nitrc:User Guide - Tasks Administration
From NITRC Wiki
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The Task Manager is similar to the Tracker, with the following differences; it allows you to:
- Insert the start date of the item
- Insert the end date of the item
- Insert the number of hours for the item
- Assign more than one person to the item
- Track dependencies between tasks
Tasks are organized in subprojects. There are two predefined subprojects: To Do and Next Release. A member with task administration privileges can use the Tasks Admin page to create new subprojects. Task Manager allows you to create and manage tasks, or blocks of work, similar to the way projects are broken down in, for example, MS Project.
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Submitting a New Task
You may add tasks to the subprojects – for example, Write Design Doc, Review Doc, Update Doc, Write Code, Review Code, Update Code, Test, Log Test Results, etc. Tasks may be assigned to members of the team, have start and end dates set up for them, show dependencies on other tasks, indicate percentage completion, etc.
Only members with task administration privileges may insert a new task. Click the tool/resource menu "Tasks" link to get a list of available task subprojects for the tool/resource. You need to first select a subproject from the subproject list, and then click "Submit Task" at the top of the page. A form appears where you are requested to insert the following data:
Required Fields—indicated by a red asterisk (*) where you must enter data
- Category: You can select a category if categories have been set by the tool/resource administrator. "None" is selected by default.
- Percent Complete: You can select the percentage of the completion of the work. "Not Started" is selected by default.
- Priority: You can select the priority (1-lowest and 5-highest) of the task. "3" is selected by default.
- Task Summary: You must insert a brief description of the task.
- Task Details: You must insert the most detailed description possible of the task.
| Note: Special markup is allowed for task details. A WYSIWYG editor is provided to make this easier for commonly used markup, but you may directly enter the special markup in this box. To edit the source code directly, click the "BBCode" button in the WYSIWYG editor.
Special markup for task details:
|
| Note: If you choose "Quote" for the style in the WYSIWYG editor, the editor assumes a new paragraph when you press "Enter" on your keyboard and a new box is created. To stay in the same box and move to the next line, press "Shift" and "Enter" on your keyboard. |
- Estimated Hours: You must enter the estimated duration of this task in hours.
- Start Date: You can change the start date of the task. The default is the current date.
- End Date: You can change the end date of the task. The default is one week from the current date.
Optional Fields
- Assigned To: You can select one or more assignees of the task. Only members who have been granted "Tech" permissions for a task subproject can have tasks assigned to them. Only those members are listed here.
- Dependent on Task: You can select one or more tasks upon which this task depends.
When all required fields are filled, click the "Submit" button to insert the new task. If a member has been assigned to this task, an e-mail notice will be sent to that user.
Browsing Tasks
Clicking the tool/resource menu "Tasks" link shows a list of available task subprojects for the tool/resource. Click the task subproject name to display a list of tasks for that subproject. You may limit the list of tasks by specifying any of the following:
- Assignee: Any, a particular person, Unassigned.
- Status: Any, Open, Closed.
- Category: Any, a particular category, None.
You may change the order in which the tasks are displayed by changing the Sort On field. You may sort by Task Id, Task Summary, Start Date, End Date (default), and Percent Complete. You may also change between a Summary view (default) and a Detailed view. Be sure to click the "Browse" button to initiate any changes to the task list display.
Clicking on a task summary will open the Task Detail page where you can view more information about the task. Only tool/resource members with task administration privileges may make changes to or close the task.
Modifying a Task
On the Task Detail page, a member with task administration privileges can modify all the data associated with the task (see Submitting a New Task above), except for the Original Comment (Task Details). In addition, the following data can be modified:
- Subproject: This drop-down box lists the subprojects for the tool/resource. If you select a different subproject and submit the changes, the item will be reassigned to the selected subproject.
- Add a Comment: You may add any comment to clarify the original description or to describe any changes that you are making to the task fields.
| Note: Special markup is allowed for a comment. A WYSIWYG editor is provided to make this easier for commonly used markup, but you may directly enter the special markup in this box. To edit the source code directly, click the "BBCode" button in the WYSIWYG editor.
Special markup for a comment:
|
| Note: If you choose "Quote" for the style in the WYSIWYG editor, the editor assumes a new paragraph when you press "Enter" on your keyboard and a new box is created. To stay in the same box and move to the next line, press "Shift" and "Enter" on your keyboard. |
- Status: The status indicates the state of the item. When an item is inserted, it is created in the "Open" state. When you complete a task, you should change the status to "Closed."
The Task Change History on the bottom of the Task Detail page shows the changes applied to the item in chronological order with the most recent changes at the top.
When the modification is submitted, an e-mail notice is sent to the submitter of the task and the person assigned to the task. If you do not want to receive an e-mail notice for your own modifications, go to your Account Maintenance page and check "Do not send me forum, task, or tracker email notices generated by my actions."
Viewing a Gantt Chart
Clicking on the "Gantt Chart" link at the top of the page shows all the tasks for the tool/resource on a Gantt chart. A red and yellow striped bar extends from the start date to the end date of each task. Any blue band in the middle of the bar extends from the left to the right based on the percent complete value that is set on the Task Detail page. (There will be no blue band if the task is 0% complete; the blue band will stretch across half of the bar if the task is 50% complete; the blue band will stretch all the way across the bar if the task is 100% complete.)
You may limit the tasks shown by selecting an Assignee, the Status, or a Category. You may modify the look of the Gantt chart by changing the Sort On criterion, the Resolution, and the Size of the chart. Click the Browse button to update the chart with the new criteria.
Downloading Task List
Members with task administration privileges can download the tasks to a comma-separated value (csv) file. Click the "Download .csv" link at the top of the page. Depending on your browser and software configuration, you will either see the list displayed in a spreadsheet in your browser window or spreadsheet application or you will see the download dialog box. In any case, you may save the task list as a .csv file locally on your computer for future reference.
