Ensure you have identified your needs and evaluated your users' skills before choosing a tool.
September 09, 2014

Ensure you have identified your needs and evaluated your users' skills before choosing a tool.

Shannon C. King | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Anaconda

Overall Satisfaction with AtTask

AtTask is used at Suncor in four different departments. For the Learning and Capability department of 70 people, we use it to manage projects and operational work related to building learning solutions. An extensive business case was developed to identify AtTask as the solution that met over 40 different needs relating to access, issue and risk tracking, work planning, portfolio management, workflow and approvals and prioritization and reporting.
  • AtTask provides a platform for many of our advisors to capture notes (the Updates feature) that help tell the story behind a delayed timeline or a newly identified issue.
  • AtTask reporting has provided opportunities to showcase our work to our clients and sponsors in one click.
  • AtTask is only one part of a work management system at Suncor that is supported and complimented by an established process, tools and templates.
  • AtTask implementation has still posed some challenges due to the fact that a company of this size is not able to easily upgrade to the most recent browser.
  • We also still struggle with exporting reports and Gantt charts so clients receive the view that they want to see.
  • AtTask has provided increased visibility into the work we are doing - eliminating duplicate work.
  • AtTask has helped clients prioritize their learning projects.
  • AtTask has helped with succession planning - reducing the time it takes to transition work and all the details that are associated with a particular piece of work.
When we purchased AtTask, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of our needs against four tools: Excel, MS Project AtTask and Success Factors). AtTask met all user requirements where other tools required customization to meet only some of the requirements.
Licence renewals are dependent on executive budgets. That being said, I would ask to have a single licence to manage my work if the licences for the team were not feasible.
It is imperative that a company has a clear understanding of their own needs before going out and purchasing a tool. Even the most awesome tool will not be adopted if the end users don't have a clear understanding of why they are using it. It is also important to understand what type of behaviour and skills you expect users to have, for example, do you expect users to have project management skills and if so, how will you build those skills independent of the tool?

Using AtTask

400 - 
  • Turnaround
  • IS
  • Oil Sands Learning
  • Corporate Learning and Capability
Each department uses AtTask differently, but collectivley we have collaboarted on common successes and challenges with the tool to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
1 - It is important to have someone in the group who has extensive Project Management skills or a PMP designation. Someone who has the time to dedicate to users who need an immediate answer and someone who is highly focussed on customer service. If one person has a bad experience, feelings can be transferred to others very quickly. An administrator must be able to address those people quickly and without bias.
  • We use AtTask to manage operational work
  • We use AtTask to manage learning solutions and the various tasks assigned to external as well as internal vendors
  • We use AtTask to manage comments, risks and issues on projects
  • We use AtTask to provide a snapshop of work happening for our internal clients (and the associated costs).
  • We use AtTask templates to create a treasure hunt game to help familiarize new users with AtTask features.
  • AtTask has been used to assist with succession planning in groups with a high turnover.
  • We have yet to use the resourcing feature.
  • Teams are already showing interest in using the "Like" feature as a quick way to let someone know that they read an update.
  • We have had requests from a dozen users to pilot the Plugin for Microsoft Outlook in the past month.

AtTask Support

Basic support has been supplemented by the AtTask Customer Service represenative and the ongoing relationship with development teams who are always looking for feedback on the product.
ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
No escalation required
Immediate help available
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
Need to explain problems multiple times
No - Basic support has met all of our needs in the Learning and Capability group here at Suncor.
Yes - Reported bugs are resolved quickly and are celebrated by the company. AtTask understands the importance of listening to the customer base.
Exceptional support was provided to Suncor by the consultation team when the product was launched with a consutation package of 25 hours - to ensure the best fit of features.

Using AtTask

I have witnessed users with a PMP background pickup the tool and use it to its full capacity within a week with very little training. Users without basic project management skills, however, have taken much longer with extensive one-on-one training. The tool is highly intuitive if you have a PM background.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
Slow to learn
  • Input of updates or comments
  • Building new reports or custom reports
  • Input of risks and issues
  • Inputting time against a project for more that a week in arrears.
  • Exporting a Gantt or Milestone view for a client report
  • Sharing filters and views
Yes - The latest version of the AtTask App for iPhone and Android is easier than my PC to enter time, updates and email people on status changes. I look at it everyday on my way home. . .