Process 1 in the Table of Approval Requirements. The Approval Process
will allow the assigned manager an opportunity to approve the work 2. Click the Project Approvals Tab, then the ‘New Approval
when the status of the project changes. Process’ button.
3. Name and describe the Approval Process. Click ‘New

Approval Path’.
4. Select ‘Requested’ from the Status drop-down.
5. Choose the ‘User’ option from the Approval Type drop-

down.
6. Under Approvers, type Jennifer Campbell.
7. Click ‘Add Approver’. From the second Approvers drop-

down, select the Project Sponsor option.
8. Set the radio button on the right to the ‘All Approvers’

option.
9. Select ‘New Approval Path’ and then choose ‘Current’

from Target Status drop-down. Select the User option
from the Approval Type drop down.

10. From the Approvers drop-down, select Portfolio Owner.
11. Click the ‘New Approval Path’ button.
12. Choose the Complete option from the Target Status drop-

down.  
13. Select the User option from the Approval Type drop-down.
14. From the Approvers drop-down, choose the Project Owner

option.
15. Click on the ‘Add Approval Step’ button. 
16. Select the User option from the Approval Type drop-down.
17. From the Approvers drop-down, choose the Project

Sponsor option.
18. Save the Approval Process.
At any point a specific user may be chosen instead of the

‘wildcard’ options. However, only do this if it is always going
to be the same person performing the approval on all projects
using this Approval Process.
If a Project Owner, Project Sponsor, Portfolio Owner, etc. has

not been assigned, or if a Portfolio and/or Program has not
been assigned to the project, then the ‘wildcards’ will indicate
no user is available to approve the task, project, or issue. If this
is the case, Project Managers will have unnecessary delays
on a project, so either make the appropriate Project Owner,
Project Sponsor, or Portfolio Owner assignment, or change the
approval to utilize a specific, named resource.

Attaching Approval Processes
SCENARIO
Because attaching a pre-defined Approval Process is identical
The Cruzer Web Site project (and others) need approvals as different at the project, task, and issue levels, this section will only
statuses are achieved. Attach the approval process you created in the outline how this is done on a project.
previous section to the Cruzer Web Site project.
Approval Processes are typically defined globally or attached
to templates so tasks on projects will follow the same approval
work-flow regardless of the project. This definition also
ensures the correct people approve projects moving through
the project life cycle. Issue approvals are treated in the same
manner.
To Attach an Approval Process to a Project

1. Navigate to the Cruzer Web Site.
2. Select the Approvals tab.
3. Click the ’Use an Existing Approval Process’ button.
4. Select the ‘Standard Project Approval’ process (or

whatever you named your approval process).
5. Click the Save button.

The Approval Process has now been attached to the project and
will become active once the task status is changed to complete.
Users who have access to assign Approval Processes also have

the ability to create ad hoc Approval Processes to manage
the one-off approval needs. This is done by navigating to the
Approvals tab and clicking the Create a Single-Use Approval
Process button. The remaining steps in this activity are
identical to those used to create a global Approval Process.
Single-use processes will not appear in the global list of approval

processes. The single-use process cannot be reused unless it is
part of a template or template task definition.
If you select an existing approval process first and click

Submit to save the preference, you can then select the Create a
Single-Use Approval Process button to make deviations to the
predefined process. If changes to the process need to be made
the modifications need to occur before any of the approval steps
become active.

Viewing Approval Details
SCENARIO
When updating a task with an Approval Process, a change in
The Cruzer Web Site project (and others) need approvals as different the status options will occur. Each status option will appear
statuses are achieved. Attach the approval process you created in the with the ‘ – Pending Approval’ notation to indicate the status
previous section to the Cruzer Web Site project. cannot progress to the selected state until an approval is
provided.
Users can tell when an approval process has been attached to

an object because the approval indicator becomes illuminated.
Users can review the entire Approval Process attached to a task

by going to the Approvals tab through the More menu.
Chapter 10—Viewing Approval Details 120

Best Practices for
Approvals
At the project and issue levels, approvals may be necessary

on initiation of the project request or at issue creation. This
standard Approval Process should be associated with each
template in your account.
As projects are created from templates, the Approval Process

will be set, allowing the process to take effect from the Idea
status on.
The Queue Properties tab for each project provides a Default

Approval field. This will automatically attach a predefined
Approval Process to each issue recorded on the request queue.
The Default Approval field is also available on Queue Topics.

