Table of Contents

Altus Tasks

My Open Project Tasks View

The My Open Project Tasks view on the Tasks tab found under the Work and Projects sections in Altus uses a custom filter to display tasks that are assigned to the current user. This custom filter looks and works differently to other view filters.

If you edit the filter in any way, it will result in a different filter being applied to the view, due to the inability of the UI filter to represent the custom filter.

If edits have been made to this view and you'd like to go back to the default view, clicking the 'Reset to default' and 'Apply' buttons on the Edit filters: pane will reset the view.

Keyboard shortcuts for timeline view

When using the Timeline view in Altus the following shortcut keys can be used:

Function Shortcut
Move Row Selection Down Down Arrow
Move Row Selection Up Up Arrow
Collapse All Ctrl + Up Arrow
Expand All Ctrl + Down Arrow
Collapse/Expand Toggle Ctrl + Space
Collapse Row Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow
Expand Row Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow
Save and Move Down Enter
Cancel Request Esc
First Row Selected Home
Last Row Selected End
Move Row Selection Up Shift + Enter
Add Record Ins
Add Record by Dialogue Ctrl + Ins
Edit Record by Dialogue Ctrl + F2
Delete Row Delete
Edit Record In-line Space
Indent Selected Task Alt + Shift + Right Arrow
Out-dent Selected Task Alt + Shift + Left Arrow

Altus Schedule Types

The Altus Schedule allows you to set tasks to:

  • Auto: this allows Altus to automatically schedule your tasks based on the Duration and Effort. Altus doesn't schedule time over the weekend automatically.
  • Manual: this allows the user to schedule your tasks manually. Tasks can be scheduled over weekends using this setting.

Altus Task Types

The Altus Schedule allows you to set tasks to:

  • Fixed Unit: the number of resources assigned to the task is set and you don't want this to change, even if the duration or work changes.
  • Fixed Work: the work for this task is set, and you don't want this to change, even if you've changed the duration or if resources/units change.
  • Fixed Duration: the duration of this work is set, and you don't want this to change, even if you modify resources/units or work on the task.

Setting one of these task types determines what happens when values within the Task are modified.

  • Fixed Unit: If you enter a value into the Effort (Hours) field, any changes made to the Duration (Days) will not change the Effort (Hours) value, any changes made to the Resources Units % will update the Duration (Days) (and Finish date), but not the Effort (Hours) value.

  • Fixed Work: If you enter a value into the Effort (Hours) field and the Duration (Days) field the system will retain them and not recalculate them. If you add Resources to the task the Units % of these resources will be calculated to show the velocity of work that needs to be done to complete Effort (Hours) value in the Duration (Days) time frame.

  • Fixed Duration: If you modify the value in the Duration (Days) field, the Effort (Hours) value will be updated based on the original values and how much the Duration has been changed. (For example: A task with a Duration of 5 days and 40 hours effort, if you update the Duration to 10 days the effort will update to 80 hours effort) If you add Resources to the task the Units % of these resources will be calculated to show the velocity of work that needs to be done to complete Effort (Hours) value in the Duration (Days) time frame.

This image explains what is calculated when each of the Task Types are selected.

Locking of Tasks

Tasks within Altus can be locked.

This can be a manual process (i.e. a Project Manager entering the task form and updating the locked field)

An image of the Task form with the locked field visible.

Or this could be automated by a process (e.g. Power Automate, Business Logic, Integration of a External Tool ala Project Online)

When a task is locked, this will drive certain behaviours within the timesheet module.

  • If a task has been locked the timesheet module will not add the Task to the Timesheet by default nor will it be able to be chosen manually by the user.
  • If a task has already been added to the timesheet module, it will now show with a locked icon and be non-editable.
  • If a locked task has already been added to the timesheet with values against it, the user won’t be able to submit their timesheet until these values against the locked task are removed.
    • The user can clear these values using the Clear Locked Rows button.
    • Once the values are removed the timesheet can be submitted.

The timesheet module showing locked tasks.

Task rollup

When managing tasks for a project directly within Altus (e.g. your project has no associated primary external project), some schedule data is rolled up and populated into your project metadata whenever the Task schedule is updated. Whenever the schedule is saved, a Task Rollup action is triggered for the project, and that action will:

  • Populate the project Finish date with the finish date of the task that is scheduled to finish last.
  • Populate the Effort (Total), Effort Completed and Effort Remaining fields with the respective sum of values from the tasks.
  • Calculate % Complete value for the project (based on Effort Completed / Effort (Total) * 100).
  • Set the Last Sync Date to the current date and time (UTC).
  • Lock the above fields to reflect that the values in them are calculated and have not been manually entered.

The Task Rollup function will also be called if an External Project reference is removed from a project (if that project has Altus Tasks associated with it) to restore the alignment of these fields to the task schedule (and no longer the external project).

For users with the Altus Admin User role, Task Rollup sync logs appear in the Sync Logs section of the Settings area of the Altus app.

Task Indenting and Outdenting Behaviour

To structure the Tasks within your project you can use the Indent and Outdent feature within Altus Tasks. The Indent and Outdent button share the same location on the toolbar, so, depending what task you have selected you will see the relevant button for that task.

Note: Tasks can only be Indented and Outdented individually, you cannot use this button if you have multiple tasks selected.

  • Indent: When you use this button the task will indent your task within the same position within the list.

The Task app showing how tasks Indent.

  • Outdent: When you use this button the task will outdent. If it is in the middle of an Indented section it will drop bellow that section and you may need to reorder your tasks.

The Task app showing how tasks Outdent.

Timesheet to Task Actuals

Please see here

Software boundaries and limits

See Task LImits

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