Please note: This is currently an invite-only integration. Please contact support@karbonhq.com if you would like to discuss access.
Index
Overview
Link work items in Karbon with projects in Float to help you better schedule resources and understand capacity.
Setting up the integration
Please note: This is currently an invite-only integration. Please contact support@karbonhq.com if you would like to discuss access.
1. Integration Connections
Enter your Karbon tenant key.
You can find this after the first / within your Karbon URL when logged into your account. Adding this will allow you to link back directly to the associated Karbon Work Item within a Float Project.
Add your Float API key
2. Project Creation
Select the Karbon Work Item Work Types that should be integrated with Float Projects.
Create Float Projects from existing Karbon Work Items with a matching Work Type?
When choosing Yes for this option the integration will look through every Work Item in your Karbon account, identify the items with Work Types match those selected above, and add those as Float Projects. This is only happens the first time the integration is deployed, rather than every time you update the integration settings.
3. Project Colour
How should the Float Project color be set?
By Karbon Work Type.
This option sets a color for the Float Project based on the corresponding Karbon Work Type.By Float Project Owner email.
This option sets a color for the Float Project Owner email address. The Project Owner will be set according to the configuration option chosen in the Project Owner configuration page.
The available colours are set based on the Float default colours.
Completed Work in Karbon updates Float Project color
When set to Yes, whenever an integrated Work Item is completed in Karbon, the Project colour will be updated to green in Float. Note that at this time the color will not be changed back if Work moves out of a completed status.
4. Project Owner
How should the Float Project Owner field be set?
Karbon Work Assignee
Karbon Client Owner
Karbon Client Manager
If set to Client Owner or Client Manager but these are not set in Karbon then the Project Owner will default to the Float account owner.
Note that this field is only populated when the Work Item is initially created in Karbon. It will not be subsequently updated by the integration.
5. Project Status
Completed Work in Karbon changes Float Project status to archived
Yes/No
Note that at this time the status will not be changed back to active if Work moves out of a completed status.
Deleted Work in Karbon deletes Projects in Float
Yes/No
Note that if items are restored from deletion in Karbon they will not be restored in Float.
6. Project Allocations
Update Karbon Work Assignee when Float allocation changes occur
True/False
When enabled the Karbon Work Assignee will change to the assignee of the earliest Allocation in Float (if there is more than one person assigned to the earliest allocation in Float the system will chose the first).
Update Karbon Start Date when Float allocation changes occur
True/False
When enabled the Karbon start date will change to the start date of the earliest Allocation in Float.
Update Karbon Due Date when Float allocation changes occur
True/False
When enabled the Karbon due date will change to the date of the latest Allocation in Float.
Only update Karbon when Float allocation changes occur if the allocation in Float is confirmed
True/False
When this setting and either of the 'Update Karbon when Float allocation changes occur' settings are enabled, changes in Karbon will only occur when the earliest allocation in Float is confirmed.
Completed Work in Karbon updates related Float Project Allocations to Completed
True/False
Note that at this time the status will not be changed back to active if Work moves out of a completed status.
Automatic Allocation Rules
Whenever new Work is added or existing Work is updated and these rules apply, allocations will be added in Float for each budget line item.
Work Type
The Work Type entered must be an exact match to the Work Type name in Karbon
Primary Work Status
Set the Primary Status of Work when the rule should apply.
Secondary Work Status
Set the Secondary Status of Work when the rule should apply. Leave blank if the setting is solely based on the primary status.
Contact Type
Enter 'Any' under Contact Type if you want the rule to apply regardless of Contact Type
Budget Role
The Budget Role entered must be an exact match to the Role name in Karbon
Task Type
Enter 'Any' under Task Type if you want the rule to apply regardless of Contact Type
Allocation Type
Start date - Adds the full time allocation for the budget line in Float on the start date of the Work. If the Start date in Karbon (after accounting for the date variable) falls on a weekend it will be moved forward to the Monday.
Due date - Adds the full time allocation for the budget line in Float on the due date of the Work. If the Due date in Karbon (after accounting for the date variable) falls on a weekend it will be moved backwards to the Friday.
Split evenly - Splits the full time allocation for the budget line in Float across the number of working days between the start and due date (public holidays are not currently supported)
Trigger date - Adds the full time allocation for the budget line in Float on the date the rules were satisfied. If trigger date (after accounting for the date variable) falls on a weekend it will be moved forwards to the Monday.
