Administering Lists

Lists are preconfigured dropdown fields which can be customized in ResourceFirst. This article shows you how.

Overview

In ResourceFirst, Lists are another word for “dropdown fields.” For instance, the Sponsors list will allow users to select from a list of predefined project sponsors.

How Lists Are Organized

Lists in ResourceFirst can be created and edited in Administration. Lists can be found in the following Administration menu areas:

System

Project Lists

Resource Lists

Financial Lists

Agile

Other

Each List will be discussed in this article.

How To

Add or Delete List Items

Step 1: To access List administration, click Administration and then find the appropriate submenu (the menu/list structure is addressed in the Overview section above).

Step 2: Select the list you wish to view/edit from the choices of submenus/lists. This is an example of a Location list:

Note: Each list has a set of standard list attributes (e.g., an Active flag to make a list item active or inactive, a Partition if the list item is only for a specific partition, Last Modified by/on). Some lists have additional unique attributes (such as Country in the Location list below). See List Management – Visibility and Partitions below for more on the Active flag and Partitions.  

Step 3: On the appropriate List page, edit or add list items as needed.  The page toolbar in the upper left of each list page allows for adding and deleting list items, and more.

The icons are as follows:

Add  button – Add a new list item.

Trash Can  (Delete) button – Delete the selected list item(s).

Reload  button – Reload the page

Export button – Export the page to an Excel spreadsheet

Import button – Import list items from an Excel spreadsheet

Step 4: Click the Save icon in the upper right.

Standard Lists vs. User Defined Fields

Lists are standard system lists, with the sole exception of the User Defined Fields list, which allows for defining list items for User Defined Fields (UDFs).

There is a subtle, but important distinction between them in how the system operates.

Since the standard system lists are fully relational, any modifications, such as revisions to a list value name (e.g., changing an overhead item from “consulting” to “general support”) or adding a new list value (e.g., adding a sponsor or a new skill), will automatically update any instances or dropdowns on views or forms throughout the database that reference that list.

However, similar changes to a UDF list value name will NOT automatically update and will require manually reselecting from the list on the appropriate views or forms to synchronize.

List Management – Visibility and Partitions

For most lists, you have the option of having each list item active and/or designated to a specific partition. For example, in the list of Locations above, certain locations could be made available only in a specific partition (see Using Partitions for more on partitions). You can only choose one partition per list item. Likewise, any list item could be made inactive by unchecking the Active box.

When making list changes or additions, it is a good practice to refresh your browser if you are going to immediately use the lists in views or forms.

List Definitions

Below are the available lists.

System Lists

UDF (User Defined Field) Lists

ResourceFirst comes with many User Defined Fields, in each of the Resources, Projects and Assignments areas. They are initially named Field1, Field2, etc., but can be renamed to suit your purpose in Administering Column Headings. Once a particular UDF field is renamed for a given purpose, you may want to create a list of valid values for that field in the form of a dropdown list.

Step 1: To define lists for User Defined Fields, go to Admin > System > User Defined Lists

Note: User Defined Lists that are updated or modified will not automatically propagate to occurrences of that list in views or forms throughout ResourceFirst. You must go to those instances and reselect the list for any changes to take effect.

Step 2: Select a List type to see UDF lists for that respective type (Resource, Project, Assignment, Event, or Team).

Step 3: To add a new list for a User Defined field, click the symbol in the left pane. You will be presented with a dialog with a dropdown of available User Defined Fields.

[Reminder: UDFs are defined in Administration > Column Headings].

Step 4: Select your UDF field, then click Add in the dialog,

Step 5: Define the list items in the User Defined List Details pane on the right. Click the “+” icon in the right pane to add list items. Specify the Order in which the list items should appear and assign a Partition and Active flag as desired. To delete one or more list times, click the check box next to the item(s) and click the Delete (trash can) icon.

[Note: If you delete an entire list, the system will ask you if you also want to clear the values from any system records that are using any of the list’s items (e.g., “Delete and Clear All”).]

