Case Tasks

Tasks are separate jobs initiated by a case manager and assigned to another team or individual (or to the case manager themselves to record their own work). They are a formal piece of work that needs to be completed and recorded as part of resolving the case.

Configuration

The tasks tab only appears if the case type has tasks configured in the Tasks section of the case configuration. If a case type doesn't have any tasks defined for it, the button is hidden.

The forms and process models used during tasks are independent self-contained plugins, allowing them to be customised depending on the case requirements.

This documentation covers the generic steps used to create and assign a task. Some of the standard tasks we have created are documented in the Plugins section, and there's information about creating your own tasks in the Creating Custom Tasks article.

Task Overview

The tasks section displays a list of all the current tasks associated with the case.

As tasks are created they are numbered sequentially. The task description can be set by the case manager when they create a task, or use the default set in the configuration for this case type. A task's status will either be "new", "cancelled" or "closed", depending on the state of the workflow started by the task. The target is either the default set in the case configuration, or may be set by the case manager when creating the task. The "View" link displays a summary of the task as it currently stands - this view will depend on the type of task being performed.

A case cannot be closed while there are outstanding tasks.

Create a Task

All tasks are created in a similar way.

Task Type

The first page of the form includes drop-down field that lists all of the task types that have been configured for this case type.

You can change the order of the list by updating the "Task List Order Index" of each task in the Tasks configuration.

Assignment

Tasks can be assigned directly to an individual, or be made available to all users in a team to claim. If the case configuration for this task has auto-assignment set up, this step will be skipped.

The group drop-down lists all of the user groups that have been set up for this task. Once a group has been chosen, the case manager can then select a user in that group (as an assignee), or all users (as the candidate group).

In the task configuration you can enable an email to go to all users in the candidate group about the new task. An email is always sent when a task is assigned directly to a user.

Task Details

This section lets the case manager customise the information sent to the task user.

All of the fields on this page are optional - they will only appear if you have enabled them in the case configuration. If not, the default task name and summary are used, and attachments and full case details won't be able to be sent to the task.

SLAs and Targets

This page is optional. It will only appear if the configuration allows the case manager to override task SLAs. If not, the configured task SLAs are used.

The case manager can choose to remove the target time, or set a custom time in days or hours. Reminder emails can also be sent to the case manager about tasks approaching, or those that have breached, SLA. The timings of these emails are set in the case configuration.

Automatically Generated Tasks

Cases can be set up to automatically generate tasks for users as soon as a case is raised. The name of the task and the group it should be assigned to are set in the task configuration.

Tasks can also be generated conditionally, based on the presence of a process variable when the case management workflow starts. See the Task Configuration article for more information.

Cancelling Tasks

Some tasks can be cancelled by a case manager. This is set in the task configuration section of the current case type.

Following the "Cancel" link next to a task presents the case manager with a form that lets them enter reasons for cancelling the task. A cancelled task and the reason appears in the case history as a private note. Cancelled tasks remain in the tasks table in the same way as a completed task. An email is sent to the user the task was assigned to informing them that it has been cancelled.