How Can I Track Project Changes?
Changes are a reality of running projects. And tracking those changes is critical for getting a full understanding of the...
Sometimes, you really need to dig into the details of a Cloud Coach project. Matrix reports, leveraging the Salesforce platform, allow you to look at several different dimensions simultaneously, giving you a robust view of your project.
Matrix Reports
A report is a list of records that meet the criteria you define. When creating reports you control what information you see, and based on the criteria you enter, what records will be displayed and how the user will see that information. You can also add graphical representations of the data to your report. (Read Creating Salesforce Reports using Cloud Coach Objects)
Matrix reports display data that is grouped and summarized by both rows and columns. They can be used as source reports for dashboard components and are useful for comparing related totals, particularly if you have large amounts of data. Matrix reports help you easily compare values in several different fields such as date, project status, owner, and time.
Report Format
Matrix reports are an excellent way to view data in Salesforce and provide the most detailed view of Cloud Coach data. Matrix reports are grouped by row and column and can have up to two row groupings and two column groupings. For example, you could have a project report that groups the data by user name and expected completion date, then have a column grouping of the current status. This will provide a great overview of the current status of projects and will allow you to take action on any projects that are nearing the date they should complete but are not over a certain percentage complete.
The row groupings appear on the left of the report and the column groupings appear at the top. The drag and drop reporting interface allows you to move these groupings around once you have added them to your report, until you are happy with the layout. In the centre section you will see the summarized data.
Data can be displayed as a sum of all values, an average of all values, and the maximum and minimum value in the data set. You can also include the record count that will show how many records are included in this report.
Example Report
As a project manager, it’s important to see how many hours the team members are working each week. We will need to group by the date and by the user.
To get this level of information we will need to include certain fields in our report. These fields are the user name, the date, and the number of hours on the work records.
We will also need to include a filter that ensures the report will only include time entries for this week. When using ongoing filters, it is important to use the Range field as this will populate the dates for you and change them when needed. If you enter a date range yourself using the from and to fields, you will have to manually update them every time you want the data to be refreshed.
Here we have our User Name on the left as a row grouping, the day of the week at the top as a column grouping, and a sum of all hours worked each day, then totaled for the week. We have also included our filter.
Completed Report and Report Scheduling
Using this report we can see the activity of our team. Now we want to schedule this matrix report to be sent out each week, first thing on Monday morning. This means that the project manager can view the report quickly in their email before attending their meeting with their team. If they need to go into further detail regarding any of the time entries they can view the report in Salesforce and show the details of the report.
To schedule the report, run the time entries matrix report, then click on schedule future runs within the run report dropdown.
Then determine how frequently to send the report, either daily, weekly, or monthly. Select a date for the report to start being sent out, and when you want to stop sending it out. Finally, pick a time for your report to be run. The times available to select are based on what other jobs are running in your Salesforce organization at that time of day. Your preferred start time may not be available if other users have already selected that time to schedule a report.
Once you click on “Save Report Schedule” your report will be added to the queue and will be sent out to the users you have selected at the frequency required.
You’ve now created a Matrix Report using your Cloud Coach data, and scheduled the report to be automatically distributed to the necessary team members.
Whether you are looking for project management, or professional services automation tools on the Salesforce platform, Cloud Coach has the tools for you. Request a demo today and learn how you can more quickly and efficiently manage your business, leveraging the Salesforce platform.
AUTHOR
Brandi Johnson
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