Change tasks overview
Change tasks are created within the context of a change request (CR) or change order (CO) using the Task Planning tab. This tab enables you to capture all task details first before initiating them.
When the change task is created, relevant information from the CR or CO is used to populate the Related Change Process section, including links back to the original change processes.
If a change task is dependent on another task to be completed first, a link to this task is shown in the Task Details section > Depends On field, as well as the References tab. This enables you to quickly see the task that came before the current one.
Change tasks also have an Affected Items tab. Click Add to add items that need to be addressed during the task.
Acknowledging a change task
Tasks are created within the context of a change request (CR) or change order (CO). Once the Initiate Tasks action has been performed on the change process, tasks that do not have any dependencies on other tasks are immediately assigned to their assignee. Assignees are notified by email and they can find their assigned tasks in their My Outstanding Work list. The remaining tasks that do depend on the completion of another task remain in the Planning state. These tasks automatically move to the Assigned state once their dependent task has been completed. This is seen in the Schedule tab of the related change request/order.
The task’s Target Start Date is used to define a milestone date for starting work on the task so that the assignee knows when an acknowledgement is requested. Click the Acknowledge transition to begin working on the task.
Once the acknowledgement is done, the date will be captured as the Actual Start Date. The workflow action comment will be stored in the Comments Log.
The deviations are automatically captured for analysis later on.
Working on a change task
As a task assignee, you may upload files in the Attachments tab of a task to provide results of your activities. You may also link other deliverables, such as items and documents, in the References tab.
You may track the effort spent on the task in the Efforts tab. Here, you can log hours spent each day. Once efforts have been entered and saved, the system calculates the total effort. The system then adds these hours to the total effort of the related change request or change order upon task completion. Additionally, when you complete the task, the system captures the total effort in the task details tab and compares it against the target value. This helps validate resource planning. Effort is optional but enables the change coordinator to track total effort per change process.
If you encounter an issue that prevents you from completing the task as planned, you can set the task on hold using the Set on hold workflow action. The system then notifies the task owner to take appropriate action.
As you work on the task, you might determine that additional items have been affected and need to be addressed. These can be added to the Affected Items tab.
Monitoring a change task
As the owner of a change request or change order, you can monitor the associated change tasks. Each change task provides real time status indicators in the Status section.
- Elapsed Time indicates how much of the target time frame has passed (based on Target Start Date and Target End Date).
- Days Remaining shows the number of days left until Target End Date and highlight delays by color.
- Flag shows the selected Priority by color.
Each task contains a Follow-Up & Status Updates section. Here you may add comments that describe the current state of the task, as well as a follow-up date if relevant. These comments are added to the Status Update Log field.
The latest comment, the date it was made, and the person who made it is also added to the Status section in the Last Status Update table. This can all be used in Workspace Views to keep track of the current state of activities.
Completing a change task
As a task assignee, you can complete the task at any time; you do not need to provide details like efforts or attachments if not required at your organization.
To complete a task, click the Complete Task workflow transition. When the task is complete, the system automatically moves any dependent tasks to the Assigned state. If this is the last pending task for the parent process (change request or change order), the parent process automatically transitions to the next defined state. The system notifies the change coordinator about the completion of all activities, so you do not need to send a manual notification.
You can provide additional information about the completion of the task, such as document outcomes, activities, and the overall solution, in the Completion Remarks field. Add any relevant images and comments to the Images section.
As you complete the task, you may add supporting documentation to the Attachments tab. If a subsequent task depends on the current task, the system adds these attachments to the Related Attachments section of the next task.
If the change task contains items in the Affected Items tab, these are automatically copied to the Affected Items tab of the relevant CR or CO upon completion of the task if they do not exist there already. This is so that the change coordinator can monitor all affected items throughout the change process.
Review a change task
When defining a change task, the change coordinator can select an optional reviewer. If a reviewer is selected, the assignee cannot complete the task directly. Instead, the assignee must click the Submit for review workflow transition. The system then notifies the reviewer and asks them to review the task outcome. The reviewer can close the task or return it to the assignee with comments for rework.
Cancel a task
If you determine that the task is no longer needed, the change owner, assignee, or reviewer can cancel the task at any stage, except when the task is on hold or already completed. When you cancel a task:
The system captures its previous status, cancellation date, the person who canceled the task, and any comments in the Cancellation Details section.
The Elapsed Time and Days Remaining fields update to show Cancelled.
The system removes the task from the Task Planning tab of the corresponding change request or change order.
Dependent tasks are not canceled, but the system does not automatically initiate them. You must start them manually if needed.
The parent change request or change order progresses to the next stage if this is the final task.