Optimizing Project Requests with Wrike's Date Restrictions

Setting the Scene:
Before the date restriction feature was released, our request forms included a link to our "project timeline cheat sheet." This cheat sheet detailed which blueprints would trigger from each request form and how many business days each deliverable type would take. Despite our best efforts, team members often submitted projects with due dates chosen on a whim. This led to our intake team spending considerable time adjusting timelines or informing requesters that their deadlines couldn't be met. The due date question was typically one of the first questions on the request form.

The Challenge:
The lack of date restrictions meant that requesters often selected unrealistic due dates, causing inefficiencies and frustration for both the intake team and the requesters. Our team had to manually adjust timelines or communicate with requesters to set more feasible deadlines.

The Solution:
With the release of the date restrictions feature, I was able to make significant improvements to our request forms. I moved the due date question towards the end of the form, ensuring it would be asked multiple times depending on the requester's journey through the form. This allowed us to "gray out" dates that were below the standard timeline, preventing requesters from selecting unrealistic due dates. Ideally, the date restrictions would also account for nonworking days at the account level.

Implementation:
I reviewed the standard timeline for each blueprint and followed its journey through the request form. One of the last questions would ask when the project should be completed, and I included the number of days required for that blueprint, adding extra days for weekends (+2 for projects between 6-10 business days, +4 for 11-15 business days, etc.). We also included an open text question at the end for rush requests, allowing requesters to specify the date and reason for expedited timelines. This gave the team the opportunity to evaluate and accommodate urgent requests when possible.

The Struggle:
Despite these improvements, one of the biggest challenges remains that the date restrictions feature does not account for nonworking days at the account level. Adding extra days for weekends isn't a catch-all solution, as it doesn't include firm holidays and other nonworking days. This means the system can still be better optimized to reflect our actual working schedule.

Call to Action:
To address this, I encourage everyone to upvote the community post requesting this feature enhancement. By doing so, we can help prioritize this improvement and make the date restrictions feature even more effective for all users.
https://help.wrike.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/27247229742103-Wrike-Request-Forms-Constraints-for-Date-Questions-block-out-weekends

The Impact:
By incorporating these date restrictions, the intake process became much smoother. The need to adjust the majority of new projects was significantly reduced, and requesters gained a better understanding of how long projects actually take to complete. This feature not only streamlined our workflow but also set more realistic expectations for our team and requesters.