Therefore, each type of issue recorded on the project or queue
can have a different Approval Process.
For consistency, define the Default Approval at the template

level so each project’s Queue Properties and Topics are
identical throughout the system. Defining the Queue
Properties and Queue Topics are discussed in detail in this
course.
Chapter 10—Best Practices for Approvals 121

Reviewing Items Awaiting
Your Approval
After defining an approval task, the approval process launches
upon completion of the task.
Then the status of the task is set to Complete - Pending

Approval by the assigned resource, and the task will not be
marked as Complete until the designated approver(s) have
reviewed and approved the task.
Users set as approvers will want to regularly review the ‘Items I

Need to Approve’ report in the My Approvals area or have this
report placed on a Dashboard or Portal Profile tab. This report
displays all projects, tasks, and issues with an active Approval
Step where you are an approver.
Chapter 10—Reviewing Items Awaiting Your Approval 122

Items I Need to Approve
The ‘Items I Need to Approve’ report provides a comprehensive
list of all projects, tasks, and issues awaiting your feedback.
To Approve an Item
1. From the My Work page, select the Approvals tab.
2. Click on the project/task/issue name you wish to

approve or reject to review the item.
3. The item can be approved directly from the Approvals

tab.
4. Click Save.
If approval of a task is rejected, AtTask will create an issue

on the task, revert it back to the previous status, or revert to
another status identified in the Approval Path.
If an issue is created, the issue will be assigned to the default

resource on the task. The task status will change to ‘Complete
Pending Issues’.
Once the issue is resolved, the task will appear in the

approver’s ‘My Approvals’ report again.

Items I Submitted for Approval
The ‘Items I Submitted for Approval’ report displays all the
projects, tasks, and issues with an active approval step where
the logged in user is the individual who initiated the step.
Notice the Recall action icon. After selecting the item(s)

submitted for approval, click the Recall icon to return an item
back to its previous status.

Practice
Exercises
1. Create a new project approval process that satisfies the
following requirements:
Requirement
When a project moves into the Requested status, the Project

Sponsor must approve.
When a project moves into the Current status, the Project

Sponsor & Project Owner must approve.
When the project moves into a Complete status, the Program

Owner must approve then the Project Sponsor must approve.
2. Attach the Project approval process you just created to

the Cruzer Website Project.

Global Reports and List
Controls
The purpose of this lesson is to identify methods for delivering
the right information to the right people. As an administrator,
you will do this by distributing reports and/or reporting
elements.
Report: A report is the combination of a view and filter (and

sometimes a grouping) saved for future use and can be
distributed to other individuals.
Reporting Element: Reporting elements are the building blocks

of reports. They include: Views, Filters, and Groupings.
View: A view usually refers to the columns that appear across

the top of a list of records. It can also refer to the chart displayed
for a report.
Filter: The filter controls the results included in a report.
Grouping: Groupings are the horizontal dividers used to

organize results based on common criteria. Groupings are also
used to determine the axes of Matrix reports and the axes of
aggregate chart reports.
Once a report or reporting element is created the next step is to

distribute them to others.
Chapter 10—Global Reports and List Controls 126

Shared Reports
SCENARIO
While each person has the ability to search for and review the
Add the Project Milestones report created by the Administrator User to contents of any report, keep in mind their access rights will
the Global List so all resources have access to the report. control which results will appear on the report.
It is best to distribute high traffic reports to the general public.

This is done by sharing reports company-wide. After a report
is shared company-wide, the report will appear on the All
Reports tab in the Reports area.
The ability to share reports company-wide is dependent on the

user’s access level.
To Share a Report Company-Wide and a Report to the Global

List
1. Navigate to the Reporting Area in the Global Navigation
bar.
2. Select the report you want to share.
3. Click Report Actions, then select ‘Share’.
4. Select the Company-wide option and then click ‘Share

this Report’.
Everyone in your company can now see this report.
Chapter 10—Shared Reports 127

List Controls
SCENARIO
After some discovery and interviews with stakeholders throughout the The List Controls determine which filters, views, and
organization, you have found that people in different departments and groupings are displayed in the corresponding drop-downs at
roles have very different reporting requirements. the top of each report.
Team members think there are too many options in the view and filter The List Controls area gives the System Administrator, the
drop downs for task reports. Their managers want additional views and option to share reporting elements you may have created with
filters in their list menus. other resources in the system.
The following table shows the results of your findings for the Task object There are two levels of list controls. Use the List Controls to
and only two of your many implementation roles. determine which reporting elements should be common to all
users.
Admins can also use Layout Templates to distribute specific

report elements to subsets of users.
Chapter 10—List Controls 128

List Controls
Modify the Global List Controls to distribute the common
reporting elements.
A System Administrator can access and modify the global List

