TimeTracker/docs/features/PROJECT_DASHBOARD.md

Project Dashboard Feature

Overview

The Project Dashboard provides a comprehensive, visual overview of project performance, progress, and team contributions. It aggregates key metrics and presents them through interactive charts and visualizations, making it easy to track project health at a glance.

Features

1. Key Metrics Overview

• Total Hours: Real-time tracking of all logged hours on the project
• Budget Used: Visual representation of consumed budget vs. allocated budget
• Task Completion: Percentage of tasks completed with completion rate
• Team Size: Number of team members actively contributing to the project

2. Budget vs. Actual Visualization

• Budget Tracking: Compare budgeted amount against actual consumption
• Hours Comparison: Estimated hours vs. actual hours worked
• Threshold Warnings: Visual alerts when budget threshold is exceeded
• Remaining Budget: Calculate and display remaining budget
• Interactive Bar Chart: Visual representation using Chart.js

3. Task Status Distribution

• Status Breakdown: Visual pie chart showing tasks by status (Todo, In Progress, Review, Done, Cancelled)
• Completion Rate: Overall task completion percentage
• Overdue Tasks: Count and highlight overdue tasks
• Color-coded Status: Easy-to-understand visual indicators

4. Team Member Contributions

• Hours Breakdown: Time contributed by each team member
• Percentage Distribution: Visual representation of team effort distribution
• Entry Counts: Number of time entries per team member
• Task Assignments: Number of tasks assigned to each member
• Interactive Horizontal Bar Chart: Compare team member contributions

5. Time Tracking Timeline

• Daily Hours Tracking: Line chart showing hours logged over time
• Period Filtering: View timeline for different time periods
• Trend Analysis: Visualize work patterns and project velocity
• Interactive Line Chart: Hover to see specific day details

6. Recent Activity Feed

• Activity Log: Real-time feed of recent project activities
• User Actions: Track who did what and when
• Entity-specific Actions: Project, task, and time entry activities
• Timestamp Display: Clear chronological ordering of events
• Icon Indicators: Visual icons for different activity types

7. Time Period Filtering

• All Time: View entire project history
• Last 7 Days: Focus on recent week's activities
• Last 30 Days: Monthly project view
• Last 3 Months: Quarterly overview
• Last Year: Annual performance review

Dashboard Sections

Top Navigation

• Back to Project: Easy navigation back to project detail page
• Project Name & Code: Clear project identification
• Period Filter: Dropdown to select time period

Metrics Cards (4 Cards)

1. Total Hours Card

   • Large number display of total hours
   • Estimated hours comparison
   • Blue clock icon

2. Budget Used Card

   • Budget consumption amount
   • Percentage of total budget
   • Green/Red indicator based on threshold
   • Dollar sign icon

3. Tasks Complete Card

   • Completed vs. total tasks
   • Completion percentage
   • Purple tasks icon

4. Team Members Card

   • Number of contributing members
   • Orange users icon

Visualization Charts

Budget vs. Actual Chart

• Type: Bar Chart
• Data: Budget, Consumed, Remaining
• Colors: Blue for budget, Green/Red for consumed, Green/Red for remaining
• Shows: When budget is exceeded with visual warnings

Task Status Distribution Chart

• Type: Doughnut Chart
• Data: Count of tasks by status
• Colors:
  • Gray: Todo
  • Blue: In Progress
  • Orange: Review
  • Green: Done
  • Red: Cancelled
• Legend: Bottom position with status labels

Team Contributions Chart

• Type: Horizontal Bar Chart
• Data: Hours per team member
• Colors: Purple theme
• Shows: Top 10 contributors

Time Tracking Timeline Chart

• Type: Line Chart
• Data: Daily hours over selected period
• Colors: Blue with gradient fill
• Shows: Work pattern and trends

Team Member Details Section

Shows detailed breakdown for each team member:

• Name and total hours
• Number of time entries
• Number of assigned tasks
• Percentage of total project time
• Visual progress bar

Recent Activity Section

Displays up to 10 recent activities:

• User avatar/icon
• Action description
• Timestamp
• Color-coded by action type

Navigation

Accessing the Dashboard

1. From Project View

   • Navigate to any project
   • Click the purple "Dashboard" button in the header
   • Located next to the "Edit Project" button

