Project Task Tracker

Overview

The Task Tracker is an interactive, visual representation of all the tasks, deliverables, and milestones required to complete a project. It serves as a high-level project overview where you can see who is assigned work and the current status of each task. This helps you keep your team members on track and your tasks on schedule. Additionally, the Task Tracker gives your Clients a window into the work being done and the timeline for completion.

The Task Tracker helps keep things organized with customizable views, filters, and columns, giving your team members the ability to work collaboratively how it suits them best.

In the Task Tracker tab, you can perform the following actions:

• Create tasks, deliverables, milestones, or issues.
• Assign team members to tasks.
• Drag and drop to re-prioritize or nest tasks.
• Access the Task Details side panel, where you can view and manage individual task activity posts, checklists, and file attachments.
• Edit task custom field values in the Task Tracker table.
• Assign weighting percentages to milestone tasks.

The Task Toolbar

The Task Tracker toolbar acts as a page-wide header just above the Task Tracker table, giving you instant access to the most frequently used features and functionality you need to manage your tasks, with additional options located in the Display Settings (“   ”) menu.

The toolbar contains logically grouped sets of buttons and controls. The left side of the toolbar contains controls for searching, viewing, and filtering tasks, while the right side of the toolbar has controls for adding, sorting, exporting, and other task management needs.

Undo and Redo

Use the Undo and Redo buttons to quickly revert or reapply changes made in the table.

Task Tracker remembers the actions from your current session only. If you refresh or close your browser, any actions you performed will not be undoable when you return to Task Tracker.

The following do not support undo and redo:

• The Archived and To Dos fields
• Deleting a task
• Bulk actions
• Applying a template and add from template
• Changes made via the Task Details side panel

Search

Use the Search field to quickly find the task information you need. As you start typing a search term, Kantata will instantly filter data from the Task Tracker table, looking for matching values in nearly every field of each task row and the Task Details side panel.

Saved Views

You can use filters, sort options, and custom columns to configure how information appears in the Task Tracker and then save these configurations for future use. This way, you can switch between different views and get the information you need without having to manually re-apply the same filters every time you visit the Task Tracker.

After saving one or more views, you can access them from the Views drop-down menu. If you log out of Kantata or leave and return to the Task Tracker, the view that is set as your default will load, regardless of which project you're viewing.

For more information on using views, please see the Saved Views Overview article. 

Shared Views

After creating a Saved View, you can set it as a Shared View so it can be accessed by other account members that have the necessary Shared Views in Task Tracker permissions.

A Shared View provides a standardized view so everyone is accessing the same information in real-time. For example, if you add the Actual Fees column to the Issue Tracking Shared View, that new column will automatically appear for all other team members when they are using that same view in the Task Tracker.

To learn more about Shared Views, see the Task Tracker Shared Views article.

Filters

If your project has several tasks and a large number of resources, filters are useful for showing only the tasks or resource information you are interested in and hiding the rest. Using the Filters modal in the Task Tracker, you can combine various elements (task fields and values) to create a filter that fits your needs. For example, you may want to see critical task deadlines, milestones, or other important information—such as tasks that have not yet been started. You can save any combination of chosen filters for future use as a Saved View.

Click the Filters button on the Task Tracker toolbar to open the Filters modal and select the desired filter(s). For more information about the Filters modal, see the Filters Overview article.

The following filtering options appear in the Fields section:

• Assignees—Filter by tasks that are assigned to specific project members. Only the first 50 members are listed. You can use the Search field at the top to find specific members.
• Due / Start Date—Use the default or custom date range options to filter by task Start Date and/or Due Date. You can select from the following:
  • Before this date—The end date in the date range defaults to tomorrow’s date.
  • After this date—Makes the start date in the date range three (3) days before today’s date.
  • On this date—Makes the start date in the date range today’s date.
  • Between these dates—Sets the start date for today and the end date for two weeks from today’s date.
  • Starts / Due within the next XXX days—Sets the date range between a user-specified number of days; the default is “3”.
• Priority—Filter by task priority.
• Status—Filter by tasks with a specific status, including custom statuses.
• Tags—Filter by the tags associated with each task. 
• Type—Filter by specific task types.