Controls by going to Setup › Interface Setup › List Controls
To Set the Common Task-Level Reporting Elements

1. Go to the List Controls screen.
2. Select the Task option from the Object Type  drop-

down.
3. Click the Delete icon for each reporting element you

want to eliminate from the list controls.
4. Choose the ‘Add icon’ to search for any reports to add to

the global List Controls.
5. Select the report to add and then click Save.
6. Selected reports appear on the List Controls.
7. Click the Save button on the List Controls screen – the

filters, views, and groupings will be distributed to all
other users in the system.
Chapter 10—List Controls 129

Custom Forms
Custom Forms allow fields and information otherwise not
included to be added to AtTask. Organizations have the
freedom to customize AtTask.
A System Administrator can access and modify the custom

field area by going to Setup › Custom Forms
To Create a New Custom Form
1. Click the ‘New Custom Form’ button.
2. Select the object type where the custom form will be

applied. Custom Forms can be added to Projects, Tasks,
Issues, Documents, Portfolios, Expenses, Programs,
and People. When a form is applied to a record, the sub-
tab is relabeled from “Custom Form” to the name of the
form you selected.
3. Select existing custom fields to add to your form. Or

create and add a new field, from the form builder.
4. Click Save when finished.
Chapter 10—Custom Forms 130

Terms Purpose Existing custom fields can be added to newly created forms.
Form Provides additional fields not Just search for them in the field library and drag them onto the
originally included in AtTask form preview on the right.
Field A customized field where you enter
and view information on the form. A warning will show when a field is used on other forms,
Section Break A section heading or divider on indicating that a change to the field settings will change the
the form. Helps you group and field on all forms.
organize the various fields.
Creating a new field right on the form is simple as well. Just
Custom Form Allows users to enter information
choose the type of field and drag it over to the form.
not otherwise included in AtTask.
Field settings and options can be modified when selecting a

field in the form. Users can add choices, make a field required,
set data type, and add instructions that appear as tool tips.
Organize the fields on the form with section breaks and by

dragging the fields into position. By dragging a field to the
right of another, can add fields to share the same row.
In order to create forms users must have edit rights to all

custom form fields (parameters).

Custom Form Fields
There are a variety of different fields that can be used on a
custom form, like check-boxes (multi-select), Radio-buttons,
dates, drop-downs, or blank text fields. One option in
particular will allow users to take information from AtTask and
calculate their own information based on data that already
exists; this option is called Calculated.
Calculated Custom data involves taking expressions and using

them to produce the values users would like to see, like profit.
Profit is a calculated custom field that takes the value difference
between Revenue and Costs.
When using Calculated Custom data, users can work with

mathematical, date & time, and text (example: search) options
to produce the information they would like to see on a Custom
Form. Visit help.attask.com to learn more about the different
expressions available to use when working with Calculated
Custom Data.
To create a Calculated Custom data field: (Example: Profit)

1. Open (or Create) a Custom Form.
2. Select the Calculated field.
3. Name the field.
4. Double click on the desired expression, ‘Sum’.
5. Select the desired field, Revenue
6. Add any mathematical signs (-).
7. Double click on Costs.
8. Save Custom Form and Apply to objects.

Practice
Exercises
1. Add the Project Milestones report to the Global List so all
resources have access to this report.
2. After adding the Project Milestones report to the

Global List, go back and share the report with only
Chris Manning, Anita Jordan, Jenna Nunez, and Pam
Reynolds.
3. Project Managers need four custom fields on the Project

level to help them track and manage their projects.
Use the following characteristics to create the Custom Form:
Field Name Field Type Data Type Options
Capital Budget Text Field Currency None
Non-Capital Budget Text Field Currency None
Is Capital Expense Radio Buttons Text No
Yes
Market Check-box Text Asia Pacific,

EMEA, North
America & South
America.

Chapter 11 AtTask Support & Services
Objectives
∞∞ Navigate to Community Site
∞∞ Find additional AtTask Services
134
AtTask Community
community.attask.com
Have a question? Visit AtTask community for help articles, on-

demand learning courses, register for AtTask courses, attend free
webinars, or schedule post-implementation consulting services.
sign-up for the AtTask community*

