Using the Project Task Board

The Project Task Board is available on a project record page. Your administrator can also add it to any app page, such as a workspace.

The Project Task Board shows the status of the following by default:

  • From a project record page: all project tasks on the current project, taking into account the filter options that are selected from the filter panel.
  • From an app page, such as workspace, all project tasks a user owns or is assigned to, and any other project tasks on projects the user manages, taking into account options selected from the filter panel.

For more information on filters, see Filtering Project Tasks.

You can use filters to focus on the tasks you want to view. For more information, see Filtering Project Tasks.

The status values displayed in the column headings (for example, Draft, Planned), reflect the picklist values that are set on the Status field on the Project Task object. Tasks that do not have a status are displayed in a No Status column, which is only displayed if there are tasks without a status. You can drag tasks into or out of this column to change the status as required. For more information, see Changing the Status of a Project Task.

Tip:

If the No Status column is not displayed and you want to remove the status from one of the tasks on the board, you can change the status by editing the task. For more information, see Editing a Project Task.

To expand and collapse a column, click the arrow in the column heading.

Tasks are regularly updated so that you always see the latest information.

The following color-coding is used for tasks displayed on the Project Task Board:

  • Green: Complete (the task has a status that equates to being Complete, or the Completed checkbox is selected on the project task record).
  • Red: Overdue (the task end date has passed).
  • Gray: Neither overdue nor complete.
Note:

You need Read permission for the Completed and End Date & Time fields on the Project Task object for the colors to work in this way. If colors are not displayed, contact your administrator.

The following details are displayed on a project task:

  • A badge showing the following:
    • For tasks that have not reached their end date, how long before the task is due to end, for example, in six days.
    • For tasks that have passed their end date, when the task ended, for example, two weeks ago.
    • A badge is not displayed if a task does not have an end date.

  • Name of the associated project (only displayed if the Project Task Board is on an app page, such as a workspace).
  • Name of parent task in the task hierarchy, if applicable.
  • Project task name.
  • Project task start and end dates.
  • Assigned resources' avatars, if available, so you can see at a glance who is assigned to a task:
    • Avatars show the profile image of the user referenced in the Salesforce User field of the resource’s contact record, provided you have the required permissions.
    • A Plus icon is shown if there are more assigned resources than can be displayed.
    • If an avatar is not available for an assigned resource or if the resource is an external resource, the resource's initials are displayed.
    • If there is no resource assigned but there is a role assignment, the initials of the role are displayed. For example, if the role is project manager, PM is displayed.
    • If you hover over an avatar or any initials, the relevant resource names or roles are displayed.
    • If there are more associated assignments than can be displayed on the Project Task Board, a message is shown and avatars are not displayed.
Notes:

The Project Task Board respects the time zone set on your Salesforce user, not the time zone set on your operating system. This affects the tasks on the board, the task badges, and the Record Details panel.

Tasks marked as completed more than 10 days ago (based on the actual end date on the task), are not displayed on the board.

If you reorder tasks within a column, the order you specify is only retained temporarily. For example, when you refresh your browser or switch between projects, the tasks revert to the original order. For more information on how tasks are ordered, see Filtering Project Tasks.

Expanding or Contracting the Project Task Board

To expand or contract the Project Task Board:

  • Click Expand to expand the board to full view.
  • Click Contract to return it to its original size.

Changing the Status of a Project Task

To change the status of an individual task, drag it into the column that represents the new status. Status changes are saved automatically.

To change the status of multiple consecutive tasks at the same time:

  1. Drag your mouse pointer over the tasks to highlight them.
  2. Drag the tasks into the column that represents the new status on the Project Task Board.

To change the status of multiple non-consecutive tasks at the same time:

  1. Click a task to highlight it.
  2. Hold down Command (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) on your keyboard and click each task.
  3. Drag the tasks into the column that represents the new status on the Project Task Board.

Viewing Record Details

To view more information about a project task without leaving the Project Task Board, do one of the following:

  • Double-click the task on the board.
  • Select the task and click Record Details.

The information is displayed on the Task tab in a Record Details panel. The fields on the Task tab are controlled by your administrator. Any details you don't have permission to view are omitted. For information on updating project task details, see Editing a Project Task.

