Launching & Managing Projects

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When it's time to buckle down and get some work done, it's time to launch a Project. Projects help keep your processes organized by making them easier to track, allowing the proper Employee to handle each step, and ensuring that all the necessary data has been provided so that nothing is missed. This article covers launching and managing Projects; for a broader, more general look at how Projects work, refer to Projects: An Overview.

 

Tier Availability: Business

Security Rights Required: Add/Edit Project

 

Article Contents

 

 

 

Adding a Project

 

  1. Use one of the following methods to open the Add Project Window:
    • From the Navigation Panel, select Add Data > Project.
    • In the Plan tab, open the Projects view, then select Addadd.png in the top-right of the grid.
  2. Type the first few letters of the Plan name into the Plan field and select the appropriate result from the list that appears beneath the field.
    • If adding a Project directly from a Plan tab, the Plan field will not be available.
    • If the Plan does not exist in PensionPro, it must be created before the Project can be added.
  3. Select the Project Type.
  4. Select the Template.
    • The Project Template is what defines most aspects of the Project, including Workflow and Assignments. If the desired Project Template does not yet exist, refer to the article Project Templates.
  5. Complete any additional fields, such as Start Date, Due Date, or Description, that may appear based on the chosen Template.
  6. Select Save.
    • Alternately, select the dropdown arrow on the Save button and select Save and Open. This will create the Project and open a Project tab to display the new record.

 

Warning: If any Task in the Project will be assigned to an Employee Plan Role, the Plan must have an Employee appointed to the Role before the Project can be launched. If the Employee Plan Role is not established, attempting to launch the Project will result in the following error:
  • Plan '[Plan Name]' has not assigned role '[Employee Role]' referenced by template '[Project Template]'

 

 

 

Locating a Project

 

As Projects are so integral to the effective use of PensionPro, a launched Project can be found in many places throughout the application:

 

  • Via the Search feature when searching by the Plan name.
  • In the Projects view of the Plan tab; the Project can be opened by double-clicking it.
  • Within Dashboards and Worktrays, if the active Task is assigned to the user or Team, and if the current date falls on or after the Project Start Date. The Project can be opened by double-clicking the Task.

 

Opening the Project will display it in a new Project tab. The views within the Project tab are covered in greater detail in the article The Project Tab.

 

 

Project Workflow

 

A Project is broken up into Tasks, which are completed in order until the Project is finished. When one Task is completed, the next in the sequence is activated; this series of events is called the Project Workflow.

 

There is a lot of similar terminology surrounding Tasks, but to summarize:

 

  • A Task is the main unit of a Project; these are assigned, tracked, and completed.
  • A Task Item is a question or instruction under a Task that collects data and guides the Task toward completion.
  • A Task Grouping contains a set of related Tasks for organization and review purposes.

 

Following the Workflow and using Tasks are discussed in much greater detail in the article Tasks and Workflow.

 

 

Tracking Time

 

The time that an Employee spends working on Project Tasks can be quickly added to the Employee's time sheet without navigating away from the Project. Selecting Add Time Sliptime.png from the Project header will open the Add Time Slip popup window, where a time entry can be added. When created in this way, the Plan and Project fields automatically populate; Task Group, Task, and Time Code may also populate if Add Time Sliptime.png is selected with the Workflow view open. 

 

For more information on timekeeping, refer to the article Recording & Tracking Time.

 

 

Editing a Launched Project

 

While it's true that a Project Template defines a Project, making changes to a Project is not necessarily as simple as editing the Template. When a Project is launched, the Template is copied and "locked in" for that Project; any changes to a Template will only affect Projects launched after the changes were made. For this reason, PensionPro strongly recommends—prior to launching a Project—reviewing the Project Template to ensure that the Template is accurate to the process—not only at present, but through the entire duration the Project is expected to be active.

 

In the event that a launched Project contains a mistake that absolutely must be addressed, and an edit cannot be made, the Project will need to be deleted and re-launched after the Template is updated. As this action destroys any data, documents, and progress associated with the Project, it is only suggested as a last resort.

