Custom split of planned time

Instead of splitting time evenly or creating multiple tasks for the same purpose when assigning work, you can use the custom split of planned time feature to divide tasks into individual chunks among team members, allowing you to budget and track each user’s utilization accurately.

1. Plan availability

The custom split of planned time feature is available in certain Scoro plans:

• Current plans: Performance, Enterprise
• Legacy plans: Pro, Ultimate

Learn more about Scoro subscription plans on our Plans & Pricing page.

2. Which work planning options include the custom split?

The custom split of planned time functionality is available only in certain work planning options in Scoro:

• In the With subtasks work planning mode, the custom split of planned time is not available. In this mode, you use subtasks to plan and delegate work.
• In the Without subtasks work planning mode, using the custom split of planned time is optional. You can use the Allow custom split of planned time checkbox to enable or disable the custom split of planned time site-wide.
• In the Mixed mode, the custom split of planned time is enabled site-wide by default and cannot be disabled. If you don’t need this functionality, switch over to the With subtasks option.
  

3. How the custom split works

If you’re using the Without subtasks or Mixed mode work planning option, you must also set the site-wide default for how the planned time is split among task assignees. You can choose between an equal or a custom split. Let’s look at how each default works in practice!

3.1. Equal split

With the equal split selected as the default, the task's planned duration is allocated evenly among the assignees. For example:

• If you assign a task with 6 planned hours to two team members, Scoro will automatically allocate 3 hours for each.
• If you later modify the task's planned duration (for example, to 8 hours), the equal split will be recalculated and updated accordingly (4 hours for each assignee).

Even with the equal split applied to the task by default, you can always switch on the custom split and adjust the hours for each assignee if needed.

3.2. Custom split

With the custom split as your site’s default, you can allocate the task's planned duration to the assignees as needed. For example:

• If you assign a task with 4 planned hours to two assignees, the Custom split of planned time toggle is enabled by default, and you can assign a specific number of hours to each team member.
• If you later modify the task's planned duration (for example, to 6 hours), the hours you had already allocated to each assignee will remain the same, and the additional planned hours will appear as a buffer time next to the task’s planned duration field. You can then allocate those additional hours to your team members.
  
  If the total hours assigned to the assignees exceed the task’s planned duration, the overassigned time will be indicated in red right next to the planned duration field. Click on this time value to add the reassigned time to the planned duration.
  

4. Custom split settings

4.1. Default time-splitting preference

If you’re using the Without subtasks or Mixed mode work planning option, you can set the site-wide default for how the planned time of tasks is split among the task assignees:

1. Go to Settings > Work and projects > Calendar and tasks.
2. Choose between Equal or Custom as your site-wide time-splitting default in the By default use dropdown field, then save your changes.

While your split preference is applied to tasks by default, you can always modify the planned hours for each assignee as needed.

4.2. Recalculating planned task duration

If you’d like to automatically recalculate the planned task duration based on the total number of hours allocated to assignees, tick the Recalculate planned task duration setting under Settings > Work and projects > Calendar and tasks.

Once enabled, the Planned duration field in the task modify view will be locked, and the planned duration will update automatically as you change the hours allocated to each task assignee.

5. How custom split affects other views

Learn more about how custom split works in other views and sections in Scoro:

• Time breakdown chart: See how the equal or custom split of planned time is represented in the time breakdown chart on regular and parent tasks.
• Budget burn and breakdown charts: Learn how the custom split of planned time and planned hour allocation affects cost forecasting.
• Team performance report: Understand how the custom split affects the data shown in the report’s ‘Planned tasks’ column.
• Planner: See how to account for the remaining individual time when scheduling time entries.

6. Frequently asked questions

What happens to the task’s planned duration if I remove an assignee? 

If you remove an assignee from a task, the resulting change to the task’s planned duration may vary depending on how the planned time was allocated (equal or custom split) and whether planned duration recalculation is enabled on your site.

• Custom split, recalculation disabled: The assigned hours of the removed assignee will be added as a buffer for the task’s planned duration.
• Custom split, recalculation enabled: The assigned hours of the removed assignee will be deducted from the task’s planned duration. 
• Equal split, recalculation disabled or enabled: The assigned hours of the removed assignee will be split equally between the remaining assignees, or added to the last remaining assignee if the task had only two assignees.

Can I update the custom split of planned time on tasks via task import?

No, the custom split of planned time on tasks can't be updated or allocated through task import.