| How to Add a Summary Task | Data in Summary Tasks | Calculate Percent Complete |
| Summary Task Assignees | WBS | Summary Task Card |
A summary task is a high-level task that represents a group of related subtasks.
Examples of summary tasks include plan, deliver, track and report. For example, if you have a summary task added with sub-tasks below it, you can report that you are 50% complete on the planning phase. You can also see other information at a high level including the entire date range of the phase, hours, cost and more.
Summary tasks make reporting easier, especially as projects become lengthy and complex.
How to Add a Summary Task
To add a summary task, first add your tasks to the project. You can use the plus button or simply start typing and press enter. Once you've added your tasks, decide which task should be the summary task.
Select all rows at the same time below the desired summary task and click the indent button.
The summary task will turn bold and a plus button will appear next to the summary task so you can hide the sub-tasks or expand.
When a task becomes a summary task, you will lose some data such as dates, assigned hours and duration. Task name, assignees, description, files and comments will be retained.
Make as many intended levels as you wish by selecting the summary task and at least one sub-task below it at the same time. Click the indent button again and a top-level summary task will appear. All tasks will now roll up to the top-level summary task.
Data Included in a Summary Task
The following columns will roll up into the summary task:
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Planned Start Date
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Planned Finish Date
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Planned Duration
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Planned Resource Cost
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Percent Complete
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Actual Start
- Actual Finish
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Actual Hours
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Planned Hours
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Actual Cost
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Planned Cost
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Actual Resource Cost
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Remaining Hours
How Is Percent Complete Calculated on a Summary Task?
How is percent complete calculated on a summary task since the calculation is a rollup of the tasks below it? The calculation is based on the percent complete and the duration of each task.
The duration is defined by the number of working days between the planned start and finish dates. The software will automatically calculate the percent complete on a summary task based on the duration and the percent complete for each task.
For example, let’s say you have three tasks under the summary task called plan.
- Task 1 has a 2-day duration and is 100% complete= 2 days complete
- Task 2 has a 4-day duration and is 50% complete=2 days complete
- Task 3 has a 1-day duration and is 20% complete= .2 of a day complete
Now, we have 4.2 total days completed vs. 7 days scheduled. If we divide 4.2 by 7, we get 60% complete which matches the percent complete on the summary task.
Summary Task Assignees
You can assign a summary task to a person or team just like a regular task. However, you can’t plan or log hours on a summary task.
If a person is assigned to a summary task, you won’t see the task on the Timesheet page, workload or assignee reports. You can view summary tasks on the Team page.
The only exception to this is if hours were logged on a summary task before it became a summary task. In that instance, you would be able to see the logged hours on the Timesheet and the assignee reports.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
The work breakdown structure indicates the numerical position of the task. If a project is more complex, the work breakdown structure can help locate the task. If you don’t see the WBS listed on your project, you may need to turn the column on. The WBS will adjust automatically as you create tasks and summary tasks.
Summary Task Card & How Summary Tasks Look Elsewhere
Summary tasks are reflected in all views in the software with a triangle symbol.
Here's what a summary task card looks like in the kanban, list and calendar views. You can see the triangle indicated, as well as the subtasks listed below, with their progress. If a subtask is itself a summary task, it will retain the triangle symbol.
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