Octaved Flow Blog

New features and more resources

1st May 2025

New feature Critical path

Critical path is another method developed by Octaved Flow to identify and manage project risks.
The critical path is the sequence of work packages in which no delays may occur so that the project can be completed on schedule.
The critical path can be displayed for projects or sub-projects.
In the critical path diagram, the arrows are red and the work packages are outlined in red.

New feature Colour picker extension

The color code is now displayed as text in the color selection for projects, sub-projects and work packages.
This means that the color can now be transferred via copy & paste.
Customers who use special colors for sub-projects wanted to be able to transfer them 1:1 to other sub-projects.
As the color code is now an input field, this is possible without any problems.

Further improvements and bug fixes

A warning has been added in the board if the window is closed without saving the text already entered.
A warning is displayed in the board if a board type is used that is addressed to a person (Approvals, FYI) and no one has been selected as the recipient.
The detail view of customers has been aligned with the detail view of all other elements in the table and project planning to create a consistent user experience.
If the detail view was pinned and then closed, it could no longer be 'unpinned'. This is now fixed and the detail view can be unpinned even when closed.
Other general improvements, including the adjustment of icons, text improvements and better translations into English.

24th April 2025

Improvement Zoom function in project planning

The zoom function control in project planning has been moved from the bottom right-hand corner to the top right-hand corner of the menu bar.
As a result, the control is no longer hidden by the detailed view when it is open.
The zoom function in project planning can therefore also be used while editing projects, sub-projects, work packages or tasks.

New feature Adjust zoom level to currently expanded projects

This new function automatically adjusts the zoom level to the currently expanded projects.
By clicking on the button, the zoom level is automatically set so that everything that is not collapsed (i.e. theoretically visible) fits on one page without having to scroll.
Of course, this depends on the size of the monitor and the current size of the planning area.

New feature Expansion of zoom levels

The zoom levels have been extended so that long projects can also be displayed without scrolling.
It is now possible to zoom out to 10%.
The zoom levels have also been extended in the other direction and now reach up to 500% to highlight a short period of time.

New feature Zooming with the mouse wheel

Zooming is now also possible with the mouse wheel.
To do this, press the control key (Ctrl) and turn the mouse wheel
The mouse pointer must be in the planning view.

New feature Display of start and end date when dragging planning bars

When dragging a planning bar, the start or end date of the planning is now displayed.
This is particularly useful at small zoom levels when the date is no longer easy to see.
If you drag the start or end of the planning bar, the start or end date is displayed.
If the entire bar is moved, both are displayed.

New feature Dynamic scale adjustment

The display of the scale, i.e. the days and months above the planning view, now adapts dynamically to the selected zoom level
At larger zoom levels, days are displayed and calendar weeks or months are displayed above them
At smaller zoom levels, the days would no longer be recognizable and therefore calendar weeks are displayed first and months at even smaller zoom levels.

New feature Planning on weekends

Previously, it was not possible to start or end a planning bar on a weekend in project planning.
The bar automatically snaps to the next weekday.
However, weekends can be selected as the start or end in the detailed view.
As some industries also have to plan on weekends, weekends can now also be selected in project planning.
If the Shift key is also pressed when dragging a planning bar with the mouse, weekend days can also be selected.

10 April 2025

New feature Filter for Responsible extended by "No one responsible"

There is a new option in the filter for Responsible: "No one responsible".
This filter can be used to find work packages and tasks for which no one is responsible.
This allows the project manager to see at a glance where resources still need to be allocated.
It can be assumed that a work package for which no one is responsible will probably not be completed. Such work packages and tasks can now be quickly identified.
The new filter is available in the menu items Table and Project planning under All filters.

New feature Filter by person and project role

There is a new combined filter for person and project role.
This filter can be used to find projects, sub-projects and work packages in which a specific person occupies a specific project role, for example "Max Mustermann is project manager".
The new filter is available in the menu items Table and Project planning under All filters.

Practical tip Using new filter options

In the example scenario, there is a department manager who assigns a person from his department as Responsible for the work packages for which his department is responsible.
For this purpose, the project role Department Manager was created in Octaved Flow and the department manager with the project role Department Manager is assigned to all work packages of this department.
The question now is how the department manager can find the work packages for which his department is responsible and for which he has not yet assigned an employee. And how to do this efficiently, without long searches and across all projects.
The answer is simple. The department head uses a combination of the two new filters.
Responsible is set to No one responsible and the project role filter is set to I have the role "Department manager".
If the project manager and not the department manager defines the responsibilities in the company, the example works in exactly the same way, except that the project role Project manager is used.

New feature New filters also in team planning

Instead of the filter for unassigned work packages, there is a separate row for unassigned work packages in team planning.
These can then be assigned to a person using drag & drop by dragging them onto the person's row.
The filter for the person and the project role is opened in the team planning via the filter icon in the Not assigned line.

02 April 2025

New feature Permissions can be set directly at all levels

Permissions can now also be set directly for projects, sub-projects and work packages in Octaved Flow.
The option to set permissions indirectly via project roles (for example: project manager automatically has more permissions) is retained. In addition, authorizations can now also be set explicitly.
Some Octaved Flow users have used project roles as a workaround to set permissions.
As permissions can now also be set directly, project roles can be used for their actual purpose again.
To do this, there is a “Permissions” button in the detailed view under the "Responsible" menu item.

New feature Project folder integrated in menu item "Permissions"

In the settings, the functions from the "Project folder" menu item were added to the "Permissions" menu item.
As permissions were essentially only managed in the "Project folder" menu item anyway, it was obvious to merge the two menu items into one.
This means that all authorizations can be managed in one place.
The "Project folder" menu item has been removed from the settings.

New feature Detail view for project folders with permissions

The detail view of the project folders has been expanded.
The permissions for the respective project folder can now be set there without having to switch to the "Settings" menu item.

New feature Authorization for time recording with task assignment

This is a case where a user has been assigned a task but does not have authorization to view the parent work package (and possibly the entire project). The user automatically receives authorization to view and check off the task. The user is not automatically given permission to see the work package (and therefore the other tasks).
Previously, the user did not have the authorization to record time for the work package in this case.
This led to the problem that the user could complete the task but could not record the time spent on it.
Now, the user automatically receives authorization to book time to the parent work package with the task.

Further improvements and bug fixes Rounding of time entries

Previously, the display of days in time recording was rounded to 0.5, as greater accuracy was not considered necessary - the exact number of hours was already available.
However, this led to queries, especially when recording time for customers.
Therefore, the display of days is now accurate to one decimal place, so that, for example, when 18 hours are displayed in days, "2.3 days" are now displayed instead of "2 days".

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.