2. Direct URL

   • /projects/<project_id>/dashboard

Permissions

• All authenticated users can view project dashboards
• No special permissions required
• Same access level as project view

Usage Examples

Scenario 1: Project Manager Monitoring Progress

A project manager wants to check if the project is on track:

1. Navigate to project dashboard
2. Check key metrics cards for overview
3. Review budget chart for financial health
4. Check task completion chart for progress
5. Review timeline to ensure consistent work pace
6. Check team contributions for resource utilization

Scenario 2: Client Reporting

Preparing a client report:

1. Open project dashboard
2. Select "Last Month" from period filter
3. Screenshot key metrics
4. Export budget vs. actual chart
5. Document team member contributions
6. Include recent activity highlights

Scenario 3: Sprint Planning

Planning next sprint based on team capacity:

1. View team contributions section
2. Analyze each member's current workload
3. Check timeline for work patterns
4. Review task completion rates
5. Allocate tasks based on contribution percentages

Scenario 4: Budget Review

Monitoring budget utilization:

1. Check budget used percentage in metrics card
2. Review budget vs. actual chart
3. Calculate remaining budget
4. Check if threshold is exceeded
5. Review timeline to understand burn rate

Technical Implementation

Route

@projects_bp.route('/projects/<int:project_id>/dashboard')
@login_required
def project_dashboard(project_id):
    """Project dashboard with comprehensive analytics and visualizations"""

Data Aggregation

Budget Data

budget_data = {
    'budget_amount': float(project.budget_amount),
    'consumed_amount': project.budget_consumed_amount,
    'remaining_amount': budget_amount - consumed_amount,
    'percentage': (consumed_amount / budget_amount) * 100,
    'threshold_exceeded': project.budget_threshold_exceeded,
    'estimated_hours': project.estimated_hours,
    'actual_hours': project.actual_hours,
    'remaining_hours': estimated_hours - actual_hours,
    'hours_percentage': (actual_hours / estimated_hours) * 100
}

Task Statistics

task_stats = {
    'total': count of all tasks,
    'by_status': dictionary of status counts,
    'completed': count of done tasks,
    'in_progress': count of in-progress tasks,
    'todo': count of todo tasks,
    'completion_rate': (completed / total) * 100,
    'overdue': count of overdue tasks
}

Team Contributions

team_contributions = [
    {
        'username': member username,
        'total_hours': hours worked,
        'entry_count': number of entries,
        'task_count': assigned tasks,
        'percentage': (member_hours / project_hours) * 100
    }
]

Frontend Libraries

Chart.js 4.4.0

Used for all visualizations:

• Budget chart (Bar)
• Task status (Doughnut)
• Team contributions (Horizontal Bar)
• Timeline (Line)

Tailwind CSS

Responsive layout with dark mode support:

• Grid system for responsive cards
• Dark mode classes
• Hover effects and transitions

Database Queries

Dashboard performs optimized queries to fetch:

1. Project details and budget info
2. All tasks with status counts
3. Time entries grouped by user
4. Time entries grouped by date
5. Recent activities filtered by project

Performance Considerations

• Data is aggregated on the backend
• Charts render client-side with Chart.js
• Caching recommended for large projects
• Pagination considered for large activity lists

API Response Format

While the dashboard is primarily a web view, the underlying data structure is:

{
    "project": {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "Example Project",
        "code": "EXAM"
    },
    "budget_data": {
        "budget_amount": 5000.0,
        "consumed_amount": 3500.0,
        "remaining_amount": 1500.0,
        "percentage": 70.0,
        "threshold_exceeded": false
    },
    "task_stats": {
        "total": 20,
        "completed": 12,
        "in_progress": 5,
        "todo": 3,
        "completion_rate": 60.0,
        "overdue": 1
    },
    "team_contributions": [
        {
            "username": "john_doe",
            "total_hours": 45.5,
            "entry_count": 23,
            "task_count": 8,
            "percentage": 35.2
        }
    ],
    "timeline_data": [
        {
            "date": "2024-01-15",
            "hours": 8.5
        }
    ]
}

Best Practices

For Project Managers

1. Regular Monitoring: Check dashboard daily or weekly
2. Budget Tracking: Set up budget thresholds appropriately
3. Team Balance: Monitor contribution distribution
4. Early Warnings: Act on budget threshold warnings
5. Documentation: Export charts for reports

