Components of project workbench

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
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    Summary of Components of Project Workbench

    The project workbench in ServiceNow's Strategic Portfolio Management provides a visual interface to manage project information effectively. It consists of a top pane for project visualization and a bottom pane for detailed phase information, which can be displayed in either a list view or a visual task board. The interface adjusts to browser height, adding scroll bars as necessary.

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    Key Features

    • Header Controls: The header includes buttons such as Back, Select Project, Add Phase, Apply Template, Manage Stories, List View, and Visual Task Board (VTB), allowing users to navigate and manage project details efficiently.
    • Project Timeline: The top pane displays a timeline with monthly or quarterly markers, project name, percentage complete, start and end dates, phases, and milestones. Phases are represented by horizontal bars, while milestones are shown as colored circles.
    • Phase Representation: Each project phase is depicted by a bar linked to its start date, with colors indicating completion percentage based on the phase type: Waterfall, Agile, or Test.
    • Milestones: Important project dates are marked with colored circles, which can be dragged to update their dates within the project timeline's boundaries.
    • Detail View: The bottom pane displays detailed information about the selected phase, including tasks for Waterfall phases, stories for Agile phases, and test cases for Test phases. Users can toggle between list view and visual task board formats.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the project workbench, ServiceNow customers can effectively visualize project timelines, manage different phase types, track progress through completion percentages, and update milestone information seamlessly. This structured approach enhances project management efficiency and provides clear insights into project status, enabling better resource allocation and project execution.

    The project workbench displays project information in two distinct areas. The top pane displays the project visualization, and the bottom pane displays phase details in a list view or visual task board. There is also a header above the workbench that includes several buttons and controls.

    The project workbench scales to fit the available browser height. If necessary, scroll bars are added to display the workbench details.

    Header

    The header is a gray bar that runs across the top of the project workbench.

    The first time a user accesses the project workbench from the Project menu, the header displays the following components:

    After a project is opened, the header displays additional components, depending on the type of project selected.
    • Back (screenshot for back icon): takes the user to the Project form to view the project details.
    • Select Project: displays the current project name. Click the down arrow to select a new project.
    • Add phase icon (screenshot for Add phase icon): adds a phase or milestone to the timeline.
    • Apply Template: opens a dialog box for setting a start date and adding a template to the project. This button appears for new or blank projects that have no phases.
    • Manage Stories: under the Options icon (screenshot for Options icon) displays the story backlog for this project.
    • List: under the Options icon (screenshot for Options icon) displays additional details in list view about the currently selected phase. This button appears if a project has one or more phases.
    • VTB: under the Options icon (screenshot for Options icon) displays additional details in the Visual Task Board about the currently selected phase. This button appears if a project has one or more phases.

    Timeline

    The top pane of the project workbench displays the project timeline. The timeline uses monthly or quarterly markers to represent time. If the duration of a project is less than 500 days, these markers represent months and if the duration is greater than 500 days, these markers represent quarters.

    The project timeline displays the following project information:
    • Project name: the name assigned to the project. Point to the project name to see a message about the project date calculation method used for this project.
    • Percentage complete: the percentage of the project that has been completed. This percentage is based on the duration and the percentage complete of the individual phases.
    • Project start and end dates: the dates specified in the Planned start date and Planned end date fields for this project.
    • Project phases: colored bars that represent the different phases of the project.
    • Milestones: colored and dynamic circles on the timeline that represent important dates in the project life cycle.
    Phases in timeline

    A project phase is represented in the timeline by a horizontal bar. The bar is connected to the timeline by a thin vertical line that indicates the phase start date. The name of the phase appears just above the horizontal bar. Project phases are stacked in the timeline by start date, phase, and the earliest start date appearing at the top. If there are phases than can fit on the timeline, a scroll bar appears on the right side.

    The color of the horizontal bar changes incrementally to reflect the completion percentage of the phase. The percentage completion is calculated based on the phase type:
    • Waterfall: includes project tasks. The completion percentage is based on the number of project tasks that have been completed.
    • Agile: includes stories. The completion percentage is based on the number of story points that have been completed.
    • Test: includes test cases. The completion percentage is based on the number of test cases that have been completed.
    The available phases depend on how Project Management is installed. When Project Management is installed as a standalone app, the project manager can only create and edit the Waterfall phase type. When Project Management is installed as part of the Project Portfolio Management (PPS), the project manager can create and edit all phase types (Waterfall, Agile, and Test).

    When you point to a phase, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand and a pop-up window displays the phase name and the start and end dates. Clicking a phase in the timeline displays the corresponding task information in the bottom pane of the project workbench.

    Note:
    • The Add Agile Phase option is available only for Agile and Hybrid projects. You must also have the Agile Development 2.0 plugin installed.
    • You can add multiple agile phases and multiple test phases to a project.
    • You can add only one test phase for a test plan in a project. You must have the Test Management plugin installed to view the Add Test Phase option.
    • An agile phase cannot overlap another agile phase for an assignment group in a project.
    • While creating a story, if a project has only one phase, then the story is tagged to the phase.
    Milestones in timeline

    Milestones indicate important dates in a project and are represented along the timeline by colored circles. Three colors are available for milestones: green, yellow, and red. The project manager determines how the colors are used.

    Pointing to a milestone changes the cursor from an arrow to a hand and displays a pop-up window with the short description and planned start date.

    Click a milestone to update the milestone information. You can also drag a milestone along the timeline to change the date. Milestones can be dragged to any point on the timeline within the boundaries of the project start and end dates.

    Detail view

    The bottom pane of the project workbench displays detailed information for the phase currently selected in the timeline. The information displayed varies by the phase type selected:
    • Waterfall: displays the project tasks associated with the phase.
    • Agile: displays the stories assigned to the phase.
    • Test: displays the test cases for the testing phase.
    Information in the bottom pane can be displayed in list view or in a visual task board. The List and VTB buttons in the Project Workbench header control how this information is displayed.