Tracking Production Progress

Monitor task completion, identify bottlenecks, and keep production on schedule

Overview

Tracking production progress is essential for hitting deadlines and maintaining quality. Kitsu provides multiple views and tools to monitor status, identify issues early, and make data-driven decisions.

Production Dashboard

Accessing Production Overview

Navigate to your production from the main menu to access:

• Assets: All production assets organized by type
• Shots: Shot breakdown by sequence and episode
• Task Status: Visual grid showing completion across task types
• Statistics: Production-wide metrics and progress

Task Status Grid

The main assets and shots pages display a grid where:

• Rows = Individual assets/shots
• Columns = Task types (Modeling, Rigging, Animation, etc.)
• Cells = Status color for each task

Color Coding:

• Gray: Not started / Todo
• Blue: Work in progress
• Purple: Waiting for approval / Pending
• Orange: Retake needed
• Green: Approved / Complete
• Red: Blocked / Issues

Get a quick production overview by scanning the color grid. Lots of gray means work hasn’t started; lots of orange means issues need addressing.

Filtering and Views

Production Filters

Narrow your view with filters:

• By Asset Type: Props, Characters, Environments, etc.
• By Episode: For episodic productions
• By Sequence: Group shots logically
• By Task Status: Show only specific statuses
• By Assignee: See work for specific artists

Search Functionality

Quickly find specific items:

• Search by name (asset/shot code)
• Filter by metadata (complexity, priority, etc.)
• Combine filters for precise queries
• Save custom searches for reuse

Column Visibility

Customize which task columns you see:

1. Click the column visibility menu
2. Toggle task types on/off
3. Focus on your department’s tasks
4. Adjust based on production phase

Progress Statistics

Entity-Level Stats

At the top of asset/shot pages, see:

• Total entities: Count of assets or shots
• Completion percentage: Overall progress
• Task counts by status
• Estimated vs. actual time

Task-Level Breakdown

For each task type column:

• Click the column header
• View statistics modal
• See status distribution
• Track approval rates

Production Metrics

Access detailed analytics:

• Quota page: Daily/weekly completion rates
• Time spent: Aggregated hours by task type
• Estimation accuracy: Planned vs. actual
• Bottleneck identification: Tasks taking longest

Production metrics help you spot trends, like consistently underestimated task types or departments running behind.

Tracking by Task Type

Department Progress

Monitor progress for your specific area:

1. Filter to your task type (e.g., Animation)
2. Review status distribution
3. Identify tasks needing attention
4. Check for overdue items

Task Status Breakdown

For your task type, track:

• Not started: How much work is queued
• In progress: Currently active tasks
• Pending review: Your review queue
• Retakes: Issues to follow up on
• Approved: Completed work

Common Patterns to Watch

Red Flags:

• Many tasks stuck in retake status
• Low approval rate (lots of iterations)
• Tasks not progressing over time
• Overdue tasks piling up

Green Lights:

• Steady progression through statuses
• High first-pass approval rate
• Tasks completing on or ahead of schedule
• Balanced workload across artists

Schedule Management

Viewing Schedules

Access the Schedule page to see:

• Gantt-style timeline view
• Tasks plotted by start and due dates
• Dependencies between tasks
• Milestones and deadlines

Schedule Types

Kitsu supports different schedule views:

1. Main Schedule: Production-wide timeline
2. Asset Type Schedules: Modeling, rigging, etc.
3. Sequence Schedules: Shot progression
4. Department Schedules: Team-specific views

Schedule Items

Each schedule item shows:

• Task type and entity
• Planned duration (from estimation)
• Start and end dates
• Current status
• Assignee(s)

Identifying Schedule Issues

Look for:

• Red bars: Overdue tasks
• Compressed timelines: Insufficient time for quality work
• Gaps: Idle time or missing assignments
• Conflicts: Overlapping critical tasks

Tasks showing as overdue need immediate attention. Review with the assigned artist and adjust deadlines or resources as needed.

Milestones

What Are Milestones?

Milestones mark important production dates:

• Client review deadlines
• Delivery dates
• Production phase transitions
• Internal review checkpoints

Creating Milestones

1. Go to Schedule page

   Access the production schedule view

2. Click Add Milestone

   Opens the milestone creation form

3. Set milestone details

   • Name (e.g., “Client Review #1”)
   • Date
   • Description
4. Save

   Milestone appears on schedule timeline

Tracking to Milestones

Use milestones to:

• Plan backwards from deadlines
• Ensure tasks complete before milestone dates
• Communicate progress to stakeholders
• Identify at-risk deliverables

Using All Tasks View

Supervisor Task Overview

Go to All Tasks from the main navigation:

• See tasks across all productions
• Filter by production, task type, status
• View your team’s entire workload
• Identify tasks needing your review

Sorting Options

Sort tasks by:

• Priority: Address high-priority work first
• Due date: Focus on upcoming deadlines
• Start date: Plan task sequencing
• Status: Group by approval needs
• Last comment: Find recently updated tasks
• Estimation: Identify large/small tasks

Custom Queries

Create saved searches for:

• “Waiting for my approval”
• “Overdue in my department”
• “High priority this week”
• “Retakes needing follow-up”

Access these quickly from the search dropdown.

