Work Item Types

Use the Investment Type tab to add, manage, and maintain all of the work item types that are used by your organization. Only active work item types can be used. Only work item types flagged as creatable will be available to users when they create new items; this option can help your organization establish an effective process around how items are created, and then transitioned into other work item types after they have been approved.

The Investment Type tab contains five tabs: Properties, Attributes, Containment, Set Views, and Breakeven Attributes.

The Properties tab lets you enter information that is unique to that investemtnt type, such as its name, an associated icon, and color, and global information that is available to this work item type when it is used in your organization's portfolio, such as its work type, whether resources can self-allocate or self-assign themselves to this item, and so on. The Properties tab contains the following elements:

Name The name of the work item type.
System Name The XML name for the work item type; the system name is generated automatically.
Icon The icon used to represent the work item type.
Color The color used to represent the work item type when it appears in the Timeline view or in a resource's timesheet (when they have enabled timesheet colors).
Active Indicates whether the work item type is an active work item type. Only active work item types can be selected from a list that contains work item types.
Creatable Indicates whether the work item type can be chosen while creating new items in the Projects module or when working with a work item request page. Use this option in conjunction with workflow transitions to limit the types of items users can initially create (and from which it can be transitioned to other work item types).
None Default. This option prevents resource allocations and resource assignments for this work item type. A work item type that is created from this work item type is often used as a container for other work item types.
Task-based A task-based work item type is one where resources can be assigned or allocated to individual tasks or a work item and where time can be tracked against an assignment. An allocation can be inherited. A resource may be allowed to self-allocate or self-assign themself to a task or to a work item. A task, once completed, can be locked by project managers for time tracking. Once saved, this option cannot be changed later.
Activity-based An activity-based work item type is one where time can be tracked against an allocation. An allocation can be inherited. A resource may be allowed to self-allocate themself to a task or to a work item. Once saved, this option cannot be changed later.
Inherit Allocations Indicates whether a task-based or activity-based work item type can have an allocation made directly to it. When this option is selected, the work item type will inherit a resource allocation from the first parent item type in the hierarchy to which an allocation may be made. Time may still be entered, but that time will be applied to the inherited allocation.
Timesheet Disabled Indicates whether timesheets are unavailable for this work item type. This option removes all timesheet links and all timesheet related actions, such as Pull in Timesheet Actuals. This option is available only for task-based and activity-based items.
Lock Completed Assignments Indicates whether users will be able to submit time against an assignment after that assignment has been locked by a project manager. This is a global setting for any work item of this type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.
Self Allocate Indicates whether a resource can allocate themself to a work item type. This is a global setting for any work item of this work item type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.
Self Assign Indicates whether a resource can assign themself to a work item type. This is a global setting for any work item of this work item type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.

The Attributes tab displays all of the attributes that can be associated with the work item type. The full list of available attributes are in the left column and the attributes that are associated with the work item type are in the right column. To move an attribute between columns, select it and click the arrow that points to the other column. Hold down the CTRL key while selecting attributes to move more than one at a time.

The Containment tab displays all of the possible parent and child work item types. This determines the possible locations a work item can appear in the work item hierarchy; a work item can only be created under a valid parent work item and a work item can only have valid children created underneath it. A portfolio can only be a child work item type of a portfolio.

The Set Views tab lets you select the views that will be associated with the work item type. Custom summary views that have been created in the View Designer will be available; the default summary view is Summary.

The Breakeven Attributes tab is used to associate timephased attributes with a work item type. Breakeven attributes are displayed in the Breakeven chart associated with this work item type. You can specify a positive and a negative breakeven attribute.

Activating a work item type

If a work item type is inactive, you can reactivate it so that it can be used when creating new items.

To activate a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Choose a work item type.
Select Active.
Click Save.

Adding a work item type

Add a new work item type. The task- and activity-based work type options allow resources to be allocated to the work item type, but once the work type option is set to task-based or activity-based, it cannot be changed.

To add a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Click New.
Name the work item type. Select an icon and/or a color to which the work item type will be associated.
Select Active to make this work item type available; only active work item type can be used to create new items.
Select Creatable to make this work item type available in the New Investment dialog box and in the Investment Type list on a work item request page. Use this option to limit the type of items users can create.
Under Work Type, select the work type option: None, Task-based, or Activity-based. Resources can only be allocated against task- or activity-based items. Once saved, the work type for a work item cannot be changed.
Select Inherit Allocations to have task and work item assignments be made based on other task-based work item types in the work item hierarchy. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Timesheet Disabled to disable the timesheet for this work item type. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Lock Completed Assignments to prevent team members from submitting time on assignments when the associated task has been marked as complete by a project manager. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Self Assign to allow team members to assign themselves to tasks or a work item in items created from this work item type. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Self Allocate to allow team members to allocate themselves to tasks or a work item in items created from this work item type. This option is available for any task- and activity-based work type.
On the Attributes tab, move the attributes you want to be associated with this work item type to the right column. Required attributes cannot be removed.
On the Containment tab, select the work item type's parent and child work item types.
On the Set Views tab, associate the views that will be available in the Projects module when team members are working on this work item.
On the Breakeven Attributes tab, select the positive and negative attributes that will be used to generate a Breakeven chart in the Financials view.
Click Save.

Deleting a work item type

A work item type can be deleted as long as it is not being used by an existing work item. If a work item type is being used (or may be used again) by a work item, you should inactivate it.

To delete a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Select a work item type and click Delete.

Editing a work item type

Find a work item type on the Investment Type tab of the Types Setup tab, make the changes that need to be made, and then click Save.

To edit a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Make your changes.
Click Save.

Inactivating a work item type

A work item type can be inactivated. This prevents them being available whenever lists of work item types are used and it helps preserve historical data associated with that work item type.

To inactivate a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Under Investment Types, select a work item type.
De-select Active.
Click Save.

Limiting availability for new investments

Use the Creatable check box when adding or modifying work item types. If the Creatable check box is enabled, then the work item type will be an option to users when they create new items.

To limit work item type availability for new items

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Create or select the work item type that you do not want to be available to users when creating new items.
De-select Creatable.
Click Save.

Viewing a work item type

Item types are shown on the Investment Type tab in the Types Setup tab.

To view a work item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Customization.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Select the work item type in the list.