Tracking an organization’s projects and tasks sometimes requires the use of a Gantt chart. Collabox has added this functionality to its ERP system.
What is a Gantt chart
It is a visual graphic tool that highlights the start and end dates of the project. Thus, at a glance, the manager can see the progress of his projects in real time according to the planned deadlines. He can then identify the tasks to be carried out in order to accomplish his project in the allotted time.
Schedule and timelines
When you are subscribed to the Gantt chart and want to see your schedules, first go to the main “Calendar” menu at the top of the page.
Then select the “Project” tab.
Choose the period, the project manager and the desired employee. Then click on the “ok” button.
Then you will see the list of projects according to the chosen criteria. Horizontal bands are visible and show the progress of the project according to the deadlines.
Watch several videos on our Youtube channel and visit our Tips and Tricks section in the Blog to continue your Collabox configuration!
If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to answer you.
Do you use the task functions in your Collabox? If so, you will benefit from using the task report as well. The latter quickly shows you the number of hours worked per task per employee. See how to use this feature properly.
After creating tasks, along with an approximate or actual number of hours for their completion, your employees choose them when entering their timesheets. They indicate their percentage of completion and Collabox takes care of the rest!
Preliminary verification
First of all, when creating a task, don’t forget to enter the expected time for the task, if necessary. The report can thus indicate time overruns. This sometimes avoids unpleasant surprises.
Then, make sure to tell your employees to select the task they are working on when they enter their timesheet. They must also indicate the percentage of completion of the task.
Create a report by tasks
To create a report by tasks, first go to the main menu “Reports”.
Then select “Tasks” from the left-hand menu.
There are several options for customizing the report. Choose the desired interval and make client, project, department or task selections. You can leave the fields as they are if you want a complete report of all the tasks of your organization.
It is also possible to choose a degree of progress of the tasks, including those not completed only. The report by tasks allows you to check who worked on the task and for how long. See which tasks took longer than expected and adjust your requirements as needed.
You can display tasks and appointments simultaneously in your calendar
We know that it is not always easy to plan your work, even if you write down your deadlines in the production schedule . You can now better plan the schedule of your employees by taking into account both scheduled appointments and tasks to be performed. All projects are delivered on time.
To display tasks and appointments at the same time in your calendar, you just need to check the boxes Appointment and Tasks located at the top left of the calendar. You can uncheck one of the two at any time to view only what you want.
Conversely, if you have tasks that don’t require a calendar display, you can simply remove them. When creating a task, check or uncheck the following box.
To differentiate tasks from appointments, observe the outlines of the rectangles. In the horizontal calendar, the rounded edges correspond to an appointment; sharp edges, to a task. The reverse is true for the vertical calendar. You can also put the appointments and tasks in the color you want.
When you create a task, specify a due date and a completion date. It is this completion date that will be displayed in the calendar. This option was implemented on December 20, 2017.
Watch out for data conversion!
Tasks created before December 20, 2017 did not have a completion date. For this reason, they will appear in the calendar on the due date. This is the default conversion determined by the Collabox. You can still go and change the deadline manually. Just movela task with your mouse directly in the calendar (“drag and drop”). To do this, hold down the left click of your mouse on the task you want to move. Move then your mouse to the right date. Drop the task into the calendar. The new date est recorded! Note 1 : It’s exactly the same principle for the appointments : they can be moved by “drag and drop” too.
You can see below that the task has moved for all the people assigned to it. This happens automatically when you move a task.
You can also modify the completion and due dates of a task by updating it with the page Updating a task assignment . The fields to be modified are in the red boxes. To differentiate the completion date from the due date, see the caption below the following image.
July 4, 2018 update
The deadlines of the tasks are displayed in the calendar independently of the time scheduled for the completion of the task. They are recognizable by the small clock icon located at the top right of the box. The moment of accomplishment of the task, it does not have any.
In addition, the deadlines have a small green check mark in each box to indicate that you are not late .
The tasks you create in Collabox are all listed in a detailed list called the Task List . Here you can see the task, its unique number, priority, assigned employees, expected time, completion percentage, project name and due date.
Add a task
You must first go to the page by clicking on the link in the left menu of Collabox.
Then add a task by giving it a name, a project and a due date. We suggest that you give it a priority, otherwise the task will end up at the end of your list. The greater the number, the higher the priority of the task.
Several additional features are available, including assignment to one or more employees and percentage of completion of the task. You can also add documents and notes.
When you save, the task appears at the selected priority level. Outdated due dates are shown in red, while tasks with upcoming due dates are shown in blue.
If a colleague adds a note to a task that is also assigned to you, you have the option to be notified and not miss anything about the exchanges. The checkbox is located in the Advanced Preferences tab of your Preference menu.
Duplicate and repeat a task
Collabox gives you the possibility to duplicate a task or to repeat it at a chosen interval. Select the button at the bottom of the task creation page.