Quota Tracking

What Is Quota?

Quota represents expected task completion rates:

• Tasks per day/week/month
• Compared to actual completions
• Shows team velocity
• Helps forecast delivery dates

Accessing Quota Page

From your production menu:

1. Select Quota
2. Choose date range (daily, weekly, monthly)
3. View completion charts
4. Compare to targets

Quota Metrics

The quota page shows:

• Target: Expected completions
• Actual: Tasks completed
• Variance: Ahead or behind schedule
• Trends: Performance over time
• By task type: Department breakdowns

Using Quota Data

Quota helps you:

• Forecast delivery dates based on current velocity
• Identify if team needs more resources
• Spot productivity trends (improving or declining)
• Set realistic expectations with production

If quota shows consistent under-delivery, investigate root causes: Are estimations too optimistic? Is the team size adequate? Are there blockers?

Time Tracking Analysis

Team Timesheets

Access the Timesheets page to review:

• Time logged by all team members
• Daily, weekly, monthly views
• Breakdown by production and task type
• Compare estimated vs. actual hours

Identifying Estimation Issues

Look for patterns:

• Consistently over: Tasks taking much longer than estimated
• Consistently under: Estimations are too conservative
• High variance: Inconsistent scoping

Capacity Planning

Use timesheet data to:

• Calculate available team hours
• Estimate completion dates
• Identify overallocation
• Plan future assignments

Example:

Team size: 5 artists
Available hours/week: 40 hours × 5 = 200 hours
Remaining task estimations: 800 hours
Estimated completion: 4 weeks

Identifying Bottlenecks

Common Bottleneck Signs

1. Tasks stuck in same status for extended periods
2. Reviewer backlog: Many tasks waiting for approval
3. Dependency chains: One delayed task blocking many others
4. Resource constraints: Same person assigned to too many tasks
5. Technical issues: Repeated retakes for same reason

Resolving Bottlenecks

Review backlog

• Dedicate time for reviews daily
• Delegate review authority when possible
• Use batch review workflows
• Communicate expected review turnaround

Dependency issues

• Identify critical path tasks
• Prioritize blocking work
• Consider parallel workflows
• Communicate dependencies clearly

Resource overload

• Redistribute tasks
• Bring in additional help
• Reduce scope if possible
• Adjust deadlines

Technical problems

• Identify recurring issues
• Provide training or documentation
• Improve tools or pipelines
• Clarify standards and expectations

Reporting

Production Reports

Generate reports for:

• Status reports: Current state of all tasks
• Progress reports: Completion over time
• Time reports: Hours logged vs. estimated
• Team reports: Individual artist productivity

Export Options

Export data as:

• CSV: For spreadsheet analysis
• PDF: For presentation to stakeholders
• Screenshots: Visual status snapshots

Access exports from:

• Assets/Shots pages (export icon)
• Timesheets page
• Quota page
• Custom reports

Stakeholder Communication

Use reports to:

• Update production management
• Communicate with clients
• Track against contracts
• Document production progress

Daily Supervisor Workflow

Recommended daily routine:

1. Morning: Check overnight progress

   • Review task status changes
   • Check completed work
   • Read team comments
2. Plan the day

   • Prioritize review queue
   • Identify urgent tasks
   • Check for blockers
3. Review submissions

   • Approve or provide feedback
   • Communicate clearly and promptly
   • Update task statuses
4. Monitor progress

   • Check schedule adherence
   • Review quota numbers
   • Identify any issues
5. Support team

   • Answer questions
   • Unblock artists
   • Assign new work
6. End of day: Plan tomorrow

   • Review upcoming deadlines
   • Prepare assignments
   • Note any concerns

Best Practices

1. Check status daily

   Regular monitoring prevents surprises

2. Use multiple views

   Grid, schedule, quota - each provides different insights

3. Track trends, not just snapshots

   Look at progress over time, not just current state

4. Communicate proactively

   Share status with production and escalate issues early

5. Adjust estimates

   Use actual data to improve future estimates

6. Focus on bottlenecks

   Address blockers before they cascade

7. Celebrate progress

   Recognize milestones and good work

Advanced Features

Custom Columns

Add metadata columns to track:

• Complexity rating
• Client priority
• Character/location tags
• Custom production needs

Filter and sort by these fields.

Task Dependencies

Some installations support task dependencies:

• Define which tasks must complete before others
• Visualize dependency chains
• Auto-update statuses based on dependencies

Automated Reports

Set up automated reporting:

• Daily status emails
• Weekly progress summaries
• Overdue task alerts
• Milestone reminders

Next Steps

Reviewing Work

Review and approve artist submissions effectively

Team Management

Assign tasks and manage your team’s workload