Project Alert rule details

This topic details each of the available project alert rules when creating Project Alerts.

 

Project Alerts allow a project manager to set specific time, cost or expense targets for projects and automatically receive e-mails when targets have been reached. Project Alerts can be established to trigger on absolute values or on a relative percentage of a budget. Trigger categories include: budgeted hours, total hours, client costs, company costs, billable time and non-billable time.

 

 

How project alerts can be automatically retriggered is explained at the bottom of this topic.

 

 

 

 

 

Actual Hours reach ...

Used to monitor the number of actual hours (submitted and approved).

 

When actual hours are equal to (or greater than) a specified number of hours.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Hours reach 120.00 hours

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if the project's total number of actual hours is equal or greater than 120 hours.

Actual Hours ≥ 120.00

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Hours have reached 120 hours.

Actual Hours: 130

 

 

When actual hours reach a percentage of the total budgeted hours.

 

Note: Budgeted Hours are established using the Budgeted Time & Costs view.

 

When a project's actual hours reach (equal or greater than) a specified percentage of the total budgeted hours.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Hours are 75.00% of Budget

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if the total number of actual hours has reached or exceeded 75% of the project's budgeted hours.

(Actual Hours / Budgeted hours) ≥ 0.75

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Hours have reached 75% of budgeted hours.

Actual Hours: 300

Budgeted Hours: 360

 

 

 

 

 

Actual Company Cost reaches ...

Used to monitor actual company costs

 

When actual company cost is equal to (or greater than) a specified value.

 

Note: Actual company costs are calculated based on rates applied to each approved time entry. See Company cost calculation details.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Company Cost reaches $25,000

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if the project's company costs are equal or greater than $25,000.

Actual company costs ≥ 25000.00

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Company Cost has reached $25,000.

Actual Company Cost: $26,367

 

 

 

Note: Budgeted company costs are established usingthe Budgeted Time & Costs view.

 

When a project's actual company cost reaches (equal or greater than) a specified percentage of the total budgeted company costs.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Company Cost is 75.00% of Budget

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if actual company costs have reached or exceeded 75% of the project's budgeted company costs.

(Actual company costs / Budgeted company costs) ≥ 0.75

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Company Cost has reached 75.00% of budgeted company costs.

Actual Company Cost: $13,000

Budgeted Company Cost: $15,000

 

 

 

 

 

Actual Client Cost reaches ...

Used to monitor actual client costs

 

When actual client cost is equal to (or greater than) a specified value.

 

Note: Actual client costs are calculated based on rates and proratings applied to each approved time entry. See Client cost calculation details.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Client Cost reaches $30,000

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if the project's client costs are equal or greater than $30,000.

Actual client costs ≥ 30000.00

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Client Cost has reached $30,000

Actual Client Cost: $32,100

 

 

Used to monitor actual client costs against budgeted client costs

 

When actual client costs reach a defined quantity; either a specified value or percentage of the budgeted Client costs.

 

Notes:

  • Actual client costs are calculated based on rates and proratings applied to each approved time entry. See Client cost calculation details.

  • Budgeted client costs are established using the Budgeted Time & Costs view.

 

When a project's actual client cost reaches (equal or greater than) a specified percentage of the total budgeted client costs.

 

Sample Rule

Actual Client Cost is 75.00% of Budget

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if actual client costs have reached or exceeded 75% of the project's budgeted client costs.

(Actual client costs / Budgeted client costs) ≥ 0.75

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Actual Client Cost has reached 75.00% of budgeted Client costs.

Actual Client Cost: $13,000

Budgeted Client Cost: $15,000

 

 

 

 

 

Billable Time exceeds ...

Used to monitor billable time.

 

When billable time reaches a defined quantity; either a specified number of hours or a percentage of total time.

 

When a project's billable time exceeds a specific percentage of the project's total time.

 

Sample Rule

Billable time exceeds 75.00% of Total time

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if billable hours represent 75% (or more) of the project's total time.

(Billable time / Total time) ≥ 0.75

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Billable time has reached 75.00% of the Total time.

Billable Time: 515

Total Time: 610

 

 

 

Non-Billable Time exceeds ...

Used to monitor non-billable time.

 

When non-billable time reaches a defined quantity; either a specific number of hours or a percentage of the total time.

 

When a project's non-billable time exceeds a specific percentage of the project's total time.

 

Sample Rule

Non-Billable time exceeds 30.00% of Total time

Rule Trigger

At the next scheduled run time, this rule will be triggered if non-billable hours represent 30% (or more) of the project's total time.

(Non-Billable time / Total time) ≥ 0.30

Sample E-mail content

ACME - Web Design: Non-Billable time has reached 30.00% of the Total time.

Non-Billable Time: 300

Total Time: 610

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project Alerts and Retriggering

 

As a general rule, an alerts are triggered only once. This stops an alert from reappearing once it's been cleared and stops e-mail from being repeatedly sent once the trigger has been reached. However if the trigger levels are manually modified (by editing the 'value' field in the rule), then the trigger is reset and the alert is triggered when the new trigger level is reached.

 

There are circumstances when the alert’s trigger is reset automatically. These situations can occur when changes are made to budgets, actuals or any of the criteria that is used in the alert’s calculation. When these changes cause the new alert calculation to be below the already triggered alert’s targets, then an alert will be retriggered the next time the calculation exceeds the alert target.

 

Example:

  

A project alert is established to report when the project’s actual hours have reached 75% of budgeted hours. At some point, the alert is triggered.

 

 

The project manager decides to increase the project’s scope and deliverables, and adds 100 hours to the budget. The new actual vs. budget calculation (282/460) is now below the 75% trigger level. As actual hours continue to grow against the project, the alert will be re-sent whenever the calculation reaches 75%.

  

 

Notes:

  • As with the budgeted hours example described above, alerts may also be retriggered if actual hours, company costs, client costs, etc., are edited in such a manner as to cause the calculation to be below the previously triggered event.

  • For an automatic retrigger to successfully occur, the alert must go through at least one of its run times where the calculation remains below the alert’s limit. This resets the alert’s status flag.