Octaved Flow Blog

05 March 2025

New feature New table in project planning

• The table on the left-hand side of the Project planning menu item has been completely renewed and improved with this update.
• The table is now structured in exactly the same way as in the menu item Projects > Table, which results in a standardised user experience.
• The new functions described below all relate to these improvements to the table.

New feature New column options

• There are now over 40 new column options available that can be displayed and removed.
• This means that the project planning table is now even more customisable and can be configured as required.
• This means that important details on work packages and projects can be displayed directly in the table without having to open the detailed view.

New feature Flexible, customisable table

• The functionality of the table has been completely revised to make it more flexible and configurable.
• The width of the table is now adjustable and can be enlarged or reduced.
• The width of the individual columns can also be adjusted as required.
• Columns can also be swapped to organise the table in a way that is best for the user.
• Overall, this leads to a general improvement in the user experience and a better overview of the most important aspects of work packages and projects.

New feature Improved cursor controls

• Navigation within the project planning table has also been improved with this update.
• Left-clicking anywhere in a row now opens the detailed view. Previously, you had to click on the icon of the detailed view to open it.
• Right-clicking on a row opens the table's context menu.

New feature Improved search and new filter options

• The text search now highlights the results in the table.
• More than 20 new filter options are available to filter the displayed projects and work packages.
• For example, it is now possible to filter by planning status, due date within a time period or percentage of completed tasks.

Further improvements and bug fixes

• For split planning bars where the text between the bars does not fit into the gap, the text between the bars is now hidden and no longer cut off.
• The problem that the table sometimes jumped three months into the past and you had to click on the today button to get back has been fixed.

05 February 2025

New Feature Cross-project dependencies

• Work packages from different projects can now be made dependent on each other.
• Previously, this was only possible between work packages from the same project.
• In the detail view, a work package from another project can now also be selected as a predecessor.
• Feedback from Octaved Flow users has shown that the ability to create dependencies between different projects is important and we have implemented this in the latest version of Octaved Flow.

New Feature Drag & Drop

• It has always been possible to create dependencies between work packages using drag & drop.
• Now you can also create dependencies between work packages in different projects using drag & drop.
• As with work packages in the same project, you can use the mouse to drag an arrow between the desired work packages, making them dependent on each other.

New Feature Improved selection of predecessor

• The table for selecting the predecessor has been completely revised.
• It is now possible to switch between different views of the table.
• Filter functions have been added so that the predecessor can be found even more quickly.

New Feature Limit labels to select project folders

• For example, project folders can be used to visualize separate clients or teams for different countries.
• The team that uses project folder A can have a different working method than the team that uses project folder B.
• As the working method is usually linked to the use of labels, labels can now be restricted to specific project folders and are therefore only available for projects in the respective project folder.
• This means that team A can select different labels than team B.
• Note: Labels that have already been assigned are retained, the restriction only affects the selection when adding labels.

05 February 2025

New feature Collapse and expand in table

• In the table display options, it is now possible to expand and collapse all content within the created projects.
• This provides a quicker overview of the existing projects and saves you having to expand and collapse them manually.
• It is also possible to collapse everything below the work packages. This hides all tasks, which makes the table clearer.
• This is particularly useful for project managers who do not work at this level of detail.

New feature Display number of results

• In the table's display options, you can also select to display the number of all hits at the bottom right.
• Especially if the results are filtered, you can see the number of hits without having to count them manually.
• As qualified hits are always displayed in black, this function only counts the black rows, so to speak. Rows that are only used to display the results in the tree, such as the parent project, are displayed in gray and are not counted.

New feature Basic selection of columns and filters

• There is now a selection of the most frequently used and most important columns and filters in the columns and filters.
• We have added more and more filters/columns over time, which has made the list longer and longer.
• Therefore, the most important columns and filters can now be found under Basic.
• The complete list is still available under All Filters or All Columns.

New feature Live updates when searching in the table

• If a term is entered in the search bar of the table, an automatic update takes place, which restricts the projects, work packages and tasks displayed accordingly.
• Previously, it was necessary to click on the magnifying glass to start the search.
• In combination with the other Octaved Flow filter tools, the elements you are looking for can now be found quickly and efficiently.

15 January 2025

New feature Color display of availabilities in the date selection

• In order to be able to plan tasks within a work package even better with the date selection, there is now a colored marker that shows the planned period of the work package.
• This makes it possible to see at a glance which period is available for planning the tasks without exceeding the due dates of the higher-level work package.
• All days outside the planned time frame of the work package are highlighted in red, while the period available for task planning remains white.

New feature Highlighting of start and end date in the date selection

• To make it easier to recognize that you have set the start date after the first mouse click, the corners are now rounded to the left.
• If you then set an end date, the corners on the other side are rounded to the right to create a bar.
• If no end date has yet been selected, the right-hand corners remain unchanged, as can be seen in the screenshot above.
• If the task is only planned for one day, all four corners of the selection are rounded.
• This change, which may seem inconspicuous at first glance, speeds up work as time periods can be recognized much more quickly. As the date selection is used relatively frequently, the effect is multiplied.

New feature Display of gap bars in the date selection

• If the planning bar of a work package has been split (gap bar), the other gap bars are visible in the date selection.
• This makes planning easier, as the split bars can no longer be accidentally moved to the same period.

New feature Performance improvements when dragging and dropping tasks

• When moving tasks, a line is now displayed that marks the destination of the task.
• Previously, when moving tasks, all surrounding tasks were also moved to show the destination. Although this was visually appealing, it slowed down the process.
• The line is a pragmatic solution that not only makes the software faster, but also clearly indicates the destination of the task.

09 January 2025

New Feature Virtual users

• Unlike standard users, virtual users cannot log into Octaved Flow themselves.
• In project planning, virtual users function like standard users, they can be scheduled into projects and project time can be recorded and billed.
• Virtual users are used, for example, for resource planning for subcontractors or fitters who do not have access to Octaved Flow.
• Another use case is recording the project time of external employees and freelancers so that this time can be invoiced to the customer.

New Feature One page for all types of users

• All user types can now be managed on a central page, which provides a better overview of the users.
• It is possible to filter by user type.
• The following user types are available: “Standard user”, “Virtual user”, “Guest user” and “API user”.
• Note: Customer users now fall under the guest user category. The attractive, dynamic MAU (Monthly Active Users) license model is therefore available for all guest users.

New Feature Login via Microsoft Entra ID

• You can now sign up and log in to Octaved Flow with your Microsoft business account.
• For organizations and companies using Entra ID, it is now possible to use it to log in to Octaved Flow so that separate login details are no longer required.
• The switch to Entra ID does not have to be made immediately for all users, but can be implemented gradually.
• Login via Entra ID is activated under “My name” (bottom left), “My settings” and then “Security”. At the bottom is a button “More login options”.

New Feature Authorizations for guest users

• Additional authorizations have been added to the authorizations for guest users.
• Guest users can create tasks, provided they have been assigned the appropriate authorizations.
• For example, customers can create change requests in the form of tasks, which can then be processed internally.
• In addition, the available authorizations have been structured more logically.
• The screenshot above shows the old version on the left and the new version on the right.

Further Improvements

• In the detailed view under “Responsible”, the project role is now automatically selected if there is only one project role.
• Performance improvements in the area of tasks and personal tasks.
• In pop-up windows in which a date is selected, the calendar weeks are now also displayed on the left-hand side.
• Design improvements to the new context menu.
• The context menu has now also been introduced for tasks in project planning.
• The “Record time” option is once again available on all levels in the context menu.