In ContactsLaw, the task list presents the user with their tasks, or the tasks pertaining to the file they have open. It is the start point for organising and scheduling work, collaborating with other members and advancing workflows.
Members can view their own tasks in addition to those assigned to any members they supervise. Tasks can be sorted according to priority, due date, commencement date or description. They can be arranged into groups based on one of the following classifiers:
Activity group File manager File supervisor
Views
The task list contains the following views:
- Tasks in - The default view. Shows the tasks assigned to (or completable by) the member where the commencement date falls either today or in the past. This view represents a member's workload, and items can be completed sequentially (or as-practical). This view can be further filtered by the nature of their delegation, priority, overdue status and whether they have been read by the member. If viewing tasks on a particular file, all tasks are shown; tasks which you are not authorised to complete are shown in grey.
- Tasks out - Allows members to check on the status of any tasks they have delegated to other members. Tasks remain in this view until the workflow is completed.
- Calendar - Shows all appointment-style tasks on a month, week or day calendar. Multiple members' calendars can be shown simultaneously. Future instances of recurring appointments are also shown.
- Future tasks - Lists all tasks scheduled to commence at some point in the future, including recurring tasks. This allows members to plan ahead.
- Completed tasks - Any tasks/activities configured to notify the member upon completion will appear in this view once completed. Completed tasks should be cleared periodically.
- Milestones - For files where a process model is in effect, this is an alternate view of the tasks on the file, grouping them according to milestones. This also provides a platform for viewing, starting, advancing and completing those milestones.
- Documents - Shows all active document workflows for a member and/or file. The workflow itself appears as a row in the grid, with each individual step listed below. Selecting the current step will display the task associated with it.
Displaying tasks
Tasks are displayed to the user in two ways:
- As a line of summary text in the main grid. Here, the title/description, file, start/due dates, priority and delegation are displayed.
- When selected, in the preview pane. The preview pane formats the task into a readable message that concisely describes what must be done to carry out the work. This representation includes the relevant contacts, files, members, dates and times, documents, remarks, related journals and more.
The tasks displayed in the grid may be either specifically delegated to the member, delegated to their group or non-specifically assigned to any member with authority to complete them. Tasks that have been read by the member appear in regular type (compared to bold type for unread tasks), and if all tasks in a group are read, they will be collapsed to their heading by default. Tasks can also be hidden from a member's list to improve readability (and subsequently restored later). Commands
A number of actions are available for each task:
- Continue workflow - This launches the relevant activity and allows the member to perform the necessary work to complete the task.
- Delegate - If permitted by the sender of the task, allows the work to be delegated to another member or group.
- Repudiate - If the task has been incorrectly assigned or cannot be completed, the member can repudiate it. This will send it back to the original member, accompanied by a reason. This mechanism can be used to deny authorisation, reject changes to documents, etc.
- Delete - Completely removes the task from the system. Only tasks which have not yet been commenced should be deleted.
- View properties - Opens the properties window for the task, which contains more detailed information and allows changes to be made.
If multiple tasks are selected, they can be enqueued. This will add them to the task queue, allowing them to be completed sequentially.
The task list is also the platform for creating new tasks. It provides a convenient link to the task composer. |