About Action Tasks

The Tasks page can be used by many items, such as change actions and complaints. The page lists a series of action tasks that define the to-do list for that item (referred to as the parent item).

You can view a list of tasks in the Collaboration and Approval menus, a page for some objects (such as change actions and complaints), or a page tab for some of those objects.

Tasks (and the routes that manage them) cannot be shared by parent items. That is, you cannot copy or connect a task created in one change action into another change action.

This page discusses:

What Happens When You Create a Task
Tasks and Item Lifecycles
Where To View Tasks
Task Completion

What Happens When You Create a Task

When you create a task for a parent item, the app first checks if there is an existing route for that parent item. If there is not a route, or the existing route is completed, then the app creates a new route with this new task. The route is created with these default settings:

The default values assigned to routes depends on the parent type.

Route Attribute

Value

Name

The autoname tool is used to assign the next numeric route number.

Route Base Purpose

Review

Route Base State

The state in which the route must be completed depends on whether the route contains a blocking task:


Blocking Task	State
Yes	In Process
No	Ad Hoc

Route Base Policy

Only assigned if the route contains a blocking task. If so, this is the policy governing the parent object (complaint record or formal change, for example).

Route Completion Action

Notify Route Owner

Auto Stop On Rejection

Immediate

If you own the route (the owner of the parent item becomes the owner of the route), then you can edit the route properties to change these values. You can also use any of the route functionality, such as adding more tasks or members.

If a route already exists (and is not completed), then the app creates a new task for that route. The app uses the Collaboration and Approvals tools to add the assignee (and possible the person who created the task) as a route member.

If the task is defined as blocking, then the app defines the route as blocking, which prevents the parent item from being promoted until the route is completed.

When you create a task, the app automatically creates a route to manage the task. When you create additional tasks for that change action, the app adds those tasks to the route. You can also open the route and add additional tasks there. Like all routes, you can create subroutes to break the task into smaller pieces.

Tasks and Item Lifecycles

Whether or not you can create a task depends on the current state of the parent object. For example, you can only create tasks for complaints when the complaint is in the Create or In Process states, but you can create tasks for change actions regardless of the current state of the change action.

In most cases, the owner of the parent item can edit the task and other users who have access to the parent item can view the task.

A task can be defined as blocking or non-blocking. If blocking, the parent item cannot be promoted until the task is completed.

Where To View Tasks

If you own the parent item of a task, you can view the list of tasks using the task page for the parent item.

If you are assigned a task, you can view the task:

On the Tasks page for the parent time
On the Collaboration and Approvals list of tasks
On the Tasks page for the route (in the Collaboration and Approvals list of routes) created to manage the tasks for the parent item

Task Completion

Once a task is assigned to you, you need to follow the instructions listed in the task. You can then mark the task as complete. See Collaboration and Approvals User's Guide: Route Tasks for more information about working with tasks.