When a task is set to repeat in the future, an icon in the Task List indicates this.
The repetition of a task can be modified for a particular task, or for all future tasks by clicking on “Save” or “Save + future instances”. To change the repetition mode, select the “Modify task repetition” button.
Multiple modifications
If you want to change the due date of more than one task at a time, check the box to the left of each task in the list and select the appropriate option from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. By default, today’s date will be selected. However, you can modify it and change the time entered. Don’t forget to click on Okay , to save your changes.
Add a task to the agenda
By default, all tasks are displayed in the Collabox calendar if you select the “Tasks” option.
When you return to your calendar, you will indeed see the tasks that you have added to it.
However, you can uncheck the “Show in calendar?” box for each task individually so that it does not appear in the calendar. Adding all the tasks to the calendar can be visually cluttered, so this option is well appreciated.
The sequential tasks offer a team a valuable tool. However, it is not always easy to be on top of everything that is going on, especially when our business is working on multiple fronts simultaneously. This is where the “Sequences in progress” function comes to the rescue! This function allows you to see the progress of the different sequences of tasks in progress. Thus, you can know, in a few clicks, the number of completed tasks, if the project is late, as well as the percentage of completion of the project. Valuable information!
Use of the current sequence tracking
First click on “Running Sequences” under the “Tasks” tab in the sidebar.
So you can see, at a glance, all the active task sequences of your company. The summary table also provides information on the task templates used, the number of tasks completed, the level of progress of the project and whether it is up to date or overdue. By clicking on a specific project, you access the details of that project.
You can now see the status of the project you clicked on. It displays the due date of the various stages, but also which segments have been completed, to whom the task is assigned and its progress level.
Transform your organization – Eliminate repetitive tasks
Digital transformation with ERP software
Within a company, eliminating repetitive tasks performed by dedicated staff is desirable. However, many companies still don’t dare to make the leap to digital transformation. This way of operating takes away valuable work hours that could be spent on other more profitable parts of your organization.
If you feel that certain administrative tasks are taking too much time in your organization, consult an ERP software expert who will guide you through the process. Implement automated processes to make your business more efficient and easier to manage. With the help of Collabox, save time and money by eliminating repetitive tasks.
At a time when labor shortages are affecting businesses more than ever, it’s time to put ERP management software to work for efficiency. Timesheets, appointment management, task assignment, project planning, find all these features and many more!
Collabox has integrated a workflow system to help you with sequential tasks. This way, you can maximize and prioritize the right tasks. (It can also free up a few minutes to distract yourself with funny videos).
Parent and child tasks
Our team of programmers worked hard to develop our family workflow. Let me explain. In Collabox, the workflow works using parent and child tasks.
All parent tasks must be completed before you can initiate the associated child task.
This way, the people responsible for the children’s tasks can be notified at the right time.
How to create a sequential task template
First of all, it is necessary to configure a template of sequential tasks. To do this, simply follow these steps:
First click on the “Configuration” icon in the top bar.
Then select “Sequential task template” in the left bar under the “Tasks” section.
This page shows you all the templates you have created. In this page, you can also modify an existing template by clicking on its name or create a new one. To do this, click on “Add a sequential task template”.
Give your template a name, then save.
Once this is set, go to the “Steps” tab to add the tasks by clicking on the “Add a task” link.
Once in the “Steps” tab, you will see the template tasks to complete:
Title
Expected time
Employees assigned to the task
Interval
Display cushion
Create the parent task
Once you have mastered the creation of the sequential task template, the next step is to create the “parent task” and add “child tasks” or “appointments ” to this template. Just a few clicks and your workflow will be up and running.
Important: nointerval or display cushion should be set for the parent task.
Interval: This is the time that must pass between the end of the parent task and the beginning of the child task.
Display buffer : This is the period of time before the task appears in the to-do list.
This is what a parent task creation form should look like:
Here is some additional information about the form headings:
Create a child task
To create “child tasks” simply click on “Add a task” and then assign a“Parent step”, as well as the “Expected time”, an “Interval ” and a “Display cushion“.
Example
To facilitate your understanding of the relationship between the parent and child tasks, we have chosen the example below with the steps to follow to make a Merlin the Enchanter client potion.
Child tasks are linked to their parent by a small hook.
Both kinds of tasks can be started simultaneously, but the parent tasks must always be completed before finalizing the child tasks.
So if more than one employee is taking care of child tasks and one of them hasn’t finished, it can slow down all the work to be done. Indeed, in this situation, it will be impossible to finish the child task as long as the parent tasks are not complete.
In the example below, the child task is “Put the worm on the hook” and the parent task is “Catch the fish”. Thus, you must complete the child task before you can perform the parent task.
List of sequential steps for the Fish Mixing Template
