Adobe Workfront objects overview

Last update: February 11, 2025

CREATED FOR:

  • User

The information you display in Adobe Workfront is represented by objects which are stored in the Workfront database. The objects are what drives the information in Workfront.

Understanding how the objects are defined in Workfront is important so you can use the correct object for the needs necessary in your organization.

For example, when you plan a large amount of work, you need to use the Project object to define that work. To divide this work into smaller planned increments, you can use the Task object. For a smaller amount of work that is not planned, and can occur unexpectedly, you can use the Issue object. If you want to track the progress and the adherence to budget and timeline of a group of projects, you can organize them in Portfolios and Programs. To define other elements that help you resolve your work, you want to use other objects that are stored under Projects, Tasks, Issues, or Portfolios, like Documents, Updates, Hours, Users, or Job Roles.

Reports and Dashboards are another example of objects that can help you organize the amount of data you have in Workfront visually, to make it easily accessible for all users.

For a complete list of objects in Workfront, see the API Explorer.

Interdependency and hierarchy of objects

Objects are linked to one another in Workfront. For example, a task or an issue can never exist independently outside of a project. Tasks and issues are examples of objects that are stored in the project object. Tasks and issues are considered child objects to projects.

The following are some of the most commonly used objects in Workfront and their respective parent and children objects:

ObjectParent objectsChild objects
PortfoliosPrograms, Projects, Documents, Notes, Users
ProgramsPortfoliosProjects, Documents, Notes, Users
ProjectsPortfolios, ProgramsTasks, Issues, Documents, Notes, Hours, Users
TasksProjectsIssues, Children Tasks, Documents, Notes, Hours, Users
IssuesTasks, ProjectsDocuments, Notes, Hours, Users
DashboardsReports, External Pages
ReportsDashboards
GroupsUsers
TeamsUsers
UsersGroups, Teams, CompaniesJob Roles
CompaniesUsers
DocumentsTasks, Issues, Projects, Portfolios, Programs, Users
Plans*Initiatives
Goals*Results, Activities

For a complete list of objects in Workfront, see the API Explorer.

*Plans are the objects of the Adobe Workfront Scenario Planner. For information about the Scenario Planner, see The Scenario Planner overview.

*Goals are the objects of Adobe Workfront Goals. For information about Workfront Goals, see Adobe Workfront Goals overview.

Customize object names

As a Workfront administrator, you can customize object names in Workfront by using a Layout Template.

For more information about how to customize object names using a Layout Template, see Create and manage layout templates.

After you customize a layout template and you assign it to users, those users see the customized names for the objects. The users that have been assigned to the layout template no longer see the default names for the objects anywhere in the web application.

For example, if the larger amount of work in your organization is known as a ‘Engagement’, you can replace the name ‘Project’ with ‘Engagement’. Your Workfront interface shows ‘Engagement’ instead of ‘Project’ everywhere where the name ‘Project’ would appear.

NOTE
For the new names of the objects to be visible for your users, they must log out and log back in to Workfront after you have saved the Layout Template.
IMPORTANT
The Workfront documentation always refers to the default names of the objects. As a Workfront administrator, ensure that you notify users of the changes in object names, so they can understand how to use the Workfront documentation, as well as the areas of the applications which do not reflect the changes in the names of the objects.