How to: Track non-project hours in Agility

This feature is available in all editions

Question

We would like to track non-project hours (leave, other, support) using Lifecycle. What would be the best way to set these buckets up?

Answer

The easiest way is to use a separate project and load the non-project-related hours into that project.

The most common scenario is for teams to not track non-project hours because those hours are minimal in relation to the remainder of the work. Of those teams who do track outside hours, most use a separate project. This provides an easy method to include/exclude as necessary just by using the project tree selections.

If you want to be able to easily roll up within the project, you can set up a the project tree as follows:

• Project Rollup project
  • Active Project Work project
  • Non-Project Time project

This allows you to select the rollup level for a single view that includes the non-project effort, or to just select the active level to view actual project work only. In most cases, it would be appropriate to define the sprint schedule at the rollup level so that your rollups always fall along the same timelines.

Each person with time away can create a task in the sprint to account for their away time.

Your reporting needs can drive whether you choose to distinguish the reason for the time away. Options include separating by:

• Backlog Groups, which allows filtering
• Stories/Backlog Items predefined for each sprint/iteration (e.g. Vacation, Training, etc.)
• Use the person's name as the task title (e.g., Lee's Vacation)