Configure Columns

Click on the Configure Columns (“   ”) icon to set which columns to display in the Task Tracker table and in what order. The way columns are configured can be part of a Saved View. For more information, see the Task Tracker Columns article.

Display Settings

The Display Settings (“   ”) menu is where you can access additional Task Tracker actions.

• Show Completed Tasks—This will show completed tasks in the Task Tracker table.
  Note: Subtasks with a Completed status will still appear when this option is not selected.
• Show Only Archived—This will only show archived tasks in the Task Tracker table.

Cascade Changes to Dependencies

When Cascade Changes is turned on for a project (default):

• Modifying a task Start Date will automatically cascade changes to dependent tasks so you don’t have to manually adjust the dates of all predecessors and successors.
  Note: If circular dependencies exist, you may experience issues with cascading date changes. For more information, see Task Dependencies in Task Tracker.
• You can also cascade date changes to dependencies from the Task Details side panel, but only if it was opened from the Task Tracker.
  
  
• If the Sync Resource Schedules With Project Dates setting in General Settings is also enabled, shifting task dates also shifts any scheduled hours allocated to a resource for that task. The task must be Not Started, have no time entries, and have the same duration after the shift.
  Note: Scheduled hour changes are processed once every minute in order to combine them with additional scheduled hours changes made at the same time.

The Cascade Changes selection is persistent. This means that even if you refresh the page or go to another tab, the Cascade Changes option will remain On or Off—depending on your selection—when you return to the Task Tracker for that particular project.

Sort Order

You can sort the tasks in the Task Tracker table by clicking the Sort drop-down button and selecting from the following options:

• WBS (default)—Sorts your tasks in the order you’ve arranged them. If you haven’t moved any tasks, they will be sorted by date added, from newest to oldest.
• Added—Sorted by date added, from newest to oldest.
• Updated—Sorts tasks by those with the most recent activity, in descending order.
• Upcoming—Tasks with a status type of Not Started are sorted by Start date, from the newest to the oldest. Tasks with a status of Started or Needs Info are sorted by Due date, from newest to oldest. When tasks have the same Start or Due date, the one with the most recent activity appears first. Tasks with an overdue Start date will always appear at the top.
• Priority—Sorted from highest to lowest priority level.

When sorting by any option besides WBS, the sort button will be colored differently, to make it clear that a sort order is currently applied.

Exporting a CSV File

You can export the Task Tracker data to a CSV file by clicking the Export as CSV button.

Applying Templates

Click on the Apply Template (“   ”) icon to apply a template that contains commonly repeated tasks, assignments, resource mapping, and other information to an existing project. This saves you from having to manually add the same information to your projects repeatedly.

When the Apply Template modal appears, select a Template and Start Date. You can also choose to apply one or both of the following to your project:

• Treat Weekends as work days–This causes the task duration to include weekend days.
• Convert checklist items to To Dos—This will convert any template checklist items to To Do cards in the Boards tab.
• Distribute Scheduled Hours–This allows the resource estimated hours to be added as scheduled hours, which are distributed evenly between the task start date and end date.

After you select a template, you can see a list of template resources on the left, mapping options in the middle, and project roles on the right. In the Map To column, you can choose to map to a specific resource, create a new resource, or invite an account member who is not currently on the project.

To learn more, see the Apply a Template to a Project article.

Adding Tasks

Click on the Add Task button on the right side of the Task Toolbar to add a new top-level task row to the project. It will appear at the top of the Task Tacker table.

Bulk Actions

You can use bulk action options to perform specific actions on a large number of tasks at the same time.

To access the bulk actions, select one or more tasks by checking the boxes in front of the task name in the first column of the table. This will cause the bulk actions to appear, temporarily replacing the standard toolbar options.

To select many tasks at once, you can check a task, press Shift on your keyboard, then check a second task. All the tasks between the first and second task will be selected. To select subtasks as well, be sure to expand the hierarchy before selecting the tasks.

To learn more, see the Task Tracker Bulk Actions article.

The Task Tracker Table

The Task Tracker table consists of individual task rows that can be nested into groups of parent and subtasks.