1. GO TO THE COMMUNITY PAGE. community.attask.com
2. ON DEMAND USERS: SIGN IN USING YOUR EXISTING US-
ERNAME AND PASSWORD.
3. IF YOU ARE NOT ON DEMAND, CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT
BY CLICKING THE ‘ALL OTHER CUSTOMERS’ TAB, AND
SELECTING ‘CREATE NEW ACCOUNT’.
4. FILL OUT THE REQUIRED FIELDS IDENTIFIED
WITH AN ASTERISK (*).
5. CLICK THE ‘CREATE NEW ACCOUNT’ BUTTON.
6. GO TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUC-
TIONS IN THE VALIDATION EMAIL.
*Registration is required to access some community content.
COMMUNITY USER GROUPS
User groups allows clients to collaborate and communicate with

other AtTask users, read blog postings, and network with users in
the work management world.
You can join an existing group, or create a new group that others
can join.
Join a group by clicking the ‘All Groups’ tab. From the list, select
the group you wish to join. Select ‘Join Group’. View your groups
on the ‘My Groups’ tab.
Chapter 11 —AtTask Community 135

Education
Services
AtTask Education offers something for
everyone: onDemand Learning for the
busy professional, online webinars with
certified AtTask trainers, and the Pick
3 Program; tailored, to your specific
needs, and private education sessions
for your business. New AtTask users and
AtTask veterans, looking to expand their attask courses
product knowledge or needing a quick
refresher, should review the education ∞∞ AtTask Fundamentals
plan and course catalog for detailed
information about the right courses for ∞∞ Work Management
your individual needs.
∞∞ AtTask Administrator
Help Site
When you have questions, this is the first ∞∞ Reporting Essentials
place you should look for answers.
∞∞ Portfolio and Resource Management
You can access the Help Site by clicking
the Help icon in the upper righthand ∞∞ Intermediate Reporting
corner of any page in AtTask.
∞∞ Advanced Reporting
Help Site contains:
∞∞ Announcements
∞∞ Training Videos
∞∞ Help Articles
Visit us: help.attask.com
Chapter 11 —Education 136

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 11 —Education 137

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 11 —Support 138

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 11 —Consulting 139

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 11 —Customer success 140

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Course and Exercise Manual

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Printed in the United States of America.

October 2013 (rev. 201400205)

To Get the Most From This Course:

∞∞  efrain from distractions. It is best to find a quiet workspace

∞∞  ou will have opportunities to practice what has been taught in a simulated

∞∞  evelop questions to ask during the

∞∞ Identify common system requirements

Often there is more than one “right” way to configure AtTask to

If your organization is working with an AtTask consultant, you

This course is not designed to make you an expert in each facet

Chapter 1—Determining Requirements 6

There are two primary AtTask components: People and Work.

∞∞ This is not meant to illustrate a comprehensive diagram

∞∞ This is not meant to illustrate a comprehensive diagram

As you begin implementing AtTask, you can usually categorize

Chapter 1—Determining Requirements 7

∞∞ What are the strategic questions you hope to answer through

∞∞ What metrics have been established to determine the

Business Processes/Project Management

∞∞ With regards to project management, what does the ideal

∞∞ What constitutes a successful project management

∞∞ Identify current projects you will be migrating into AtTask.

∞∞ Do you have a diagram or documented work flow for each

Chapter 1—Asking the Right Questions 9

∞∞ What constitutes a successful resource management

∞∞ Please describe the desired process of how project issues

∞∞ Will you be using AtTask as a help desk or issue management

∞∞ Please describe the requirements of how you would like this

Chapter 1—Asking the Right Questions 10

∞∞ How many unique processes will be involved in the initial

∞∞ How many users will need to be trained in the initial roll

∞∞ Can you provide an organizational chart that defines the

∞∞ What dashboards are required for the Executive team to

Chapter 1—Asking the Right Questions 11

∞∞ Identify System Preferences

∞∞ Setup password and security Preferences

∞∞ Establish Email Preferences

Primary Audience Administrator

System Administrators can access and make modifications to

Chapter 2—Customer Preferences 14

2. Set the Locale to English (United States).

Chapter 2—Customer Preferences 15

System Preferences include both Security and General

To access the System Preferences area click:

All users are required to use passwords that are not a

If using LDAP or SSO, password requirements will be dictated by

When working with external users (collaboration package

Chapter 2—System Preferences 16

Chapter 2—System Preferences 17

2. Identify the settings for the following System

∞∞ Incorrect Password Timeout

Incorrect Password Timeout

Chapter 2—Practice Exercises 18

It has been decided that all system-generated emails

The Email Setup page controls:

∞∞ Outgoing Mail preference

Access the Email Setup page by going to Email › Setup

To utilize replying to comments in an email, the system admin

Chapter 2—Email Setup 19

System Email Address

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

∞∞ ou will have opportunities to practice what has been taught in a simulated

∞∞ evelop questions to ask during the

∞∞ Identify common system requirements

∞∞ Identify System Preferences

∞∞ Establish Email Preferences

∞∞ Update Timesheet Preferences