For Team Leads

1. Resource Planning: Use contribution data for allocation
2. Velocity Tracking: Monitor timeline patterns
3. Task Management: Keep task statuses updated
4. Team Health: Ensure balanced workload distribution

For Developers

1. Data Updates: Ensure time entries are logged consistently
2. Task Updates: Keep task statuses current
3. Budget Awareness: Check budget consumption regularly

Troubleshooting

Dashboard Shows No Data

Issue: Dashboard displays empty states for all charts Solutions:

• Verify project has time entries
• Check that tasks are created
• Ensure budget is set (if using budget features)
• Verify period filter isn't excluding all data

Budget Chart Not Displaying

Issue: Budget section shows "No budget set" Solutions:

• Edit project and set budget_amount
• Set hourly_rate if using hourly billing
• Ensure budget_threshold_percent is configured

Team Contributions Empty

Issue: No team members shown Solutions:

• Verify time entries exist for the project
• Check that time entries have end_time (completed)
• Ensure user assignments are correct

Charts Not Rendering

Issue: Canvas elements visible but no charts Solutions:

• Check browser console for JavaScript errors
• Verify Chart.js is loading correctly
• Check browser compatibility (modern browsers required)
• Clear browser cache

Period Filter Not Working

Issue: Selecting different periods shows same data Solutions:

• Check URL parameter is changing (?period=week)
• Verify date filtering logic in backend
• Ensure time entry dates are within selected period

Future Enhancements

Planned Features

1. Export Functionality: Export dashboard as PDF report
2. Custom Date Ranges: Allow custom start/end date selection
3. Milestone Tracking: Visual milestone progress indicators
4. Cost Integration: Include project costs in visualizations
5. Comparative Analysis: Compare against similar projects
6. Predictive Analytics: Project completion date estimation
7. Alerts & Notifications: Configurable dashboard alerts
8. Widget Customization: Allow users to customize dashboard layout
9. Mobile Optimization: Enhanced mobile dashboard view
10. Real-time Updates: WebSocket-based live data updates

Enhancement Requests

To request new dashboard features, please:

1. Open an issue on GitHub
2. Describe the use case
3. Provide mockups if possible
4. Tag with "feature-request" and "dashboard"

Related Features

• Project Management
• Task Management
• Time Tracking
• Team Collaboration
• Reporting

Testing

Unit Tests

Location: tests/test_project_dashboard.py

• Dashboard access and authentication
• Data calculation accuracy
• Period filtering
• Edge cases (no data, missing budget)

Smoke Tests

Location: tests/smoke_test_project_dashboard.py

• Dashboard loads successfully
• All sections render
• Charts display correctly
• Navigation works
• Period filter functions

Running Tests

# Run all dashboard tests
pytest tests/test_project_dashboard.py -v

# Run smoke tests only
pytest tests/smoke_test_project_dashboard.py -v

# Run with coverage
pytest tests/test_project_dashboard.py --cov=app.routes.projects

Accessibility

Features

• Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard support
• Screen Reader Support: Proper ARIA labels
• Color Contrast: WCAG AA compliant
• Focus Indicators: Clear focus states
• Alternative Text: Descriptive alt text for visualizations

Recommendations

• Use screen reader to announce chart data
• Provide data table alternatives for charts
• Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible

Browser Compatibility

Supported Browsers

• Chrome 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+
• Edge 90+

Required Features

• ES6 JavaScript support
• Canvas API for Chart.js
• CSS Grid and Flexbox
• Fetch API

Security Considerations

Authentication

• Dashboard requires login
• Project access follows existing permissions
• No special dashboard permissions

Data Privacy

• Only project team members see dashboard
• Activity feed respects privacy settings
• No external data sharing

Performance

• Query optimization for large datasets
• Client-side rendering for charts
• Caching strategies for repeated access

Support

For issues or questions:

• Check Troubleshooting section
• Review GitHub Issues
• Contact project maintainers
• Review test files for examples

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (2024-10)

• Initial release of Project Dashboard
• Budget vs. Actual visualization
• Task status distribution chart
• Team member contributions
• Time tracking timeline
• Recent activity feed
• Period filtering
• Responsive design with dark mode

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Last Updated: October 2024
Feature Status: ✅ Active
Requires: TimeTracker v1.0+