Task Rows

By default, an individual task row shows the WBS, task type, title, tags, assignees, status, duration, and start and due date. The following is a breakdown of the default task row cells and contents.

WBS—This column displays the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) number. This is the unique number assigned to each task, also commonly referred to as the “row number”.

Type—This drop-down menu allows you to change an individual task type.

• Tasks are items that need to be completed.
• Deliverables are things that need to be produced, such as documents.
• Milestones are project deadlines, marking the completion of a phase or stage of a project.
• Issues are bugs or items that need to be resolved.

Title—This field is for the task title.

Task Detail Side Panel (“ ”)—This button opens the Task Details side panel, where you can view and manage individual task details and information.

Actions (“   ”)—This drop-down menu contains the following frequently used task-related actions:

• Add Task Below—Adds a new top-level task beneath the currently selected task.
• Add Subtask Below—Adds a new subtask below the currently selected task or subtask. You cannot add more than 4 levels of subtasks to a parent task.
• Indent—Indents the task (shifts it to the right) to create a new task hierarchy level, turning the task into a subtask.
• Outdent—Outdents the task (shifts it to the left) to create a new task hierarchy level, turning the task into a parent task.
• Add From Template—Select this option to add tasks or subtasks from a template under the currently selected task or subtask.
• Duplicate—Select this option to duplicate a single task.
• Duplicate with Subtasks—Select this option to duplicate a task and all its subtasks. The new tasks will be created at the same hierarchy as the current task and appear directly below it. If a task has over 100 subtasks, this option cannot be selected.

  NOTE

  The following fields are duplicated when you duplicate a task from the Task Tracker:

  • Title
  • Type
  • Start Date
  • Due Date
  • Assignees
  • Task Estimated Hours
  • Resource Estimated Hours
  • Task Budget
  • Billable
  • Fixed Fee
• Delete—Permanently delete the currently selected task or subtask. When the parent task is deleted, all subtasks are deleted.

Tags—This field is for adding task tags, which are used to help identify specific keywords or topics and facilitate searches across projects in Kantata. The drop-down menu lists all the tags currently being used in the project.

Assignees—This field is for assigning the team members (resources) who are responsible for performing the task’s work. Each task can have multiple assignees.

Status—This field is for changing the task status, which informs team members how a task is progressing.

Duration—This field displays the length of the task. Weekends are excluded from the duration. For parent tasks, the duration is based on its subtasks and is not editable.

Start Date and Due Date—These fields display a task’s Start Date and End Date. Changing a task’s Start Date will change the task Due Date while retaining the duration of the task (i.e., the number of working days needed to complete the task). Conversely, changing the Due Date of a task will not affect the Start Date; it only extends the duration of the task.

Moving Tasks

To move a single task and its subtasks (if any), click and hold the Reorder (“   ”) icon on the left side of the task row and then drag it to the new position. To nest the task further or less, shift it to the right or left accordingly.

To move multiple tasks at once:

1. In the task list, check the box to the left of each task you'd like to move.
   Tip: To select many tasks at once, check one task, press  Shift  on your keyboard, then check another task—all the tasks between the first and second task will be selected.
2. Click and hold the Reorder (“   ”) icon on the left side of the task row, and then drag the tasks to the new position. To nest the tasks further or less, shift them to the right or left accordingly.
   Note: If the tasks you’ve selected cannot be moved together, a “not allowed” (“   ”) icon will appear beside your cursor when you hover over the drag and drop area.

WBS

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) column shows the unique number assigned to each task and subtask in the project, breaking down the project into a more manageable structure. WBS may also be referred to as the "row number" that can help you locate a task in both the Task Tracker and Gantt Chart.

You can add the WBS column to the Task Tracker table when you configure the table columns.

The WBS adds a decimal followed by a number for each level of nested tasks that you create. For example, if the hierarchy for task WBS 38 includes three task levels total, the first/parent-task level will be 38, the second level will be 38.1, and the third level will be 38.1.1. You can add up to five levels total (including the parent task).

When you create task dependencies, the WBS is included in the dependency to inform the application of which tasks are predecessors and which ones are successors.