To view details of resources that are related to the currently selected task, you can switch from the Task tab to the Resources tab in the Record Details panel. Alternatively, you can double-click a resource's avatar or initials that are displayed on a task to open the Resources tab in the Record Details panel. You can't view details of external resources.

Tip:

If there are multiple resources assigned to a task, you can delete the currently selected resource from the Search Contacts field on the Resources tab, click the Search Contacts field, and select another resource from the list to view their details.

For more information about the Record Details panel, see Viewing Record Details.

Editing a Project Task

To edit a selected project task, do one of the following:

  • Double-click the task to view the Task tab in the Record Details panel and click Edit.
  • Click Record Details to view the Task tab in the Record Details panel and click Edit.
Note:

If this function is not available, contact your administrator.

The Record Details panel stays open until you close it, which means you can click through other tasks on the board to quickly edit information about them. To hide the Record Details panel, click Close on the panel or click Record Details again.

Searching for a Project Task

To search for a project task using the Search field in the toolbar, start typing characters from anywhere in the project task name. PSA searches the tasks loaded into the Project Task Board and narrows down the search results as you type. If you can't find a project task, check your filters as they might be filtering out the task you are looking for.

Notes:

A maximum of 1,000 tasks can be displayed on the Project Task Board so some tasks might not be found. If more than 1,000 tasks are displayed, use the filters to reduce the number of tasks before searching.

Tasks marked as completed more than 10 days ago (based on the actual end date on the task), are not displayed on the board.

Filtering Project Tasks

You can use the filter panel to focus on the project tasks you want to view:

  1. Click Filters to open the filter panel.
  2. [Optional] Enter a date range using the Start Date and End Date fields. Project tasks whose start or end date overlaps with the selected date range are displayed. To include tasks without a date range, leave these fields blank.
  3. [Optional] Specify the filters you want to apply to the project tasks displayed on the Project Task Board. For information on the options available, see Filter Fields.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. [Optional] Click Reset to revert to the default filter values
  6. [Optional] Click Filters to close the filter panel.

The following rules apply:

  • A maximum of 1,000 tasks are displayed and there can be up to 3,000 associated assignments. If there are more tasks or more associated assignments than can be displayed, change the filters to focus on the tasks you want to view.
  • The project tasks in each column are sorted by start date. Tasks without a start date or an end date are placed last.
  • If multiple records have the same start date and time, PSA sorts them using the Order field.
  • Tasks with no start date and no end date are omitted if you are filtering by start date or end date.
  • When using the Project Task Board from an app page, such as a workspace, if you have deleted the start date from the filter panel, all tasks with a start date before the specified end date are displayed. If you have deleted the end date, all tasks with an end date after the specified start date are displayed.

For more information on the filter panel, see Project Task Board Lightning Component Fields.

Note:

If the Start Date and End Date fields are not visible in the filter panel, contact your administrator as it means you do not have the appropriate permissions.

Setting Preferences

Using the Preferences panel, you can configure how tasks are displayed in the Project Task Board, enabling you to view them in the format that best suits you.

  1. Click Show Preferences Panel to open the Preferences panel.
  2. [Optional] Select a field from the Group By drop-down. The tasks on the Project Task Board are displayed in swimlanes for the selected value:

    • Milestone: The tasks associated with a milestone are grouped under the section with the name of that milestone and tasks without milestones are grouped under the section with the section name Task Without Milestones.
    • Project: The tasks are grouped for all the projects in the swimlanes. The tasks associated with a project are grouped under the section with the name of that project. This option is only available when you are on a workspace app page.
    • Timeline: The tasks are ordered according to their end dates.
    • Priority: The tasks with priority are grouped in sections as P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5, and tasks without priority are grouped in Task Without Priority swimlanes.
  3. [Optional] Select the fields that correspond to the columns you want to hide from the Hide Columns drop-down.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. [Optional] To reset the selected filters to their default values, click Reset.
  6. Click Show Preferences Panel to close the Preferences panel.
Note:

When you select your preferences and click the Apply button, your preferences are saved in the local storage until you click the Reset button to return to the default value or change the value and click the Apply button again. When you click the Reset button, the Group By and Hide Column drop-downs are set to ––None––, and local storage is cleared. The Apply and Reset button are hidden in this state and displayed only when new values are selected.