Task Triggers

Merriam-Webster defines Efficient (Noun) as:

1. :productive of desired effects
   especially : capable of producing desired results with little or no waste (as of time or materials).

Task Triggers are designed to bring efficiency to your organization by triggering subsequent tasks to be started, dates to be updated, Markers (think: milestones) to be checked ‘completed’, and to notify other team members that they can begin a task assigned to them now that its predecessor has been completed.

Imagine that you are building laminated cabinets for commercial tenant improvement and the material has been cut, edgbanding has been completed, shelf-pin holes have been bored, and the pieces have all been assembled into the finished products. The cabinets are now ready to go to be cleaned, wrapped, and staged for shipping. These are all examples of ‘Phase’ tasks that are being performed (aka: Work Order). However, triggers can be configured on a task regardless of its Task Type.

By setting-up task triggers, you have automatically triggered the:

1. Next task ‘5.0-Clean and Wrap’ to start.

2. Marker ‘Assembly’ is checked as ‘completed’.

3. Expected date/time for the task 6.0-Stage for Shipping is dynamically updated.

4. Project Manager receives notification of the date the finished product is scheduled to ship.

5. Project Manager’s task ‘Confirm Ship Date with Customer’ to start.

How to Setup Task Triggers

1. Go to Setting->Task Definitions
   
   

   Open

   

    

    

    

2. Select the desired Task Type from the dropdown.
   
   

   Open

   

    

3. Select the desired task.

4. Click the ‘Task’ tab

5. Right-click in the task-list panel.

6. Click 'Add Task'.
   
   

    

7. Select a Task Definition that you want to be triggered upon completion of the task you are editing.

8. Click ‘OK’.
   
   

    

9. The ‘Tasks below will be triggered when this task is done’.
   
   

How to add a Marker to be checked when a task is completed

1. Follow steps 1-3 in the above section on How to Setup Task Triggers.

2. Select the ‘Markers’ tab.

3. Right-click anywhere in the list box to open a pop-up context menu.

4. Select ‘Add Marker’.
   
   

    

    

5. Select the Marker that you would like to be checked ‘complete’ when the task is completed
   (for example, once the ‘Cabinet Assembly’ task has been completed, the Marker ‘ASM’ will be checked.

6. Click ‘OK’
   
   

    

7. Once the task has been completed, the phase marker shows the completed progress of that particular scope of work. Anyone within the organization can see at a glance where that scope of work is in the production workflow.
   
   

    

How to add an automated notification when a task is completed

Quick and concise communication is extremely important in making your organization as efficient as possible. Automating the notification process ensures that the moment a task is completed, the people that need to know, are informed immediately via email.

1. Follow steps 1-3 in the above section on How to Setup Task Triggers.

2. Select the ‘Notify’ tab.

3. Right-click anywhere in the list box to open a pop-up context menu.

4. Select from ‘Add Email Address’, ‘Add Employee’, or 'Add Project Role'.