New Planned Effort Hierarchy

New: Planned values follow a clear hierarchy, starting with the project budget and flowing through the list planned effort down to the effort of tasks and subtasks. Subtasks consume the planned effort of their respective parent task, which means no more double counting. The comparison between planned and logged effort is visible and traceable at all levels in Project > Time.

For existing workspaces, there's temporarily an option available to disable the new logic.


Main advantages and use cases

  • No double counting by "consuming" along the hierarchy instead of adding

  • Transparent comparison of planned and logged effort at all levels in Project > Time

  • Flexible planning approach through top-down distribution or bottom-up derivation


How the new planned effort hierarchy works

How it used to work

  • Each task had a planned value; there was no connection between parent and subtasks

  • Planned values were added up; the sum gave you the total planned time for the project

How it works now

  • Planned effort is "consumed" along the hierarchy, not added

  • Subtasks always relate to the planned effort of the parent task and consume their share from it

  • Project > Time shows at each level what's planned, distributed to subtasks, and logged

Tip: If you want to understand why totals are changing, first check whether subtasks have "pulled" planned effort from the parent task.


How to set planned values in awork

What you see when setting a planned value

When you set a planned value, you'll see two displays:

  • Available (Top-down): Shows how much planned effort is still free at the higher level

  • Assigned (Bottom-up): Shows the planned values already used in the lower-level structure

This way you can either distribute from the total planned effort downward or derive from your detailed planning upward.

Impact on workload

For parent tasks, only the portion that hasn't yet been distributed to subtasks counts toward workload.

Manual distribution is possible: you can set an individual workload value per person, even if it differs from the task's planned value (for example, if you mainly plan using parent tasks).

KPIs

There are fewer, clearer KPI blocks in task and project details. The "Planned vs. Logged" widget consistently follows the hierarchy (no double counting).

Temporarily disable this feature

Existing workspaces can turn off the hierarchical evaluation in workspace settings temporarily.

This option has an expiration date. We recommend switching over in the medium term to permanently avoid double counting.


FAQ

Why is there no more double counting?

Because subtasks "consume" the planned effort of their parent task, rather than planned values from parent and subtasks being added together.

Where can I see planned vs. logged at different levels?

In Project > Time, you can see at each level what's planned, distributed to subtasks, and logged.

What do "Available" and "Assigned" mean?

Available shows how much planned effort is still free at the higher level (Top-down). Assigned shows the planned values already used in the lower-level structure (Bottom-up).

How does this change affect workload?

For parent tasks, only the portion that hasn't yet been distributed to subtasks counts toward workload. You can also set an individual workload value per person, even if it differs from the task's planned value.

Can I disable the new logic?

Yes. For existing workspaces, there's temporarily an option to turn off the hierarchical evaluation in workspace settings.

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