Computed attributes of a task

Some task attributes are computed from other information like time sheets, expenses and even child tasks.

Attribute Description R/RW

ID The unique identifier of the task R

Start (Projected)

This is the date at which the successor task is expected to begin.

To illustrate, if Task T1 starts on 1st May 8:00 AM and ends on 05th May, 5:00 PM, then the Projected Start date of the task on 1st May (assuming no work is done); will be 1st May 8:00 AM.
If on 3rd May 10:00 AM, the % Complete of the task is 0%, then the Projected Start will be 3rd May 10:00 AM.

R

Finish (Projected)

This is the date on which the task is expected to finish based on its current rate of progress. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Projected Finish = (No. of days spent on a task till date x 100) / (% complete of a task)

To illustrate, if Task T1 starts on 1st May 8:00 AM and ends on 10th May, 5:00 PM, then the Projected Finish date of the task on 1st May (assuming no work is done); will be 10th May 5:00 PM.

If on 5th May, the % Done of the task is 25%, then the Projected Finish will be 20th May 5:00 PM. If on 7th May 8:00 AM, the task is 0% done, then the Projected Finish date is 17th May 5:00 PM assuming that you will start work on 7th May 8:00 AM.

Since there can be some unexpected delays in the tasks, its very difficult for the project managers to assess the impact on the schedule of the task. As the team updates the progress of the task, the system continuously estimates the end date of the task and its projected finish. The project managers can then decide if the hours invested in a certain task are in compliance with the scheduled end date of the task or else they will have to accelerate the pace of the task by assigning additional resources or reworking their strategy. Managers must keep a close watch on this date to ensure that the task does not lapse. Celoxis also computes the projected finish dates of all the dependent tasks.

R

Milestone

Shows Yes or No depending on whether the task is a milestone task.

Milestones in a project represent significant events like deliverable, approvals at the end of a particular phase, etc. in the course of a project. You can use milestones to monitor the project's progress. Milestones are indicated with a symbol. The Percent complete of the tasks has to be manually entered by the team members.

NOTE: Percent complete of milestone tasks is not considered while estimating the project percent complete.

RW

Critical Critical tasks are the tasks which need immediate attention and if any critical task slips, it causes delays in the project. Critical tasks are indicated with a symbol. Critical tasks are automatically calculated by the system using the critical path method and cannot be manually entered. A task is no more critical when it is marked ‘Complete’, because then it can no longer affect the completion of the successor tasks or the project’s finish date.

The Critical path of the project is calculated based on the project's Planned Finish date. If a task has a finish date much before the planned finish date of the project; it cannot be a critical task as it does not affect the project's progress. R

Hours (Est ) These are the total hours the team would take in order to complete the task. To illustrate it further, let us consider an example: Task = T1 Duration = 1 day Resource 1 = 100% (that is works for 8 hours) {Working calendar for both = 8 hours} Resource 2 = 50% (that is works for 4 hours) Therefore, Est. hours = 8 + 4 = 12 R

Hours (Act)

These are the total hours the team has worked on this task till date. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Hours (Actual) = Approved hours of a Task

It is used by the system to automatically compute the Projected Finish date of the task which in turn is used to show the RAG status.

RW

Hours (Projected)

These are the hours expected to be spent on a task in order to complete it based on the time spent and its current rate of progress. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Hours (Projected) = [Hours (Actual) / % Complete of a Task

To illustrate it further, let us consider an example: Task = T1 Duration = 10 hours Therefore, every hour 10% of work should be completed. So, ideally in 5 hours, 50% of work will be completed. But if instead, 50% of work takes 7 hours then, 100 % will take = 50 % = 7 hours 100% = ‘x’ hours Therefore, projected hours for the task = 14 hours Projected hours help the project managers to decide if the hours invested in a task are in compliance with the planned hours of the task or if the pace needs to be accelerated in order to complete the task within the planned hours.

Projected hours for the summary task is the sum of projected hours of its child tasks.

R

Hours (Act, Billable)

These are the total of approved time entries against the task which are marked billable. It is automatically computed and is used to calculate the Bill Amount for the task.
Time is automatically marked as Billable if the charging model for the associated project is set as Hourly. You can also change this before approving a time entry.

R

Hours (Act, Non-Billable) This is the total of approved time entries which are not marked as billable. They are auto calculated based on the following formula: For instance, you may decide not to bill the client for hours exceeding the planned hours or some activities may be internal and not billable to clients. R

Cost (Est, Material) Before you start working on a task, there may be some expenditure involved in purchasing software or other task related material which is necessary to procure before you begin with the task. So, in order to estimate cost on such expenses incurred, Celoxis provides you with an estimated material cost for your tasks. RW

Cost (Est)

This is the cost expected to be incurred on the task based on your plan. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Cost (Est.) = [Cost (Est., Labor) + Cost (Est., Non-Labor) + Cost (Fixed)]

While the budget simply indicates an amount you expect to spend, Est. Cost is calculated from the task duration, the associated resources and their costs plus any fixed costs and non-labor cost you expect to incur. It helps the project manager ensure that your budget is realistic. Since this changes automatically every time you make a change to the task, it is recommended that the project manager regularly ensure that this amount is equal or less than the budget.

R

Cost (Actual)

This is the real / tangible cost incurred till date of the task. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Cost (Actual) = [Cost (Actual, Labor) + Exp (Costable) + Cost (Accrued, Fixed)]

It is used to automatically compute the Projected Cost, which in turn is used to show the RAG signals that warns you of cost overruns well in advance. It can also be used to decide if a task is worth continuing.

R

Cost (Projected)

This is the cost expected to be incurred on a task based on the current rate of spending and the % complete. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Cost (Projected) = [Cost (Actual) / % Complete of a Task]

Projected Cost indicates if the cost incurred in the task so far is in compliance with your task budget based on which Celoxis displays the RAG signals.

The Projected Cost of a summary task is the sum of projected cost of its child tasks.
If the task is 0% complete then Estimated cost = Projected Cost

R

Cost (Labor)

This is the total cost of the labor for all constable time entries in a project. It is auto calculated based on the following formula:

Cost (Labor) = User Cost Rate x Hours Worked

R

Update (Last) The last or the final comment entered against a task while doing the progress update. It displays the date and time of the last update. However, date and time display is optional. R

Amount(Est, Billable)

This is the estimated billing amount that the task might incur for completion. This column is only visible when you do user based billing.

It is calculated as the sum-product of user's bill rate and estimated hours on that task.

For baseline attributes, refer here.