Project Workstreams is available for Enterprise Plan Customers only.
What are workstreams?
Workstreams conceptually divide a project into sets of related activities or deliverables.
In Runn, you can create workstreams that are unique to each project or use them across multiple projects.
Project team members assigned to workstreams function like a sub-team, usually with their own goals and objectives within the project.
Think of a software development project; some workstreams may include:
Research
Design
Development
Quality Assurance
Deployment
For a large, business transformation project, workstreams may look more like:
Project management & governance
Process Definition
Infrastructure Strategy
Data Strategy
Data Engineering
Quality Assurance
Change Management
Subject Matter Expert Input
1. How to Create Workstreams
You can create workstreams from two places in Runn:
a. Manage > Workstreams
Recommended for bulk-creating workstreams to use across your projects.
Navigate to the Manage tab in the navigation bar and click on Workstreams
Click on the + button to create a new workstream
b. Project Planner
When creating a new project from the project planner, you can scroll down to Workstreams, click the field, type in the workstream name and then save.
To add workstreams to an existing project, select the project from the planner, click on Edit Details, scroll down to Workstreams, click the field, type in the workstream name and then save.
The workstream(s) are now created and attached to your project.
⚠️ Please be aware that although you can add workstreams to an existing project, if the person you intend to assign a workstream to already has actuals on the project, you will be unable to do so.
Workstreams cannot be changed or added to a person if they have actuals recorded on the project.
2. How to Add People to Workstreams
a. New Projects
Once you've created your new project and added workstreams, you can begin allocating people and placeholders to them.
From the Project Planner, click on + Add Person or Placeholder
Select a workstream, then select all people and placeholders you want allocated to that workstream for your project:
Click +Add Selected and repeat this step for subsequent workstreams
Once you've added your people, placeholders and workstreams to the project, you can then add your assignments as normal.
You have the flexibility to assign people to more than one workstream within a project. This allows people to have multiple assignments for a project at any time.
In this example, Aimee is assigned to Workstream1 (WS1) and Workstream2 (WS2) at the same time:
b. Existing Projects
⚠️ You cannot add/change workstreams for a person that has actuals recorded on the project. The Change Workstream option will be greyed out.
If you have an existing project with people already assigned and allocated to assignments, but they do not have any actuals recorded - you can add/change the workstream by selecting the person, clicking on the 3 dots and then Change Workstream.
From the drop down menu, select the applicable workstream and then click on Update. All assignments will now be updated to the new workstream.
3. Using Workstreams
a. Project Planner: viewing, filtering & grouping
Viewing
When viewing project teams in the Project Planner, you can choose between Roles or Workstreams:
Filtering
Use the Workstreams filter to only show projects with the selected workstreams:
Grouping
When you group the Project Planner by Workstream, you'll view all projects associated with each workstream:
b. People Planner: viewing, filtering & grouping
Viewing
In the People Planner, you can click the arrow to expand a person and any applicable workstreams will be listed under the project name:
Filtering
Use the Workstreams filter (under the Projects section) to only show people that are assigned to the selected workstreams:
Grouping
When you group the People Planner by Workstream, you'll be able to view all people and placeholders associated with a particular workstream across all their projects:
❗️Quick note: If you group by Workstreams and then enable Group Utilization, the utilization chart will also display people's other projects - this includes projects that might not have workstreams assigned or projects where the person is working on a different workstream.
💡 Check out this article here to learn more about Group Utilization Charts
💡 Check out this article here to learn more about Searching & Filtering
c. Project Dashboard
View Data
You can view workstreams in the Project Team Member and Project Variance sections of your project dashboard:
2. Export Data
You can export workstream data to a CSV file - click on the three dots, and select Export Data:
You will find the workstream column in the exported CSV file:
3. Planning & Tracking
d. Time Tracking
If your organization uses timesheets, users can enter time worked against their different roles and workstreams on a project. The time entries (actuals) will appear in the Project Team Member and Variance section of your project dashboard, allowing you to view the time or financial costs associated with each role, broken down by person and workstream.
Check out this article to learn more about how to use Runn's built-in timesheets: Timesheets & Actuals Tracking
Runn also offers a Time Tracker Chrome extension:
FAQ
What’s the difference between workstreams and phases?
Think of phases as big steps of the project - phases oversee the projects overall progression, and workstreams are the different categories of work within each phase.
Are there reporting capabilities for workstreams?
Not yet, but this is in development - check out the Roadmap for updates :)
How can I edit, archive or delete workstreams?
You cannot delete workstreams, but you can archive or edit workstreams by clicking on the 3 dots next to the workstream name and then select Edit or Archive:
Is there a limit to the number of workstreams I can create?
No - you can create as many workstreams as needed.