Summary
The following are questions and answers regarding managing capacity and entering actual time in TeamDynamix for the purpose of Capacity Management.
Questions
Q1: In Workspaces, when I add resources by group, will employees added to the group later be automatically added to the workspace?
Q2: Does the project manager or the resource manager plan the time that a staff member is spending on a project?
Q3: Do Managers need to track their time too?
Q4: How will staff members be trained to manage their time?
Q5: Does time need to be recorded in a consistent manner across all of ET&S?
Q6: Does staff need to submit their time after entering it? Must managers approve time reports?
Q7: I’m worried about the amount of time my team will spend entering time. How granular does the time entry have to be?
Q8: Is it possible to bulk-approve time submissions for my team?
Q9: Should everyone keep to forty hours each week?
Q10: Is the Capacity Management Training recorded?
Q11: Is time projected and recorded on all projects “project work” time type?
Q12: If someone on my team will be out for an extended period, how do I manage that time?
Q13: Should I create a workspace for each team or for an entire service line?
Q14: How does a manager track their own time?
Q15: Can a card wall be used instead of a waterfall project?
Q16: Is there a way to schedule a resource placeholder if I do not yet know who will be assigned to the project?
Q17: HR Policy states that we cannot submit time for our direct reports. How does this square with our ability to submit the time report on behalf of a direct report in TeamDynamix?
Q18: We have had to manage time in the past, but nothing was done with the data. Is this added effort going to be worth our while?
Q19: What is the timeline for Capacity Management? When will we be required to start forecasting and logging time?
Answers
A1 - In Workspaces, when I add resources by group, will employees added to the group later be automatically added to the workspace?
No, Managers will have to manually add new employees to their workspace(s).
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A2: Does the project manager or the resource manager plan the time that a staff member is spending on a project?
The project manager can schedule the resource and the resource manager can request changes to that schedule.
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A3: Do Managers need to track their time too?
Yes.
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A4: How will staff members be trained to manage their time?
Team members can learn to use the My Work area of TeamDynamix to enter their time in any of the following ways:
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A5: Does time need to be recorded in a consistent manner across all of ET&S?
While there needs to be some foundational similarity, the time should be recorded in a way that fits the needs of the service line or team. If the time reported is an accurate representation of where the time is being spent, there is flexibility with respect to granularity and practice.
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A6: Does staff need to submit their time after entering it? Must managers approve time reports?
For ET&S capacity planning purposes, the act of submitting and approving time is not required. However, for teams who have not had to report time in the past, this requirement is a good reminder to complete the time entry each week. Additionally, service line leaders are accountable for accuracy, so the review process gives them an opportunity to review the data and whether it has been updated each week by their team members.
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A7: I’m worried about the amount of time my team will spend entering time. How granular does the time entry have to be?
It is fine to estimate actual time in as large as 1-hour increments. Some other time saving tips are:
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Put weekly hours spent on a project or workspace time all in one day of that week
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Entering time daily is a quick task, whereas waiting a few days and trying to remember can make it take much longer
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A8: Is it possible to bulk-approve time submissions for my team?
Unfortunately, no.
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A9: Should everyone keep to forty hours each week?
It is important that we have an accurate view of our capacity. If people are working more than forty hours, that needs to be captured.
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A10: Is the Capacity Management Training recorded?
Yes. To view a recording of the TeamDynamix Capacity Management Training video, click here.
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A11: Is time projected and recorded on all projects “project work” time type?
No. This is new in TeamDynamix as of June 1st. There will be two (only two) types of projects. Time spent on operational projects will utilize time type “operational”
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ET&S Projects – used for a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result with defined scope, resources, and schedule. Time Type = project
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ET&S Operational Activities – used for on-going, lights-on activities generally conducted within a single department. Does not produce a new capability, service, or product but often maintains service continuity. Time Type = Operational
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A12: If someone on my team will be out for an extended period, how do I manage that time?
As a manager, you can set your team’s schedule accordingly. For the person who has the time off, they may enter their time off either before their leave or upon return.
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A13: Should I create a workspace for each team or for an entire service line?
Create one workspace for the whole service line. You can have co-owners if you want to share responsibility for managing it. You will just have to stay coordinated.
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A14: How does a manager track their own time?
Managers can be in the same workspace with the team. Everyone will have a skillset assigned, so we have that data if we need to carve out the manager’s work, but just as we’ve done for our quarterly capacity planning, we include the managers. Manager-related time is usually type Administrative or Operational because that’s the nature of a manager’s work, but that may also include project work. There’s nothing prohibitive about carving out a separate workspace. Data will be reviewed by resource pool.
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A15: Can a card wall be used instead of a waterfall project?
Of course! A cardwall, a waterfall, or even both can be used within the same project. Remember that you can also record time at the project level instead of the plan level if you prefer. It is an option in the project settings.
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A16: Is there a way to schedule a resource placeholder if I do not yet know who will be assigned to the project?
Yes. Each resource pool has a phantom resource named similarly to the pool (Ie. Phantom ET&S LTD). Those resources have 0 capacity but can be scheduled within projects as a placeholder until it is known which resource will be assigned.
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A17: HR Policy states that we cannot submit time for our direct reports. How does this square with our ability to submit the time report on behalf of a direct report in TeamDynamix?
The time recorded in TeamDynamix is not attached to payment of salaries and is not related to Kronos. It is merely a numeric calculation of time for use in determining capacity for ET & S projects and operations.
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A18: We have had to manage time in the past, but nothing was done with the data. Is this added effort going to be worth our while?
Capacity Management will standardize a process that Orchestrators have been doing manually for some time now. The forecasting and logging of time in TeamDynamix will allow for a more accurate assessment so that more informed decisions can be made regarding our capacity to handle new work.
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A19: What is the timeline for Capacity Management? When will we be required to start forecasting and logging time?
The goal is for Capacity Management to be an accurate measurement of the work that ET&S does and can do by the beginning of FY2024. Teams should start entering time immediately. On July 1, the reminders to submit time will be turned on so that the process can be monitored and audited for the upcoming quarter.
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Further Readings
TeamDynamix (TDx) will be used as the tool for capacity planning, leveraging projects, workspaces, and tickets based on the nature of your team’s work. There are two essential components to capacity planning: scheduling resources & capturing actual time. This is a procedural guide for ET&S capacity management.
TeamDynamix Project creation fields mandatory for ET&S, Research Computing Center, and Academic Technology
Managing capacity helps us to understand the workload so that we can assess our capability to handle new requests. TeamDynamix has tools for managing Capacity. This document is a reference scheduling time and and actual time reporting using the Workspaces, Projects, My Work, and Reports tools within TeamDynamix.
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