Assignment
An assignment is the relationship between a team member and a project. Assignments determine who can log time to a project and define the rates that apply to their work.
Key Characteristics
- Access control: Only assigned members can log time to a project.
- Rate binding: Assignments connect members to project-specific billing rates.
- Attributable: Every assignment records who made it, and when.
Assignment Components
Required Elements
- Team member
- Project
- Role within the project (Administrator or User)
Optional Elements
- Title for the member on this project
- Notes and tags
- Project-specific hourly rate
Types of Assignments
Active Assignments
Current relationships where members can log time.
Archived Assignments
Assignments taken out of use but kept, so past entries and reports keep their context.
The assignment itself carries no start or end date. The time dimension lives on the rates attached to it, which have a start date and an optional end date, so a rate change is recorded as history rather than overwriting what earlier reports were based on.
Impact on Workforce Planning
For businesses using time tracking software like Sandtime.io:
- Resource visibility: See who is working on what projects.
- Capacity planning: Understand team allocation across projects.
- Rate management: Apply different rates per project-member combination.
- Access control: Limit time entry to authorized team members.
Best Practices
- Review assignments regularly to keep them current.
- Archive an assignment when the work ends, rather than deleting it.
- Set project-specific rates when they differ from organization defaults.
- Close a rate with an end date instead of editing the old one, so past reports stay correct.
- Use the title, notes, and tags to record why someone is on a project.
Assignment Lifecycle
- Creation: Add a member to a project with a role and, if needed, a project-specific rate.
- Active: Member logs activities against the project.
- Rate changes: Close the current rate and open a new one using temporal rates.
- Archive: Take the assignment out of use when the work ends.
- History: Archived assignments and closed rates keep earlier reports intact.
Common Challenges
Over-assignment
Members assigned to too many projects. Monitor workload distribution.
Stale Assignments
Members remain assigned after project completion. Schedule regular reviews.
Rate Confusion
Unclear which rate applies. Document rate policies clearly.
Related Terms
Assignments connect team members to projects and determine hourly rates. They affect cost and revenue calculations. Assignment changes can use temporal rates to preserve history.