Tasks allow you to assign Items and Resources to work to be done for a Project. Tasks are created and managed in the Task Explorer. Tasks can be integrated for use with the optional product Mobile Install.
Note: you will want to check in the Project prior to creating a Task. The Items available to add to a Task will pull from the "server" copy of a Project. If you have a Project checked out to you and add/remove items or make other changes, those changes will not be available in the Task until you check in the Project.
Click Start->Scheduling->Manage Tasks:
This will open the Task Explorer interface. Click the New button and choose either to create a Task or a Summary Task:
Regardless of choice, you will be prompted to select a project:
A Task allows you to add items to be installed and Resources to complete the installation. Or they could be anything that needs to be accomplished for a Project.
Here you can enter a name for the Task (required), description, and a start/end date/time.
The default duration is eight hours unless you have changed this in your Task Settings:
You may want wait until you add Items and/or Resources to the Task to determine the date/time to assign to the Task, see below for more details.
The primary Contact for the Project will display here. You can edit this if needed.
The Address fields will pre-populate with the address from the Project but you can modify if needed.
You can add Notes for the Resources (installers) on the Notes Tab. This field will be synched back and forth with Mobile Install.
Here you can add Products, Labor Items, and Packages from the Project to the Task. Once added, those items are "flagged" so they can not be added to different Task.
Note: You will want to check in the Project prior to creating a Task. The Items available to add to a Task will pull from the "server" copy of a Project. If you have a Project checked out to you and make add/remove items, those changes will not be available in the Task until you check in the Project. If a Project is checked out you will see the following link to check in the project on the Items tab:
The Add Items button will open the following form where you and filter to and select the items from the Project that you want to add to the Task:
The labor hours associated with the items will display in the bottom right corner of the form:
Both the Base and Misc. Subphases will be used by default for the total hours associated with each Product. If you do not wish to include the Misc. subphase, click the Settings button in the Task ribbon and then set the value to "No":
Here you can assign Resources to the Task. Resources are the people who are doing the work for the Task.
When you click the Assign button the following form will open displaying all of your SI Users. Use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple Resources and then click the Assign button.
You can also check a Resources availability based on a date range. Availability is based on whether the Resources are not assigned to other Tasks or Service Orders.
Assigned Resources will automatically be assigned an hour in the Estimated Hours fields. You can manually change this as you see fit. You can also choose to "Assign estimated hours based on total labor hours" or "Assign estimated hours based on duration".
Assign estimated hours based on total labor hours
This option will split the total labor hours evenly amongst your assigned Resources. The total labor hours value is the sum of the the Labor Hours assigned to the items added to the Task.
Assign estimated hours based on duration
This option will split the estimated hours entered on the General tab evenly amongst your assigned Resources.
In addition/alternatively you can go back to the General tab and manually set the Start/End date/times, or use the Compute End option:
Compute End
This option will populate the end date based on Item Labor Hours or on the Estimated Resource Hours:
You can click the "Change Business Hours" link to adjust your working hours.
You can also then set the Scheduled Start/End date/times with the "Set as Scheduled Dates" link:
Note: The Scheduled Start/End will automatically default to the Start/End date/time if null once published to Mobile Install.
This is grayed out during the creation of a Task but can be accessed once the Task is saved. See Managing Tasks.
Here you can add comments to the Task. Each entry is automatically tagged with the date, time, and User name of who made the comment. You can export your comments to Excel or PDF if desired.
Once done, click the Save and Close button and the Task will display in the Task Explorer. Tasks also display on the Calendar. If you are using Mobile Install, you will be prompted to publish the Task to Mobile Install:
If you are not using Mobile Install, you may want to generate Task Reports or you may want to send the Task details to email or an external calendar.
Here you can view any one of the three Scope of Work documents for a project. These documents can be published to Mobile Install, see below.
If you are using Mobile Install, you can publish/republish Task(s) to Mobile Install via the Mobile Install button in the Task Explorer or from the Publish button within the Task itself if you are editing the Task.
This will open the following form where you can select which reports you want to be exported with the Task to Mobile Install, as well as a section where you can upload any other files that you wish (other SI reports, drawings, etc.):
Note: The file size limit is 10MB per file. There is no size limit on the overall Mobile Install account.
Click the Publish button when done and you will get a confirmation.
If you attempt to publish Tasks or Service Orders that are assigned to Resources that are not Mobile Install Users, you will be prompted to create them:
Click the Create button and if you have Mobile Install licenses available, you will see the following form where you can modify the information if desired then click Create:
If you don't have any Mobile Install licenses available, you will be prompted to purchase one:
A Summary Task is for organizing Tasks. You may have a Summary Task for "Rough-In - First Floor" and associate multiple Tasks over various days to complete the "rough-in of the first floor". These can be created manually or they can be created from the Gantt View of a Project.
Here you can add a Name and a Description. The Start/End date/time are determined by the Tasks associated with the Summary Task.
The primary Contact for the Project will display here. You can edit this if needed.
The Address fields will pre-populate with the address from the Project but you can modify if needed.
Here you can add/remove/create Tasks that are associated with the Summary Task.