Attributes

An attribute is a property of a project, a project item (task, summary, milestone) or a resource (user, group) that distinguishes it from others. Attributes add information to these elements, so you can categorize, filter and sort your data.

The difference between a tag and an attribute: a tag is a simple label, while an attribute is a structured property with a type and a set of values that you manage centrally in Settings.

Attributes behaviour

Most attributes are informational: they are used for categorization, filtering and analysis. Some attributes also change how the system behaves. How each of them works is described in the related feature article.

System attributes

System attributes are built into Epicflow and are available by default. You don’t need to create or edit them.

• Critical Path (CP, CP alt, 90% CP) – marks the tasks that determine when the project can finish. Epicflow sets these values automatically, and they can’t be removed manually. See Critical Path in Epicflow: CP, CP alt and 90% CP.
• Drum (part of the Epicflow system type) – marks the milestone that sets the pace for the project and for linked projects. Only one milestone per project can have it. See Drum functionality.
• Prioritized (part of the Epicflow system type) – a task with this attribute gets a higher priority in leveling and Prediction runs, regardless of its priority, business value or default scheduling rules. See System attribute “Prioritized” for tasks.

Other attributes that affect system behaviour:

• Block task completion until confirmed
• Ignore resource capacity for auto-depletion

Inheritance

A task inherits the attributes of its parent summary. You don’t need to add the same attribute to every task: add it once to the summary.

• When you create a task inside a summary, the summary’s attributes are added to the task automatically. You can see them already in the Create task window, as soon as you select the summary (Screen #1).
• On the task card, inherited attributes are shown in the Inherited attributes field, separately from the task’s own Attributes. In the task list, they are shown in the Task Attributes column.
• Inherited attributes work like the task’s own attributes, for example when you filter by attribute.

Screen #1 – A new task inherits the summary’s attributes

Permissions

• Attribute Administration (Global permissions → Administration) – to create and edit attribute types and their values in Settings → Attributes.
• Attributes field (Project card fields, User card fields) and Item Attributes field (Tasks, Summaries and Milestones card fields) – to see and change attributes on cards.
• Use Hidden Attributes (Global permissions → View Feature Access) – to work with attribute types whose Visibility is set to Hidden.
• System Maintenance – to upload attributes in bulk. See how to upload attributes to your system.

Attributes page

To open the list of attributes, click Settings in the left pane and open the Attributes tab (Screen #2). Attribute types are shown in two groups:

• Custom – attribute types created by your organization.
• System – attribute types built into Epicflow and linked to product features: Critical Path and Epicflow (with values such as Drum, Prioritized and Budget). See System attributes above. System types are predefined and cannot be changed.

Click a type to expand it and see its values.

Screen #2 – Attributes page

Creating an attribute type

1. Open Settings → Attributes.
2. Click + New Attribute.
3. Fill in the fields (Screen #3):
   • Name (required) and Short name.
   • Type – List, Hierarchy or User (see below).
   • Visibility – Public or Hidden.
   • Scope – where the attribute can be used: Users, Groups, Tasks, milestones and summaries, Projects, Project groups, Teams. You can select several, or click Select All.
4. Click Create.
5. Click Save in the top-right corner.

Screen #3 – Create an attribute type

Types

• List – a simple set of values to choose from. Use it for straightforward categorization.
• Hierarchy – values are organized in parent-child levels (for example, Department → Engineering → Backend). See “Building nested values” below.
• User – the values are your organization’s current users. You don’t add values for this type: the list stays in sync with your resource pool automatically.

Editing an attribute type

1. Hover over the type and click ….
2. Select Edit.
3. Change the Name, Short name, Visibility or Scope, and click Edit.
4. Click Save in the top-right corner.

Screen #4 – Edit an attribute type (Type is locked)

Adding values

1. Click the attribute type to expand it.
2. Click + at the end of the value list.
3. Enter the Attribute name (required) and Short name (Screen #5).
4. Optionally, enter External code 1 and External code 2. Use them to map the value to an identifier in an external system, if you integrate Epicflow with other tools.
5. Click Create, then click Save in the top-right corner.

To change or remove a value, hover over it, click … and select Edit or Delete.

Screen #5 – Create a value

Building nested values (Hierarchy)

To add a value under an existing one (Screen #6):

1. Hover over the parent value and click ….
2. Select Add sub-attribute type.
3. Enter the name and click Create.
4. Click Save in the top-right corner.

The + button at the end of the list always adds a top-level value, not a nested one.

Both parent and nested values can be assigned to projects, items and resources.

Screen #6 – Add a nested value

Adding attributes

You can add an attribute only where its type’s Scope allows it.

To a project:

1. Open the Pipeline and open the project card.
2. On the Details tab, click + Add attribute.
3. Select a value from the list. Expand a type to see its values, or type in the search box.
4. Click Save at the bottom of the card.

Screen #7 – Add an attribute to a project

To a task, summary or milestone:

1. Open the item card.
2. Click + Add attribute and select a value.
3. Click Save at the bottom of the card.

Attributes added to a summary are inherited by the tasks inside it (see Inheritance).

Screen #8 – Add an attribute to a task

To a user or group:

1. Open Resource Management.
2. Open the card of the user or group.
3. Click + Add attribute and select a value.
4. Click Save changes.

Screen #9 – Add an attribute to a user

Emoji codes are supported in all text in the system, including attribute names.

Tip: attribute fields not showing on a card?

The Attributes and Inherited attributes fields can be hidden on task, summary and milestone cards. Each item type has its own card layout, so you may need to do this separately for tasks and for summaries. To show the fields:

1. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the card.
2. Select Attributes and, if needed, Inherited attributes (Screen #10).

Your choice is saved for future use.

Screen #10 – Enable attribute fields on the card

Deleting attributes

1. Open the card of the project, item or resource.
2. Hover over the attribute and click ×.
3. Click Save.

Screen #11 – Delete an attribute

Filtering by attribute

Attribute filters are not shown in the Pipeline by default. To add one:

1. In the Pipeline, click + next to the filter boxes at the top.
2. Select the attribute filter you need:
   • Project Group → Attribute
   • Projects → Attribute
   • Tasks → Attribute
   • Resources → User attribute / Group attribute
3. A new filter box appears in the toolbar. Click it and select a value – including a nested value.

The list shows only the elements that have that attribute (Screen #12). To remove the filter, click the clear-filters icon next to the filter boxes.

Screen #12 – Filter by attribute

Related articles

• Critical Path in Epicflow: CP, CP alt and 90% CP
• Drum functionality
• Project(s) prediction – System attribute “Prioritized” for tasks
• System Maintenance: exporting and importing data files