Creating a Task

Before you start

You can only create tasks within a workflow template, or a request. You cannot create a task independent of a request or workflow.

You must have Create Request selected in the Requests tab of your Workflow Management security role.

The vFire Workflow Polling Service must be running on the vFire server to execute any workflow-related activations.

1. Search for the Request Details window, if it is not already on screen.
2. Select the Update Dependencies explorer option on the Request Details window, or the button from the toolbar. The Task Dependencies window appears with icons for task entity types displayed below the toolbar.

If the workflow template you have used to create the request already has tasks defined in it, you will see these tasks here. You can open them and change their details such as dates, assignment, or expenses. You can add new tasks or delete them from the current request without affecting the template.

3. To add a new task, choose the task icon from the palette, and drag it to the window. Alternatively, right-click in the window, and from the menu that is displayed, select New and then the task entity type you want to add to your dependency diagram.
4. To open a task and add or update the details, double-click on the icon in the diagram. The Task Details window is displayed.
5. The Task Details window for all of the task entity types contains a set of common fields. Expand the relevant sections on the task details window (such as the section) to complete the fields in the section.
6. Complete the common task fields below.

Request Status on Completion	This field only appears when you create a workflow template and add tasks to the template. You must have Set Request Completion Status on Task Closure selected in the Workflow Management Settings window. Use the drop down list to select the status that will be assigned to the request when the task is closed. If Unspecified is selected, the status of the request when the task is closed will remain unchanged.
Task Title	By default, this field is set to the name of the task entity type. You can type over this title and modify it to suit your requirements
Task Order	This appears when you are creating a task as part of a workflow template. Specify the sequence in which this task must be released in the workflow. This field allows only numeric values. If the Order field is to be used for sorting tasks, the order number must include leading zeroes, for example, 001, 002, …, 015, 016, and so on.
Task Priority	Select the priority of the task, that is, how important and urgent task is, from this drop-down list. Note that the higher the priority, the more urgent the task
Task Type	Select the category (profile) of tasks using the Task Type list
Task Phase	Use the drop-down list to select the phase is the point of the request at which the task will be implemented.
Planned Start	Specify the date and time at which the task is scheduled to begin. Click in the required list to use the calendar.
Target Date	This field will be grayed out if the Auto-Calculate Target Date option is selected. In this case, the Target Date is calculated using the Planned Time and the Default Time specified in the Hours Definition window Specify the date and time at which the task is scheduled to be completed. Click in the required list and use the calendar.
Planned Time	The total time (given in hours and minutes) taken to complete the current task
Auto-Calculate Target Date	Select this option to ensure that the Planned Start date and Target Date of a task correspond with the Planned Time period specified for the task. When selected, you can only change the Planned Start date and Planned Time of the task. The Target Date is calculated from these dates, and the working hours and public holidays taking into account default working hours and public holidays (as specified by the system administrator). Several examples are given here. You may want to specify that a testing task should take place between June 1 and June 5, but be of only four hours duration. This option will be set by default, depending on the settings made by the system administrator. However, those settings do not prevent you from using this option. In the following scenarios, the Default Working Hours are set as Monday to Friday 0900 to 1800 hours, that is, 5 working days of 8 hours each. 20 April is a Thursday. Planned Start Date/Time Planned Time Hours/Mins Target Date/Time 20/04/2017 15:18 24 hours 25/04/2017 15:18 This is calculated as 3 working days and the weekend is also included in the calculation. So, the target date falls after the weekend as the default working hours do not include the weekend. 20/04/2017 15:18 8 hours 21/04/2017 15:18 This is calculated as 1 working day. 20/04/2017 15:18 1 hour 42 minutes 20/04/2017 17:00 The target date in this scenario is on the same day at 1700 hours which is within the stipulated default working hours. 20/04/2017 15:18 1 hour 43 minutes 21/04/2017 09:01 The target date in this scenario is on the next working day.
Recalculate Dependent Tasks	Dates are calculated based on delay and elapsed time instead of being absolute. Hence, if you extend the time for a task, this will recalculate the dates on any dependent tasks as well. If a particular task within the dependency chain overruns its date (such as, the target date is later then expected, or the planned start date has been later than expected, or the task elapsed time was greater than originally expected), the planned start and end time of any dependent tasks should be recalculated. To recalculate dates for any dependent tasks, the request manager of the request or the task assignee should open the overrun task and choose this option.
Request Status on Completion	This only appears when you are creating a task as part of a workflow template. This field can only be used if Set Request Completion Status on Task Closure is selected on the Workflow Management Settings window. Select the status that you want to be assigned to the request once this task is completed. If Unspecified is selected, the status of the request when the task is completed will remain unchanged.
Request Status on Approval/ Request Status on Rejection	This only appears when you are creating an approval as part of a workflow template. Select the request completion status that will be assigned to the request once the approval has been approved or rejected.
Task Description	Type the description of the task being created. To view the description in a larger window, click on the full view hyperlink in this field. You can return to the task by clicking OK on the Text Editor window. If your system is enabled for HTML formatting, a toolbar with formatting tools appears with text formatting tools such as bold, italics, insert an image, and hyperlink.
Task Information	Complete the common task fields below.
Portal	Select this option if you want users to view the task’s action history on the vFire Self Service portal, select Portal. This is particularly useful for requests logged originally from the Portal. If Portal is not selected, users can view the task on the Portal but not its action history. Whether Portal is selected or not by default depends on whether Task History Private was selected on the Workflow Management Settings window.
Security	If the system administrator has enabled security profiles and you have access to more than one security profile on your person record, you can restrict access to the actions and solutions, objects, emails and notes of each task in vFire Core. To allow only the analysts linked to a particular security profile (for example, Management) to view the Action field, select the security profile in the drop-down list. Analysts without access to that particular security profile cannot view the aforementioned task information.
Action	Type the details of each action taken on the current task. This is displayed in the task history
Action Type	Action Types are a quick way to describe the action taken on a task. Select an appropriate value from this list
Action Start	This is the date and time at which the selected action was begun on the task
Action End	This is the date and time at which the selected action was completed
Action Time	This is the number of hours and minutes taken to complete the current action. It is calculated based on the Action Start and Action End fields. You can also manually change the action time. Changing the action time manually, updates the Action Start to match the time you have specified
Expenses	Type the cost associated with the current action

7. Add any remaining task details, which will differ depending on the task type.
8. Complete further details/actions using the explorer options if necessary.

Some of the options on the explorer pane are only available after the task has been saved.

9. Action the task by either selecting the relevant option in the explorer pane, or the button at the bottom of the window. You may choose to:
• save the task, to store the details of the current task. Selecting this option saves the task, but does not close the Task Details window.
• defer the task. The Defer Task <task number> window appears. At Approval/Task Status, select a status for the deferral and click OK. The Request Details window appears with the task listed in the task browse table with a status of Current. A history entry is also added.
• forward the task for completion.

• The External Supplier task and Outbound Action tasks can be forwarded externally to an external supplier.

• complete the task/approval, to close the task after it has been implemented or if you do not want to continue with the task. The task is no longer displayed on your Tasks Outstanding window and its status is updated on the request manager’s Request Details window. If you are completing an approval, the Sign Off window appears. At Status, select a value to indicate the reason for the approval or rejection. Type your password, if required.

• This depends on the integrated security settings defined by the system administrator.