Average time spent in a section logic

[Yathushi_Chandramoha]

HI

I have created a widget to capture the average time spent by an assignee on tasks in a section.

The structure is set as parent tasks, sub tasks.

On the dashboard I created a bar chart where the X axis ix set as Assignee and the Y axis is set as Time spent in a section, Average and the units is set to days. The filter is used is to not include sub tasks.

The problem I am facing is I am unable to view the underlying data related to the widget or understand what the logic behind the metric.

Please share suggestions

[ARUNPRADEEPAN]

Hi @Yathushi_Chandramoha, thanks for sharing this use case! I’d be happy to explore this with you and help troubleshoot the metric.

Could you please share a few more details about how the widget is configured and how you’re calculating the average time spent?

1. Widget configuration: Is this a native Asana dashboard chart or a custom-built widget? If it’s custom-built, could you share how the metric is calculated?

2. Definition of time spent: Are you measuring the time between task creation and completion, the time spent in a particular section, or something else?

3. Section tracking: How are you identifying the time a task spends in a section? Are you using task movement timestamps, custom fields, or another data source?

4. Parent and subtask structure: Are assignees and time values captured on parent tasks, subtasks, or both? Also, how are you excluding subtasks from the chart?

5. Underlying data: Could you share a sample of the expected output for two or three assignees, along with the corresponding task details and time values?

If possible, a screenshot of the widget configuration and a sample task structure would also help.

With these details, we can understand the calculation logic, validate how the average is being aggregated by assignee, and identify the best way to inspect the underlying data.

Looking forward to exploring this with you!

[Yathushi_Chandramoha]

Hi Arunpradeepan,

Thank you assisting me with this query.

1. This is a custom built widget, and the metrics set are as shown in the snip below.

   

2. The time spent in each section of the project, for eg: Backlog, In progress, On Hold, Completed.

3. I have added some custom fields such as Actual start date, Actual due date, but to create the widget I did not directly use any of these numbers.

4. Assignees are captured at both task and sub-task level. On the widget I added a filter named Subtasks and selected do no show sub-tasks.

5. The below snip shows the output of the metrics set in place, but unfortunately the underlying data is not displaying

   

I need to understand the logic based on which the widget is built on.

[ARUNPRADEEPAN]

Hey Yathushi, thanks for your response!

I have a couple of questions to better understand your use case:

1. Are users manually entering the actual time spent on each task, or are you trying to calculate the time spent in a particular section automatically?

2. Are you looking to track these metrics within a single project or across multiple projects in your workspace?

This will help me better understand your current setup and explore a suitable solution.

[Yathushi_Chandramoha]

Hi Arunpradeepan,

1. The users are not tracking the time spent on the tasks, there are couple of custom fields added to the board though such as Actual start time, Actual dye date, Time gap, Cycle time. But I am trying to calculate the time spent in a particular section automatically from Asana not by using the custom fields or time tracking feature.
2. Looking to track this metrics in a single project for now.

[ARUNPRADEEPAN]

When a task moves from one section to another, is it reassigned to a different person responsible for the next stage, or does the same assignee handle the task throughout all the sections?

[Yathushi_Chandramoha]

Same person is assigned through out all the sections

[ARUNPRADEEPAN]

Hi Yathushi,

I tried recreating your setup in my Asana instance to understand your use case, and I’ve attached screenshots of the project structure and dashboard configuration.

Here’s how the Time in section metric works in this setup.

1. How Asana calculates time in a section

Asana measures the elapsed time a task spends in a particular section. For example, if a task is created in Section 1 at 4:50 PM and moved to Section 2 at 5:12 PM, the time spent in Section 1 is 22 minutes.

If the task then moves from Section 2 to Section 3 at 6:27 PM, the time spent in Section 2 is 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The time in each section is based on the task’s movement through the workflow, rather than the Actual Start Time, Actual Due Date, or Time Gap custom fields you created.

2. How the dashboard calculates the average by assignee

In my sample project, I configured a separate chart for each section using:

• X-axis: Assignee

• Y-axis: Time in section

• Aggregation: Average

• Unit: Hours

• Filter: Exclude subtasks

The chart groups the relevant tasks by their assignee and displays the average time those tasks spent in the selected section.

For example, if Alan has two tasks that spent 2 hours and 6 hours in Section 1, the average would be:

(2 + 6) ÷ 2 = 4 hours

The chart displays this average for Alan. It doesn’t show the duration of each individual task.

3. What happens when a new task is added for the same assignee?

Suppose Alan initially has two tasks in Section 1, with durations of 2 hours and 6 hours. His average is 4 hours.

If a new task assigned to Alan subsequently spends 4 hours in Section 1, the average becomes:

(2 + 6 + 4) ÷ 3 = 4 hours

If the new task spends 10 hours in Section 1 instead, the average becomes:

(2 + 6 + 10) ÷ 3 = 6 hours

So, when a new eligible task is included in the chart, it contributes to the average for that assignee. The displayed average may increase or decrease depending on the new task’s duration.

4. What if the task moves to another section?

When the task moves from Section 1 to Section 2, its time in Section 1 stops accumulating, and its time in Section 2 begins accumulating. The corresponding section-level metrics can then reflect the task’s time in each section.

The dashboard is useful for comparing average section durations across assignees and identifying stages where tasks tend to remain longer.

I hope this helps clarify the calculation and how adding new tasks can affect the average!

[Yathushi_Chandramoha]

Hi Arunpradeepan,

Thank you so much for the explanation provided, this clarifies my query.

Appreciate you taking your time to help me out.