How to organize database to best retain hierarchical information when working out of non-hierarchical perspectives like Forecast and Flagged?

[hinky]

Can someone please help me structure this in OF3 so that I always know what I’m working on in the Forecast view? OF tends to hide parent tasks (or hierarchy in general), so I get lost and don’t know what LOB/Client/Location e.g. Step 2A belongs to. Any suggestions? I should mention that these are all recurring weekly items.

P.S. Would prefer to keep this in Forecast view so I retain the calendar information.

• Location 1
  • Client 1
    • LOB 1
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
    • LOB 2
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
  • Client 2
    • LOB 1
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
    • LOB 2
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
• Location 2
  • Client 1

    • LOB 1

      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2

    • LOB 2

      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
  • Client 2
    • LOB 1
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
    • LOB 2
      • Weekly Action 1
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3
      • Weekly Action 2
        • Step 1
        • Step 2
          • Step 2A
          • Step 2B
        • Step 3

[hinky]

Just noticed this kind of structure doesn’t work in Flagged, either. :( Really hoping you all have some good suggestions because this is my biggest challenge with OF3!

[dangerousdaze]

I don’t think you can do it in Forecast view without coding the info you want to see in either the activity name or tags. Happy to be proved wrong!

[hinky]

That’s so limiting, though. The task outlining is one of the best differentiating features of OF! How do people with task structures such as mine use forecast or flagged effectively? I feel like there’s something wrong with my workflow, but I don’t know how to fix it. :|

[MultiDim]

You can use the project hierarchy, tags, and various view options to see information about your structure in the built-in views and custom perspectives.

I suggest the following structure for maximum flexibility.

Instead of putting all your information in a single project with many levels of actions, create a ‘Weekly actions’ project for each combination of Location, Client, and LOB. You can add project folders to represent your hierarchy.

Another advantage of this is that if you create additional projects (eg. goal-oriented) for specific Location/Client/LOB combinations, you can put them in the hierarchy alongside the Weekly projects. I have added ‘Goal ABC’ and ‘Goal DEF’ in my example.

Select the ‘Show folders in the outline’ option in the Projects view settings to display the folder hierarchy also in the right pane.

Now the Flagged view shows the flagged actions by Location/Client/LOB combination:

Additionally, you can create tags for each Location, Client, and LOB. Set them on each Weekly project; when you add actions to those projects the same tags will automatically get applied:

Now the Forecast view is easy to read in the ‘Fluid’ layout: for each action you can see its project (eg. ‘Weekly’), Location, Client, and LOB:

You can set up custom perspectives to get the same types of display. The advantage of having everything tagged is being able to filter an action list based on one or more combinations of Location, Client, and LOB.

[hinky]

These are awesome suggestions, and will help me greatly! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help a stranger in need. Going to restructure to match your suggestions. :)