Date Variable
Where Start date or Due date are set as the allocation type, entering a positive or negative number here will adjust the date accordingly.
Tentative or Confirmed
This setting controls if the allocation is set as tentative or confirmed in Float
An allocation will only be added once for each budget line item. Currently allocations are not updated if budget line items, Work start date or Work due date change.
If budgets have not been generated in Karbon due to create tasks & budget settings being later than work creation settings within the repeat schedule, but other conditions match, automatic allocations will not generate. On a daily basis the integration will search for new budget estimates and if all conditions match automatic allocations will be generated at that time.
7. Project Budget
Select Roles that you would like to be excluded from budget total calculations.
This option allows you to multi-select Roles within your Karbon account that when appearing on budget lines, are excluded from the budget calculations in Float. This is helpful if you are only wanting to schedule resource in Float for certain roles, and therefore only interested in the budget for that resource in Float.
Float Budget Type
Choose the most appropriate option
Fee-based (total fixed fee in Karbon)
Fee-based (total budgeted time in Karbon)
Hours-based (total budgeted hours in Karbon)
Hourly fee (no fee information will transfer to Karbon)
8. Users
Update user billable rates from Karbon to Float - true/false
On a daily basis billable rates will sync from Karbon to Float for every user with a matching email address.
In addition to the option above, People tags will be updated in Float to match the Karbon Teams they are part of as well as the Roles they have.
How to use Triggers and Actions
New Work in Karbon
Karbon Work moves into Float as a Project with:
Project Colour set by either Karbon Work Type or Project Owner or Work Client Group (coming soon), this is a global setting for the integration.
Project Owner as either Karbon Work Assignee/Client Owner/Client Manager, this is a global setting for the integration
Project Status will be Confirmed
Project Billable Status will be Billable
Project Name and the Karbon Work Name
Project Client will be the Karbon Client
Project Tags for
Start month (MMM YYYY) tag Y/N
Due month (MMM YYYY) tag Y/N
Deadline month (MMM YYYY) tag Y/N
Work type tag Y/N
Contact type tag Y/N
Current Status Y/N
Assignee
Client group
Client owner
Client manager
Financial Year End (Day and Month - i.e. 31st December)
Entity type
Project Start/End dates will be defined in Float as the earliest/latest date of either; an Allocation, a Logged time, a Phase or a Milestone or the 'Set date' on the project. When created the Milestones will set the Start/End dates.
Project Budget will set by either Karbon Fixed Fee, Total Budget Amount (option to exclude Roles from calculation) or Total Budget Hours (option to exclude Roles from calculation), this is a global setting for the integration.
Project Milestones for
Start Date
Due Date
Project Note with a URL back to the Karbon Work Item
Updated Work in Karbon
When the following changes occur in Karbon Work, Project Budget, Tags and Milestones in Float will update:
Name
Dates
Status
Description
Work Type
Daily Updates
On a daily basis all active Projects in Float linked to a Karbon Work Item will have Project Budget, Tags and Milestones updated based on the latest information on the Work Item.
Float Allocation Updates
When the earliest allocation changes in Float, Karbon can optionally be updated to:
Switch the start date to the date of the earliest allocation
Switch the assignee to the assignee of the earliest allocation (user email addresses must match across both systems)
Switch the Tasks/Automators/Budget to the assignee of the earliest allocation (either from the previous allocation assignee or for all of the Work Team except for specified Roles, i.e. Reviewer) (user email addresses must match across both systems) (coming soon)
When the latest allocation changes in Float, Karbon can optionally be updated to:
Switch the due date to the date of the latest allocation
Whenever these changes occur, notes will be added to the Work timeline detailing the reason for the change.
FAQs
Which Float subscription is required for the integration?
Float's Starter subscription is suitable for the integration.
How many users will I need in Float?
Float pricing is based on the number of active people. That means that anybody who appears on the Schedule (anybody you need to plan allocations for or schedule time off for) is counted as a paid seat. We recommend adding each user that you need to schedule time for.
Where can I learn more about Float?
Their website is here - https://www.float.com/
Their help centre is here - https://support.float.com/
Where can I find my Float API key?
The Account Owner can locate the API key in the Integrations tab within the Team settings.
Is there a cost for this integration?
The integration is available for free to Karbon customers, however we recommend purchasing a Tech Annual Service Plan for setup consultation and ongoing support.
When are new Clients created in Float?
