Custom Calendars
Custom Calendars are optional in Dash360. For implementing standard Calendars (Fiscal and Calendar Year), please navigate to https://dash360.helpscoutdocs.com/article/88-project-configuration
Creating Custom Calendars
- First, Navigate to the Edit Project (Pencil icon) for the project where you want to create a custom calendar.
- By default, Dash360 uses the standard calendar settings (calendar year or fiscal year). To enable custom calendars, Switch the Use Calendars setting to Yes.
- Once enabled, navigate to the Calendar tab located at the top-right of the page.
- Click on Add Calendar to create a new custom calendar.
- Fill out the required fields:
- Calendar Name
- Start and Finish Dates
- Hours per Day
- Workdays (Days of the week)
- Holidays for this calendar
- Yearly (ex: New Years Day)
- Singular (ex: Labor Day, because its a different date each year)
You can optionally click the Set Calendar Dates to Project Dates button to align the calendar dates with the project timeline.
- Once all information is filled in, click Generate Calendar. The system will automatically group dates and labels based on the data you entered (e.g., biennial, fiscal year).
- To finalize, hit Save Calendar and Labels.
Editing Custom Calendars
- To edit an existing calendar, click on the pencil icon next to the calendar name.
- You can adjust workdays or holidays and click Generate Calendar to apply these changes.
For example, adding Saturday as a workday will increase the number of working hours and FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents) accordingly.
Creating Rate Sets for Resource Calculations
After generating the calendar, you can save the FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents) and hours as a rate set:
- Click on Save FTEs Rate Set.
- Name the rate set, and it will be available for use in resource calculations.
- Click Save Rate Set.
Once you enable custom calendars in Dash360, they can be accessed on any of the time-phased tabular reports.
Custom Calendars -> Time-phased Reporting
- Navigate to the Staffing Plan Report, for example, to view time-phased data in your project.
- The orange columns on the right will display the time-phased data grouped by the custom calendar labels you created (instead of the standard Dash360 format).
- To switch between different custom calendars: Click the flyout next to Staffing report then Calendars.
This allows you to view and compare data organized in any of the calendar formats you'd like to implement for your project.
Final Notes
- Again, once you turn on Custom Calendars, you will no longer have access to the Standard Calendar Labels in Dash360. So, it is recommended when building custom calendars for your project labels, you should also create a typical Fiscal Year and/or Calendar Year Calendar.
- For the first-time implementation of custom calendars, it’s recommended to consult with a member of the Dash360 team.