FAQ: Understanding Speciality(Skills) + Role in Timeline
Published on April 23, 2026 QuoteX
Understanding Speciality (Skills) & Role in Timeline
Understand how Speciality (Skills) are assigned to resource roles in the QuoteX Timeline, how skills are inherited from the scoping and sizing phase, and why certain skills may not be available for selection.
Quick Overview
Skills available in the Timeline are determined during the project's Scoping & Sizing phase. Only skills associated with resource roles in the scope effort are available for assignment in the Timeline.
Example: A speciality must be selected from the skills defined for the project's scoped requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why can’t I add or select an existing PSC skill when assigning a resource to a role in the Timeline?
In the resource Timeline, you can only assign skills that were defined during the Scoping & Sizing phase within the project's efforts, under the Scope Size Effort section.
Skills that were not tied to a role during this phase will not be available for selection in the Timeline. This ensures that only predefined skills are applied, reflecting the project's scoped requirements.
Important: Having a skill defined in your organization's capabilities does not automatically make it available in the Timeline. The skill must first be associated with the relevant role during Scoping & Sizing.
2. How are skills automatically assigned when I select a resource role in the Timeline?
When a resource is assigned to a role in the Timeline, the first skill associated with that role during the Scoping & Sizing phase, under the Scope Size Effort module, is automatically attached to the resource.
Automatic Assignment: If multiple skills are associated with a role, the first skill is automatically selected by default.
Example: A speciality associated with the selected resource role is automatically populated.
3. Can I add new skills to a resource role directly from the Timeline view?
No. Skills cannot be added directly in the Timeline view.
Skills must be defined during the Scoping & Sizing phase. Only skills associated with roles in the scope efforts will be available in the Timeline. This ensures consistency with the project's initial requirements.
Where to define skills:
Define and associate the required skills with the appropriate resource roles during Scoping & Sizing, rather than attempting to add them from the Timeline.
4. What happens if multiple skills are associated with the same role?
If more than one skill is tied to the same role during the scoping process, the Timeline displays a dropdown or list containing the available skills.
You can then select the most appropriate skill for the resource. The first skill is automatically assigned by default, but you can manually change it to another available option.
Example: Multiple skills associated with resource roles can be selected from the available speciality options.
Example: If a Developer role has both JavaScript and another skill associated during Scoping & Sizing, the first skill is selected automatically. You can manually select another available skill from the list.
5. Why can’t I see certain skills that I know are part of our organization’s capabilities, like Data Cloud?
Skills that are part of your organization’s capabilities may not appear in the resource Timeline unless they were explicitly associated with a role during the Scoping & Sizing phase.
Ensure that the relevant skills were scoped for the role in the project efforts. If a skill was not scoped, it will not be available in the Timeline for assignment.
Example: The Timeline displays the speciality associated with the resource role.
Remember: An organizational capability such as Data Cloud will only be available for Timeline assignment when it has been explicitly associated with the relevant role during Scoping & Sizing.
Quick Reference
| Question | Answer |
| Why can't I select a skill? | The skill must have been associated with the role during Scoping & Sizing. |
| How is a skill assigned automatically? | The first skill associated with the selected role is automatically assigned. |
| Can I add a skill directly from Timeline? | No. Skills must be defined during Scoping & Sizing. |
| What if a role has multiple skills? | The first skill is selected automatically, and the available skills can be changed from the Timeline. |
| Why can't I see an organizational capability? | It must have been explicitly associated with the relevant role during Scoping & Sizing. |
Key Takeaway
QuoteX uses the project's Scoping & Sizing information to determine which Specialities (Skills) are available for resource roles in the Timeline. Define the required skills during scoping, associate them with the appropriate roles, and then select from those predefined skills when managing Timeline resources.
Knowledge Article Number: KA-00043