Project Issues and Thresholds

In this chapter

Adding Issues

Assigning Tracking Layouts to Issues

Using the Issue Navigator

Adding Thresholds

Threshold Parameter Definitions

Monitoring Thresholds

Assigning Tracking Layouts to Thresholds

Issues are known problems within a project plan that require attention or corrective action. You can manually create issues and you can generate issues automatically by defining project thresholds. You can associate these issues with work breakdown structure (WBS) elements, activities, or resources.

Create a threshold by selecting a parameter, such as start date variance; setting a lower threshold value for the threshold, such as –2 days; and applying the threshold to a specific WBS element, or area, of your project plan. After you define a threshold, the module monitors and generates the threshold’s issues for you.

This chapter describes how to add issues and thresholds and use them to help you manage your projects.

You can group and sort issues by various detail items, such as project, EPS, or WBS. Click the Display Options bar, then choose Group and Sort By.

Use the Date Identified and Resolution Date fields to track how long an issue is open and how long it took to resolve closed issues.

The issue status is automatically set to Open; the priority is set to Normal. Change these fields as required.

You can only modify fields in the Details tab for issues you have added; these fields are Read-Only if the issues are generated by a monitoring threshold.

Define an issue’s details and add notes Choose Project, Issues. Click the Details tab, then type the issue’s actual (numeric) value in the Actual Value field. To associate the issue with a WBS element other than the root WBS element, click the Browse button in the Applies to WBS field and select the element. You can also associate the issue with a resource or activity.

To enter additional information about the issue, click the Notes tab, then type your notes. You can use HTML editing features, which include formatting text, inserting pictures, copying and pasting information from other document files (while retaining formatting), and adding hyperlinks.

If the threshold monitor generated the selected issue, the parameter name is listed in the Threshold Parameter field in the Details tab.

To change the list of recipients, click the Display Options bar on the Assign Recipients dialog box, and choose Resources or Users.

Send e-mail about an issue In the Project Issues window or the Issue Navigator dialog box (choose Tools, Issue Navigator), select the issue about which you want to send e-mail, then click Notify. To specify the individuals to whom you want to send e-mail, click Add. Choose Select Recipient from a Dialog to select a recipient from a list of resources or users, click OK, then select a recipient from the Assign Recipients dialog box. Click the Assign button. To remove a recipient from the recipient list, select the recipient, then click Remove.