When importing data, an invalid UDF list value CAN be imported and will appear in the record. However, if the user then edits the cell, the incorrect value does not appear in the list. Pressing the Enter key clears the value. Or, to maintain the imported value without editing, click the ESC button.

Project Lists

Project lists are as follows:

Each list is described below.

Domains

This list can be used to identify various business platforms or domains. Targets can be set for each business, which can be used in advanced portfolio reporting. Below is an example.

Sponsors

This list shows the business sponsor of each project.

Categories

Project categories are used in some dashboards and views. This list can be used however you wish to break down your project portfolio. The image below is merely representative of one potential use.

Domain (which some customers rename to Platform) is another such list, which can be used along with Category (or completely independent of it) for an additional or alternative classification of work. Domain allows for a target effort percentage for use in portfolio analysis.

States (aka Project State)

This designates the various Project stages (i.e., states) that a project may go through in its lifecycle. This is used in reports and in defining lifecycle workflows. Example states are shown in the image below. Note that you can change the names, specify the order, delete items, or add new items.

You can also lock assignments or actuals (time tracking) during individual states as desired by clicking the appropriate check box.

Lock Assignments: On a project with a Project State set to a state that is locked for assignments (such as Complete, Canceled, or Closed in the screenshot above), labor and financial forecasts and actuals are locked.

Lock Actual: This is most often used on a project with a Project State that should be locked for time tracking (such as Complete, Canceled, or Closed projects). Timesheets cannot be entered when in a state where Lock Actual is checked.

For more on the types of data locks available in ResourceFirst, see Data Locking in ResourceFirst.

Codes

A code is a project classification that can be used at your discretion to distinguish different types of projects or any classification of a project. The image below is merely a representative example. Organizations may use this field to represent different business functions, cost codes, or any other method that can help in analysis or reporting.

Phases and Milestones

This list allows for creating default phases and milestones that can be used for projects. These defaults appear in drop-down lists when assigning phases and milestones to projects, though the user can create their own phase and milestone names on the fly as well.

To add a phase or milestone to the list, simply click the symbol at the top left.  Specify a type (P for Phase or M for Milestone). Assign a sequential abbreviation, beginning with P for phase or M for milestone (e.g. P1, P2, M1, M2, etc.). The system uses that internally to match project phase and milestone dates and status to the phases and milestones on the status report.

Rank Fields, Lists, and Formulas

For details on ranking and maintaining these lists, see Setting Up Scoring and Ranking Criteria.

 

Resource Lists

Resource lists are as follows:

Each list is described below.

Skills

This list is used to define the skills that will be used for resource and skill assignments. It’s best to keep this within a reasonable amount for ease of reporting and adding assignments. Too few and it’ll be tough to zero in on the right resources. Too many and reports will get convoluted. A good way to determine the roughly right level of skills is to think about what skills a project manager would say he/she needs to successfully execute the project.

Note that one approach to assigning cost and bill rates is to assign rates for each skill. This is also useful for posting labor cost for skill assignments.

Also, note that there are seven generic fields you can use as you wish for custom reporting purposes:

Proficiencies

This list defines proficiencies that are featured on the Skills Matrix in the Resource area and can be used in reporting.

Countries

Countries can be defined, which are used in Resource Data and Assignments. In addition, a Geographic Region can be defined, which can be used in advanced reporting, as well as a currency for the country (which comes from the Currencies list in the Financial lists (see below). Thus, it makes sense to set up the Currencies list before creating the Countries list.

Locations

This is where you can set up Resource/Assignment Locations. The Locations field can be used in tandem with Skill Required and Assignment Organization to sharpen the focus on where skill needs must be filled. You must also specify which country the location is associated with. Thus, the Country list should be completed first.

The order in which the location-related lists must be set up are:

1. Currencies (if applicable)
2. Countries
3. Locations

Don’t forget to click the Save button in the upper right after adding or changing data.

Cost Categories

This list can be used to set up cost and bill rates for various types of resources (e.g., contractors, employees, temps, etc.) along with regional differences, or to define resource cost centers. Each resource can be assigned to a Cost Category. Costs are in U.S. Dollars.

