In Productive, most data has a dedicated field, but sometimes you need a calculation that isn’t available by default. That’s where custom formula fields come in.
Formulas allow you to combine multiple fields using simple mathematical operations.
They are available for all numeric data across Productive, so you can create your own metrics and calculations directly in views and reports.
How to Create a Custom Formula
1) Add a new formula field
Click on Fields > Add Formula.
2) Name your field
Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Remaining time).
3) Choose values
Type @ to display a dropdown with available fields.
Combine them with supported operations:
Addition (+)
Subtraction (-)
Multiplication (*)
Division (/)
Use brackets for clarity, e.g.
(A - B) * C.
Once you’ve set up the formula, click Save to add it to your view.
Unit Calculations (Beta)
You can also use existing numeric fields, such as Worked Time, and combine them with literal numbers in formulas.
To add a literal number:
Type
#to indicate a literal value.Enter the number.
Select the unit from the dropdown: hours, minutes, currency (€, $, etc.), or plain number.
📌 Note: When entering currency, the number represents the main unit (€, $). To calculate in cents, enter decimals — e.g., 0.02€ equals 2 cents.
Number Formats in Formulas
When using formulas, if you do not select a unit when entering literal numbers, keep in mind how different units are stored in Productive:
Money values are counted in cents.
Example: Writing 100 will be calculated as 1.00. To represent 100.00, you need to enter 10000.
Time values are counted in minutes.
Example: Writing 100 will be calculated as 100 minutes, not hours.
Understanding these units ensures your formulas calculate correctly.
Example Use Cases
1) Simple Calculations
Let’s say you want to track the difference between the estimated time for a project and the actual worked time
Formula:
@Estimated time – @Worked timeField name: Remaining Time
2) Converting Mixed Units to a Single Unit
For another example, if you wanted to calculate the total cost of a developer’s time, you would use:
Formula:
@Time * @Hourly costField name: Total Cost per Person
Once saved, you will notice that the field has a value expressed in €/h.
If you want to show this value in currency only, the formula would need to be adjusted:
Formula:
(@Time * @Hourly cost) / 1h
The formula now returns a pure currency value.
Composite Formulas
You can also create composite formulas, which combine multiple custom formulas into a single field.
For example:
Formula 1: Internal Time
Formula 2: Client Time
Composite Formula: Total Time = Internal + Client
This allows you to build more complex calculations step by step.
Controlling How Totals Are Calculated
When working with formula fields in table views and reports, you can adjust how totals are displayed in the column header. The three available options are:
Default – applies the formula row by row
Sum – calculates totals once at the header level
Average – shows an average across rows
👉 Learn more about these options in Calculation Options: Default, Sum, and Average