Uploading Tasks
Task data can be manipulated outside of NITRC and uploaded through the Upload CSV function. Only members with task administration privileges can upload a .csv file. Click the "Upload .csv" link at the top of the page. Use the Browse button to select the .csv file with the changes that you want to upload, and then click the Submit button to store the changes.
Make sure your .csv file follows the record layout shown below. If the layout is incorrect or required fields are missing, all records starting with the incorrect record will not be inserted/updated. It is recommended that you always start by downloading a task list to create your initial .csv file.
Required fields below marked with a red asterisk * must contain data.
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| project_task_id | Task ID; NITRC database ID (for an existing task) or blank (for a new task) |
| external_task_id | the equivalent of project_task_id but determined by external application, such as MS Project; primarily preserved for sorting purposes only |
| parent_id | Parent Task ID; project_task_id of the parent task, if any |
| external_parent_id | the equivalent of parent project_task_id but determined by external application, such as MS Project; primarily preserved for matching purposes only |
| title* | Task Summary; summary or brief description |
| duration | duration in days |
| work | Hours; number of hours required to complete |
| start_date* | Start Date in MM-DD-YYYY HH:MM:SS format |
| end_date* | End Date in MM-DD-YYYY HH:MM:SS format |
| percent_complete | Percent Complete; percentage of completion |
| priority | Priority; integers 1 (least important) to 5 (most important) |
| notes | Task Details/Comment; details of the task or a comment to add to the task |
| resource1_unixname | Assignee; unixname or precisely-matched realname of the assignee |
| resource2_unixname | Assignee; unixname or precisely-matched realname of additional assignee |
| resource3_unixname | Assignee; unixname or precisely-matched realname of additional assignee |
| resource4_unixname | Assignee; unixname or precisely-matched realname of additional assignee |
| resource5_unixname | Assignee; unixname of precisely-matched realname of additional assignee |
| dependenton1_project_task_id | Dependent on Task; NITRC project_task_id of a task that this task is dependent on |
| dependenton1_external_task_id | depentdent on task ID used by the external application |
| dependenton1_linktype | type of dependency used by external application (SS, SF, FS, FF for MS Project) |
| dependenton2_project_task_id | Dependent on Task; NITRC project_task_id of task that this task is dependent on |
| dependenton2_external_task_id | dependent on task ID used by the external application |
| dependenton2_linktype | type of dependency used by external application (SS, SF, FS, FF for MS Project) |
| dependenton3_project_task_id | Dependent on Task; NITRC project_task_id of task that this task is dependent on |
| dependenton3_external_task_id | dependent on task ID used by the external application |
| dependenton3_linktype | type of dependency used by external application (SS, SF, FS, FF for MS Project) |
| dependenton4_project_task_id | Dependent on Task; NITRC project_task_id of task that this task is dependent on |
| dependenton4_external_task_id | dependent on task ID used by the external application |
| dependenton4_linktype | type of dependency used by external application (SS, SF, FS, FF for MS Project) |
| dependenton5_project_task_id | Dependent on Task; NITRC project_task_id of task that this task is dependent on |
| dependenton5_external_task_id | dependent on task ID used by the external application |
| dependenton5_linktype | type of dependency used by external applicattion (SS, SF, FS, FF for MS Project) |
Task Reporting
The Reporting functions allow you to check the status and lifespan of the tasks. The lifespan is the duration of a task; it starts when the task is inserted (opened) in the Task Manager and ends when the task is closed. Only members with task administration privileges may access the Reporting function. From the tool/resource pages, click the "Tasks" menu link, and then click "Reporting" at the top of the page.
- Aging Report: The Aging Report shows the turnaround time for closed tasks, the number of tasks inserted, and the number of tasks still open.
- Report by Assignee: The Report by Assignee shows information on each member of the tool/resource who has assigned tasks. The information includes the number of tasks assigned to the member, the number of closed tasks, and the number of tasks still open.
- Report by Subproject: The Report by Subproject shows information on each task subproject that has assigned tasks. The information includes the total number of tasks for the subproject, the number of closed tasks, and the number of tasks still open.
Task Reminders
A user with assigned tasks may receive daily e-mail reminders of their current and outstanding tasks. Go to your Account Maintenance page and check "Receive email when you have current and outstanding tasks." You will receive an e-mail notice each weekday at 8:30 A.M. with your current and outstanding open tasks.
Tasks Admin
Tasks Admin allows a member with administration privileges to add new task subprojects and edit existing task subprojects. From the Tool/Resource Admin page, click "Tasks Admin" in the Tool Admin section; from the tool/resource pages, click the "Tasks" menu link, and then click "Admin" at the top of the page.
- Add a Subproject: This allows you to add a subproject to a tool/resource in order to group similar tasks. You need to include the subproject name and description, which are required fields as indicated by the red asterisk (*). You must also indicate whether the subproject is public (open to all NITRC users) or private (open only to tool/resource members). You may provide an e-mail address or addresses to which all updates of tasks for this subproject are sent.
- Edit/Update Subproject: This allows you to change the subproject name, description, or update the e-mail address(es). (The subproject name and description are required fields as indicated by the red asterisk (*).)
- This page also allows you to delete a subproject by clicking "Permanently delete this subproject and all its data."
- You may also add or edit categories by clicking "Add/Edit Categories." The category name field is required as indicated by the red asterisk (*). Categories cannot be deleted once they are added.
| Note: If you want to view or change the observer settings on a subproject, you must go to the Tool/Resource Admin page and click the "Edit Observer" button. Here you may change whether the subproject is public (open to all users) or private (available only to members). |
