Automatically Create Project Baselines Using Flow

TaskRay's Baselining feature allows capturing project metrics at various points throughout the project's lifecycle. Creating a baseline on a project takes a snapshot of the project at a given moment in time. By setting multiple baselines on the project, it becomes possible to compare and review how the project progressed over time, as well as derive insights into overall project performance.

While it is possible to set baselines manually, automating the process can streamline tracking such metrics even further. When it comes to automating processes, one of the first key steps is to determine how and when the automation should run. 

Throughout this article, we will follow a use case to configure an automation that will set a baseline on a project whenever it reaches certain progress thresholds. More specifically, we will set up the automation to capture a baseline whenever a project reaches 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% completion. With such an automation in place, every project will eventually end up with multiple baselines created at different points in time, thus providing insightful data on project performance.

As you go through these instructions, keep in mind that there are many other possibilities for customizing the process and you can modify the setup to suit the specific needs of your organization. For example, one common variation of such a process is to trigger creating baselines whenever project milestones are completed.

Here is a summary of what will be covered in this article:

• Sample Use Case and Configuration Overview
• Flow Configuration
• Flow Testing

Sample Use Case and Configuration Overview

Goal

Automatically create baselines on a project when it reaches 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% completion.

Use Case Details

• After a project is created, tasks are managed and completed over time. 
• Baselines are automatically created on the project when it reaches 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% progress.

Additional Architectural Details

Creating a Baseline

From the technical standpoint, whenever a baseline is created (whether manually or through an automation), the first thing that takes place is that TaskRay creates a TaskRay Baseline record related to the project. Once the TaskRay Baseline record is created, that automatically also creates child baseline records for project's task groups (TaskRay Task Group Baseline records) and tasks (TaskRay Task Baseline records).

The automation outlined in this document is set up to create the TaskRay Baseline record, which automatically does the rest in terms of setting the baseline on the project and its contents.

Flow Configuration [Admin]

Flow Overview

Below is a sample configuration of the Flow:

Follow the steps in the sections below to configure the Flow.

Step 1: Create New Flow

1. From Setup, navigate to Process Automation | Flows.
2. Click on the New Flow button.
3. In the New Flow modal, select the Record-Triggered Flow option.
4. Click on Create.

Step 2: Configure Start and Entry Conditions

When setting up a new record-triggered flow, it is necessary to specify the object and criteria that will trigger the automated process. In this case, we will select the TaskRay Project object because the automation should be triggered from updates on the project.

1. In the Configure Start modal, click into the Object field and search for TaskRay Project.
2. For Trigger the Flow When select A record is created or updated.
3. Leave the remaining options as-is and click Done.

Step 3: Add a Decision Element To Check For Project Criteria

Next, you will need to add a Decision Element that checks for the necessary criteria on the project to trigger the automation. In this case, the Decision Element will be using two fields for the purpose: Clone Operation Complete and Progress.

1. On the Flow canvas, click on the Plus / Add Element icon below the Start element.
2. Select the Decision element.
3. In the New Decision modal, enter the Label (e.g. "Progress") and API Name.
4. In the New Outcome section, fill out the Outcome Details (enter the Label (e.g. "Project Progress 25%") and Outcome API Name).
5. Next, for Condition Requirements to Execute Outcome, select All Conditions Are Met (AND).
6. For the first condition, set the following:
   • Resource = {!$Record.TASKRAY__trCompletionPercentage__c} (clickpath: $Record > Progress)
   • Operator = Greater Than or Equal
   • Value = 25
7. Click on + Add Condition and set the following:
   • Resource = {!$Record.TASKRAY__trCompletionPercentage__c} (clickpath: $Record > Progress)
   • Operator = Less Than
   • Value = 50
8. For When to Execute Outcome, select Only if the record that triggered the flow to run is updated to meet the condition requirements.
   
   
9. In the left portion of the modal, in the OUTCOME ORDER section, click on the Plus (+) button to create a new outcome.
10. Repeat steps 4 through 8 two more times and adjust Decision Criteria as follows:
    • For 50% Decision Outcome
      • Progress: Greater Than or Equal, 50
      • Progress: Less Than, 75
    • For 75% Decision Outcome
      • Progress: Greater Than or Equal, 75
      • Progress: Less Than, 100
11. Once those four Decision Outcomes are set up, create the final outcome for setting the baseline when the project is complete. In the left portion of the modal, in the OUTCOME ORDER section, click on the Plus (+) button to create a new outcome.
12. In the New Outcome section, fill out the Outcome Details (enter the Label (e.g. "Completed/100%") and Outcome API Name).
13. Next, for Condition Requirements to Execute Outcome, select All Conditions Are Met (AND).
14. For the first condition, set the following:
    • Resource = {!$Record.TASKRAY__trCompletionPercentage__c} (clickpath: $Record > Progress)
    • Operator = Equals
    • Value = 100
15. For When to Execute Outcome, select Only if the record that triggered the flow to run is updated to meet the condition requirements.
16. Click Done.
17. Back on the Flow canvas, click on the Plus / Add Element icon below the Default Outcome decision outcome path. 
18. Select the End option.
    
    

Step 4: Add a Create Records Element to Set the Baseline

For the final part of the Flow configuration, you will need to add an element to create a TaskRay Baseline record. This action will set a baseline on the project and its child records.

1. On the Flow canvas, click on the Plus / Add Element icon below the 25%/50%75%/100% Decision Outcome connected paths.
2. Select the Create Records element.
3. In the New Create Records modal, enter the Label (e.g. "Set Baseline") and API Name.
4. For How Many Records to Create, select One.
5. For How to Set the Record Fields, select Use separate resources, and literal values.
6. In the Create a Record from These Values section, click into the Object field, search for and select TaskRay Baseline (API name TASKRAY__trBaseline_Project__c).
7. In the Set Field Values for the TaskRay Baseline section, set the following:
   1. Field = TASKRAY__trProject__c (Project)
   2. Value = $Record > Record ID (clickpath: $Record > Record Id)
      
      Tip: It is also possible to incorporate additional field updates when setting the baseline on the project. For example, if you would like to also add a note to the baseline, such as the progress mark and the date of when the baseline was set, you can do so by updating the Notes field on the record.
8. Click Done.

Step 5: Save and Activate the Flow

Now that the Flow is fully configured, it is time to save and activate it.

1. In the top right corner of the Flow canvas, click on the Save button.
2. In the Save the Flow modal, enter the Label (e.g. "Create Baseline (Based on Project Progress") and API Name.
3. Click Save.
4. In the top right corner of the Flow canvas, click on the Activate button.

Flow Testing

As a best practice, it is always a good idea to test custom automations to make sure that they meet requirements and follow expected behavior. Custom automations can be tested using the Debug options in Flow or in the app, using sample test records. 

To test this automation, you can create a sample project with several tasks. Then, complete tasks on the test project, so that the progress reaches the necessary thresholds, as set in the flow, to create baseline records.