Sub tasks are useful for recording follow-up work or breaking a large piece of work into more manageable pieces. It is important to update sub tasks with progress made to maintain an audit trail.
This guide covers the following:
- 🎥 Video guide to editing and completing sub tasks
- Update the status of a sub task to indicate progress
- Uploading a file to a sub task
- Adding comments to sub tasks
- Adding the priority of a sub task
- Adding a due date to a sub task
- Adding a description to a sub task
- Adding a cost to a sub task
Video guide to editing and completing sub tasks
Editing existing sub tasks
Sub tasks work in the same way as regular tasks.
1. First you will need to locate the sub task, by first selecting Tasks from the header bar (#1 in the screenshot below).
2. You can search specifically for tasks which contain sub tasks by filtering by sub tasks (#2 in the screenshot below) and selecting Has open sub-tasks? (#3 in the screenshot below) and then select Apply (#4 in the screenshot below).
3. Now that the task list has been filtered, select the task which contains the sub task you are looking for (#5 in the screenshot below).
4. Clicking on the task title will open the task page. To locate the sub tasks, click on the Sub Tasks button on the menu bar (#6 in the screenshot below).
5. Then click on the sub task, to open it.
Updating the status of a sub task to indicate progress
1. All sub tasks have a status to indicate current progress. Sub tasks always start with the status 'Not Started' and you can update this as work progresses. You can see the current status of a sub task by looking at top right corner of the task screen, (#1 in the screenshot below).
2. If you click on the arrow in the box highlighted in red below, a drop down arrow will appear. You will need to click on the status you wish to change it to, remembering that it will be saved immediately:
- Not Started - If there has been no activity to progress a sub task, it will show as 'Not Started'.
- In Progress - If you have started work on the task (e.g. you've obtained quotations for the work but it is yet to be carried out) but it is not yet completed, you can manually change the status to 'In Progress' from this menu.
- Complete - Once the sub task has been completed, choose this option.
A window will appear asking for the 'date this task was completed'.
To select the date, either click directly in the date box (#1) or use the calendar button (#2) to open the pop-up calendar. Please ensure you enter the date on the Certificate or the date the inspection or action was carried out, so that the system can calculate when this task is next due.
Add a comment (optional) to explain what you've done to resolve the task (#3). Click on 'Submit' (#4) to confirm your task is complete. Once marked 'complete' the sub task icon will be removed from the main task your Task List.
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Closed/ Archived- This option is available to administrators only. If the sub task is no longer required it can be closed/archived.
Note: If you close/archive a sub task, it will no longer appear in the sub task list. However, it will still be available when filtering your task list for archived sub tasks.
Uploading a file to a sub task
Make sure to upload evidence to support the action you have taken, e.g. certificates, invoices, photographs, or other evidence of works completed. To do so, follow the instructions below:
1. Locate the sub task you wish to upload a file to, and open it by clicking on the title of the sub task you're trying to update (#1 in the screenshot below).
2. From the sub task page, locate the attachments area (#2 in the screenshot below)
3. You can then either drag and drop the necessary files into the attachment window (#3 in the screenshot below), or click the green [+] button and locate your file from the file browser (#4 in the screenshot below).
4. Once uploaded, your task attachment will be shown in the attachment area (#5 in the screenshot below).
Adding comments to sub tasks
You can add comments/ notes to any sub task which will appear at the bottom of the task screen in the order they were created, most recent first.
1. To add a comment or note, click on the green 'plus' button. Type your comment in the box as shown in (#1 in the screenshot below).
2. Once you've added your comments/notes (#2 in the screenshot below), click on 'Save' (#3 in the screenshot below). Once saved, Comments/ Notes will be visible to anyone who can view the task. Your comment will then be listed in the comments/ notes section of the task page.
3. Comments/ Notes can be edited by clicking on the pen button (#4 in the screenshot below)) or permanently deleted by clicking on the dustbin button (#5 in the screenshot below).
However, we strongly advise you avoid editing or deleting previous comments / notes, and it is important to maintain a robust audit trail. Instead we recommend creating a new comment / note, which explains and updates on progress made.
Adding the priority of a sub task
Sub tasks should be given a priority level, to indicate urgency.
1. Locate the sub task (#1 in the screenshot below).
2. Assign an urgency level to the sub task, by selecting the 'None' button (#2 in the screenshot below). and choosing the appropriate level of urgency from the dropdown list (#3 in the screenshot below).
3. The urgency has now been assigned to the sub task. This is indicated by the arrows next to the sub task title (#4 in the screenshot below). You can edit the urgency if needed, by clicking again on the urgency tab (#4 in the screenshot below) and choosing another level of urgency from the dropdown list.
Adding a due date to a sub task
1. Locate the sub task (#1 in the screenshot below). Click on the title of the sub task to open it.
2. From the sub task page, locate the Dates section (#2 in the screenshot below), and click on the pencil icon (#3 in the screenshot below).
3. You can update the Due Date by selecting the calendar icon (#4 in the screenshot below), and then select the relevant date from the date picker (#5 in the screenshot below). You can also update the Start Date in the same way, and/or add details on the Frequency (paying attention to the formats, such as 4w for 4 weeks. To save the changes, select the save icon in the top right corner (#6 in the screenshot below).
4. After saving the changes, the Dates section should reflect the new end date (#7 in the screenshot below), as well as a section of when the dates were last updated, which should show today's date (#8 in the screenshot below).
Adding a description to a sub task
Sub tasks should be given a helpful description, to indicate important details such as a detailed explanation of the required action, or specific requirements relating to the sub task such as additional information on contractors.
1. Locate the sub task (#1 in the screenshot below). Click on the title of the sub task to open it.
2. From the sub task page, click on the Edit button under the sub task heading (#2 in the screenshot below).
3. Add the relevant details within the description box (#3 in the screenshot below). Click the save button to save the changes (#4 in the screenshot below).
4. The sub task should now be showing the updated description (#5 in the screenshot below).
Adding a cost to a sub task
If there is a cost associated with a sub task, such as a quote to address remedial works, you may wish to store this useful information within the sub task.
1. Locate the sub task (#1 in the screenshot below). Click on the title of the sub task to open it.
2. Within the sub task page, select the blue pencil icon in the right hand panel in the Cost / Estimate section (#2 in the screenshot below).
3. Enter the estimated cost (#3 in the screenshot below) and click the save icon (#4 in the screenshot below).
4. You will then see the figure represented in the sub task details (#5 in the screenshot below).