 

The following sections summarize the Project details that can and cannot be changed once the Project is active.

 

 

What Can Be Edited

  • The Project Manager can be reassigned
  • Tasks can be reassigned
  • Any Due Dates can be updated
    • This requires the Alter Due Dates Security Right.
    • The Project Start Date cannot be later than the External Deadline.
  • The Priority of the Project can be changed
  • A 5558 Extension can be applied to the Project
    • Only applies to Annual Administration Projects

 

 

What Cannot Be Edited

  • The names or order of Tasks, Task Groupings, and Task Items
  • Any default Task options, such as Time Code or Worktray
  • Data Types and Project Fields for Task Items
  • The Period Start or Period End dates

 

 

Aborting a Project

 

Additional Security Rights Required: Task Override

 

Any Project that has not yet been completed may be aborted. Aborting a Project will override any incomplete Task—thereby closing the Project—and will change the Project's Status to Aborted.

 

Note: Project Status—which can appear on the Project Summary view, Dashboards and Worktrays, and PlanSponsorLink—is a List Value, located under Core > Project. If the Aborted terminology is not desired, it can be edited to suit a firm's preferences by following the instructions provided in the article List Values.

 

To abort a Project:

 

  1. In the Project tab header, select Moremore_options.png > Abort Project. The Abort Project window displays.
  2. Enter the rationale into the Reason field.
  3. Select Continue.

 

After the Project is aborted, a Note containing the given reason will automatically be added to the Notes view of the Project tab.

 

While aborting a Project is fundamentally a quick way to override all remaining Tasks, the State for these Tasks will read Aborted rather than Overridden.

 

 

Deleting a Project

 

Additional Security Rights Required:  Maintenance

 

When necessary, a Project can be deleted from PensionPro. This action is irreversible.

 

  1. On the Summary view of the Project tab, select Editedit.png in the top-right of the grid.
  2. In the Edit Project Details window, select Marked for Deletion.
  3. Select Save.
  4. From the Navigation Panel, select Maintenance > Data Deletion.
  5. Select the Projects view.
  6. Hover over the desired Project and select Deletedelete.png on the right.
  7. Select Yes to confirm the deletion.

 

Projects that have been completed cannot be deleted. If deleting a completed Project is truly necessary, it is possible to reopen one of the Project's Tasks—which reopens the Project as well—and then deleting the Project per the steps above. Instructions for reopening a Task can be found under the relevant section within the article Tasks and Workflow.

 

If an Extension Project is attached to an Annual Administration Project, the Extension must be deleted first, prior to deleting the Annual Administration Project.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • My project has been abandoned. How can I remove the project from my dashboard?
    The Project can be aborted or deleted, depending on retention preference. Refer to either Aborting a Project or Deleting a Project, above.

  • Why are my Project Tasks not appearing on a Dashboard after I launched my Project?
    Tasks will not appear on Dashboards or Worktrays prior to the Project's Start Date.

  • If I edit a recurring Project's Template before launching the next instance of the Project, will the new Project be based on the former version of the Template, or the updated Template?
    So long as the changes were made to the original recurring Template, the next instance of the Project will include the updates.

  • When I attempt to launch a Project, I receive an error message stating "[Plan Name] - [Project Name] overlaps an existing annual Project with a period end of [Period End]". What am I doing wrong?
    Two Projects under the same Plan, with the same name and frequency, cannot have Period Start and End dates that overlap. If the Template is at risk of being launched multiple times for a Plan within the same period, the Project's frequency should be set to Non-Recurring.

  • I aborted a Project because I wanted to delete it and start a different one, but I can't mark an aborted Project for deletion. Now what?
    Once Projects are aborted, they function like completed Projects and cannot be marked for deletion unless they are reopened. Reopening any of the Project's Tasks will also reopen the Project and allow it to be deleted; refer to Tasks and Workflow for instructions on reopening a Task.

 

 

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