How to Verify Summary Task Work Hours in Project Insight

In Project Insight, the work hours shown on a summary task should equal the work hours entered on the summary task itself plus the work hours from its child tasks. If the total is higher than expected, check whether work hours were manually entered on the summary task or whether the task previously had work hours before it was converted into a summary task.

Best for: Project managers and administrators who are troubleshooting a summary task that displays more work hours than its child tasks appear to total.

How are work hours calculated on a summary task?

A summary task groups child tasks beneath it. Normally, its displayed work reflects the total work associated with the summary task and its children.

For example, if a summary task contains four child tasks with 8 work hours each, you would expect to see:

4 child tasks × 8 hours = 32 work hours

If the summary task instead shows 42 hours, there may be an additional 10 hours entered directly on the summary task.

[View video at 0:13 to see an example of an incorrect summary task total.]

Why can a summary task show more work hours than its child tasks?

There are two common reasons:

• Someone manually entered work hours directly on the summary task.
• The task was originally a regular task with work hours and was later converted into a summary task.

Project Insight includes those hours when calculating the displayed total, which can make the summary task appear to have more work than the child tasks alone.

How can I check a summary task using inline editing?

The quickest method is to inline edit the summary task.

1. Locate the summary task in the task list.
2. Double-click the summary task to inline edit it.
3. Check the work hours entered directly on the summary task.
4. If hours were entered there unintentionally, remove them.
5. Save the change.

In the example shown in the video, the summary task contains 10 manually entered work hours. After those 10 hours are removed, the displayed total changes from 42 hours to the expected 32 hours.

[View video at 0:44 to see how to check and remove summary task work hours using inline editing.]

How can I check work hours from the task edit screen?

You can also check the summary task through its edit screen.

1. Click the summary task.
2. Open the task edit page.
3. Select Edit Task.
4. Review the work hours entered on the task.

This lets you determine whether work hours have been entered directly on the summary task.

[View video at 1:07 to see where to find the work hours on the task edit screen.]

Why don't I see the manually entered work hours on the task details page?

The task details page and task edit screen show work information differently.

If you are viewing the task details page, you will see the combined work hours for the summary task and its children. You will not see the directly applied summary-task hours separately.

To verify whether work was entered directly on the summary task, open the task edit screen or use inline editing.

[View video at 1:20 to see the difference between the task details page and task edit screen.]

What are common mistakes when troubleshooting summary task work hours?

Checking only the child tasks.
If the children total 32 hours but the summary displays 42, check the summary task itself for additional work hours.

Looking only at the task details page.
The details page displays the combined total. Use inline editing or the task edit screen to see whether work was entered directly on the summary task.

Forgetting that the summary task may previously have been a regular task.
A task that was converted to a summary task may already have work hours associated with it.

Related questions

Should a summary task's work hours equal the total of its child tasks?

Yes, provided no additional work hours have been entered directly on the summary task. If the total is higher, check the summary task for its own work hours.

Can work hours be entered directly on a summary task?

Yes. The video demonstrates a summary task with 10 hours entered directly on it. Those hours are included in the displayed total.

How do I remove extra work hours from a summary task?

Inline edit the summary task or open its task edit screen, locate the directly entered work hours, and remove them if they were entered unintentionally.

Why can't I see the summary task's own work hours on the task details page?

The task details page displays the combined work from the summary task and its children. Use inline editing or the task edit screen to inspect the work entered specifically on the summary task.