If there is no existing client in Float with a name that matches the Karbon Work Item Client name, then a new Float client will be created.
If I update a Client name in Karbon, will the name be updated in Float?
Yes.
Why does the Client name in Float contain a hyphen and number after it?
In Float you can only have one client with the same name, whereas in Karbon you can have multiple. Therefore to allow for this we append the Karbon key for the client (you’ll notice this in the Karbon URL whenever you’re viewing the client) at the end of the name.
My Work is on a schedule in Karbon, when will I see it as a Project in Float?
Whenever the Work creates in Karbon. It is important the schedule Work creation is set in line with the timeframe you want to plan work for.
Where should I track time?
We recommend tracking time in Karbon. Time entries added to Float will not sync to Karbon.
Where should I track time-off?
You can allocate future time off in Float, see here - https://support.float.com/en/articles/440604-schedule-and-manage-time-off.
We recommend to still add time entries in Karbon to reflect this time.
Will allocations sync to my Calendar?
If each user enables calendar sync in Float. See here - https://support.float.com/en/collections/3752342-calendar-integrations
Will Karbon Teams sync to Float Departments?
Not currently but this may be a future enhancement. Teams a Karbon user is part of will sync on a daily basis as People Tags in Float.
Will colleague Roles sync from Karbon to Float?
Not currently but this may be a future enhancement. Roles a Karbon user is allocated will sync on a daily basis as People Tags in Float.
Will Role rates sync from Karbon to Float?
Not currently but this may be a future enhancement.
Will colleague Rates sync from Karbon to Float?
Yes, on a daily basis for users with matching email addresses across both systems.
I am already utilising Work webhooks in Karbon for other integrations, how will this impact those?
Please reach out to support@karbonhq.com
Best Practice Tips and Scenarios
Tips
If you have different settings requirements for different departments, you can deploy the integration more than once.
Make sure that your budgets are set up in Karbon so that you can easily see in Float how much budget you have remaining to schedule in Float. If you decide to do this over time, the daily sync or updates to work will push the updates.
If you are syncing budgets then consider setting up rates in Float so that as you schedule allocations you benefit from reporting on how much of the budget has been scheduled.
Make sure that your repeating schedules are set to create Work and create Tasks and Budgets on the same schedule, and far enough in advance for your planning requirements.
Consider using calendar integrations in Float. This will mean the scheduled allocations will show in the calendar in MyWeek for the assigned user and time entries can be created easily from them.
Consider Float's access rights.
It is recommended that managers who need to manage schedules have the Project Manager permission enabled, however they should be advised not create new projects. Access to projects will be granted through Project Ownership, which will be set via the Float Integration with Karbon (likely based on Work Assignee).
Scenarios
Note that currently tasks, automators and budgets will not be updated in Karbon when allocations of staff are adjusted in Float (this is coming soon), so those will remain assigned to the original user.
Scenario 1 - You have work to be scheduled, you don't know who is doing it in advance, but you know who is managing or reviewing it
A typical example might be if you have a Preparer and a Reviewer on a work item, the Preparer may change but the Reviewer is constant.
Consider adding placeholder users to your Karbon account. You can do this by inviting a new user but with an email address that doesn't exist. You won't be charged for this user and you can use it for assigning. We would suggest to add placeholder user for each different role that is relevant to resource planning. You should also add these users to Float (where they will be paid users) with the same email address (this is essential).
These placeholder users are helpful when you know that something needs to be scheduled but you don't know who it should be scheduled to.
When assigning Work to Roles in Karbon, set the assignees you know in the Roles that are constant (i.e. Client Manager/Reviewer), then assign the placeholder users to the roles that are relevant to resource planning, then if you use automatic scheduling rules for this role then allocations will push into Float based on the rules set.
You can then drag those allocations onto the appropriate staff member. If you change the earliest assignment, when 'Update Karbon Work Assignee when Float allocation changes occur' is set to Yes, the Work Assignee will update in Karbon, meaning that the updated assignee will be able to complete the tasks as necessary.
Scenario 2 - You know who should be assigned the Work in advance, but that may change
When assigning Work to Roles in Karbon, assign those items to the people who will typically be doing them. If you use automatic scheduling rules for this role then allocations will push into Float based on the rules set.
If you change the earliest assignment, when 'Update Karbon Work Assignee when Float allocation changes occur' is set to Yes, the Work Assignee will update in Karbon, meaning that the updated assignee will be able to complete the tasks as necessary.