Task Hierarchies

A task hierarchy consists of parent tasks and their subtasks. Subtasks help break complex tasks down into smaller action items and have the same attributes as regular tasks, including its own due date, assignee, status, etc. You can add up to five levels of parent tasks and subtasks within a task hierarchy in order to capture the entire work breakdown structure of your project.

You can nest your tasks underneath others three different ways:

• Selecting Add Subtask Below from the Task Actions (“   ”) drop-down menu on a task row.
• Selecting Indent (to create a subtask) or Outdent (to create a parent task) from the Task Actions (“   ”) drop-down menu.
• Dragging and dropping one task beneath and into another.

When you create task hierarchies, the tasks’ WBS will indicate which task is a parent task and which one is a subtask, using a decimal to indicate which level of the hierarchy the task is located in.

Task Dependencies

You can configure the Task Tracker table to include the Predecessors and Successors columns so you can create, view, and edit task dependencies in the Task Tracker.

A dependency is the relationship between predecessor and successor tasks.Tasks may have multiple predecessors or multiple successors.

• Predecessor—The task that controls the start or end date for all related successor tasks.
• Successor—The task whose start or end date is controlled by the predecessor.

A dependency is represented by a mixture of the WBS/row number of the predecessor task followed by the initialism for the type of dependency that you’re establishing (finish to start=FS, start to start=SS, finish to finish=FF, and start to finish=SF). If you create a dependency for that includes a subtask, the subtask WBS will include decimals. For example, if your predecessor is for task WBS 1.2, you'll know it's the second subtask for task WBS 1.

A lag or lead can also be added to a dependency, represented by the number of lag or lead days. For example, a lag of 3 days for task WBS 1.1 would display as 1.1+3d whereas a lead of 3 days for task WBS 1.1. would display as 1.1-3d.

To learn more, see the Task Tracker Dependencies article.

Expand All/Collapse All

To expand/collapse all the task hierarchies and view every subtask in the Tracker at once, click the small arrow in the task row header. Depending on whether you're expanding or collapsing all hierarchies, this arrow will either be right-facing (Expand All) or down-facing (Collapse All).

Task Highlighting

The Task Tracker highlights Milestone task rows and overdue Start and Due date columns to help you quickly locate them in the Task Tracker table.

When a task is overdue by either the Start or Due date, you will see the overdue date column highlighted in red.

When a task has the Milestone task type, the entire task row is highlighted in gray.

Milestone Weighting

You can assign weighting to milestones to define percentages of completion at different stages of the project. Milestone weighting is especially helpful for projects where payments are tied directly to achieving certain milestones during the project lifecycle.

To learn more, see the Milestone Weighting article.

Resource Estimated Hours

You can configure the Task Tracker table to include the Resource Estimated Hours column so you can quickly estimate how many hours may be required to complete a project.

For each task, you can see a breakdown of the total resource estimated hours, as well as the hours estimated for each assignee. You can click the drop-down arrow to minimize the assignee-level view and only display the total hours for the task.

Click in the cell to the right of the assignee to enter hours. You can also tab into the column, then use the up and down arrows to navigate between the individual cells.

Editing Task Custom Field Values

You can view and edit task custom field values directly in the Task Tracker table. To do so, click in the column field and make your desired changes. Keep in mind that the edit action you can perform in a custom field column will depend on the field type (Text, Date, Currency, Number, or Choice).

Certain custom fields may only be visible and/or editable for certain users based on the custom field permission types and visibility setting. An Account Administrator can adjust the Read and Write permissions and visibility for custom fields at Settings > Custom Fields.

Summary Bar

Located below the Task Tracker table, the Summary Bar allows users with View Financials permissions or higher to see a summary of estimated hours, cost, fees, and other information.

To expand the Summary Bar, select the Sigma (“   ”) icon. The Summary Bar is collapsed by default, but if you expand it, it will remain visible by default the next time you visit a project.

To learn more about the Summary Bar, see the Summary Bar Overview article. 

Rows and Pages

At the bottom of the Task Tracker table, you can select whether you're viewing either 10, 25, 50, or 100 task rows at a time. Select your preference from the bottom-right of the page; changes are automatically saved.

Rows that exceed your selected number are added to subsequent pages. You can scroll through these from the bottom-center of the page.