Financial Lists

Financial lists are as follows:

Each list is described below.

Cost Items

The Cost Items list is used to define items that will appear on the financial budget. For each cost item, specify a Cost Item Category (these are defined in the Cost Item Category list, so that list should be completed first). To add a new cost item, click the + symbol on the upper left.  A cost rate and bill rate can also be specified, as well as an External flag (if the item is imported from an external system) and the Order in which the item should appear in dropdown lists.

Cost Item Categories

Cost Item Categories can be defined here, which are used when creating financial items.

If using financials, you MUST have Labor as a Cost Item Category and as a Cost Item for the posting to occur, whether labor posting is manual or automatic. The Capital and Expense are not required per se but recommended as best practice defaults. Other cost item categories are optional.

Currencies

See Managing Currencies for details on adding currencies.

Rate Matrix

See Administering the Rate Table for details on maintaining the rate matrix.

Asset Types

Asset types can be defined, which can be used in asset reporting. Project costs can be tied to various assets. Software applications can also be defined for application lifecycle management, or to determine the cost of development and maintenance by application.

Agile Lists

Agile lists are as follows:

Each list is described below:

Feature Types

Feature Types can be defined for use with Agile features. The image below shows a representative example:

Feature States

Feature States can be defined for use with Agile features, along with optional colors for each type. This would define the stages that your Agile features go through.

Other Lists

Other lists are as follows:

Each list is described below.

 

Pulse

The Pulse Engine allows for defining scripts for various system functions pertaining to business rules and notifications.

See Using the Pulse Engine for more details on this feature.

Baselines

This is not a “list” per se, but more of an audit trail for reference for administrators. The system will log here any baselines that have been taken, along with their criteria. This is also the only place where baselines can be deleted.

 

Assignment States

Assignment States can be defined and specifies the order in which “Allocate First” assignments should be allocated. In the example below, Committed assignments would be allocated first, before Soft Booked assignments. Beyond this, allocations would be processed according to the Allocation Algorithm as defined in Admin > Settings > Algorithms.

The “order” defined for each of the assignment states determines which order they would appear in any dropdown lists.  The order is also used to determine in which order multiple assignment states flagged as “Allocate First” should be allocated.

You can also lock any assignment state from updating when an assignment is in that state. For more on Assignment States in the allocation process, see Allocation Analysis.

Locked: On an assignment with an Assignment State set to locked (such as “Locked” in the screenshot below), labor and financial forecasts and actuals are locked. For more on the types of data locks available in ResourceFirst, see Data Locking in ResourceFirst.

Event Types

Project Risks and Issues are two types of events that can and should be defined. Other event types can also be created, such as Outcomes, Facilities, External Events, or more.

For each event type, you can specify the sort order and customize which fields appear and what they should be called for that type. There are also 50 additional placeholder fields that you can use for whatever purpose you wish. These additional fields can be defined in Admin > System > Fields under the type Events. If you need any of them to be dropdown lists, you can also define the list items in User Defined Lists (described above) under the Events type.

Don’t forget to click the save button in the upper right after making your changes.

Scenario Status

This is used to define statuses that can be used in project scenarios.

For each scenario status, you can lock the forecast and/or project data for scenarios in that status.

Lock Project Data: For a scenario with a Scenario Status that is locked for project data, projects cannot be added to or updated in the scenario.

Lock Forecast: For a scenario with a Scenario Status that is locked for forecast data, labor and financial forecasts cannot be added to or updated in the scenario.

For more on the types of data locks available in ResourceFirst, see Data Locking in ResourceFirst.

 

Baseline Types

Baseline types can be defined that will appear in the dropdown when creating baselines.

 

Overhead

This is where you can keep track of various types of overhead (such as Jury Duty, Sick Leave, Vacation, etc.), for use in time reporting. For actual working time that may be considered overhead (e.g., town meetings, general admin, etc.), a common approach is to create an annual project that contains each overhead item. Most organizations use the project approach for working time (e.g., consulting, admin, etc.) and the Overhead category for time off (e.g., vacation, sick leave, etc.).