LP2: Task Types and Configuring an Activity Template

Emily Hawley

Updated 02 December 2024 10:55

Introduction

When building an activity there are different options to consider such as predecessors (which determine the order of tasks), assignee (who will receive the task), duration (how long it should take a user to complete that task), and task type.

The following table explains every task available in e-flow.

Task Types

Work Item	Icon	Description
Basic Task		These are simple non-proofing tasks that just require completing, with the option to write a note/comment on the task.
Asset Upload		These require that either a new asset (file) is uploaded or an existing one is chosen from an asset library.
Approval		This icon indicates that the asset is under review. There will be a different row for each approval task in the current cycle, reviewed by at least one user or multiple users. An 'Approved' verdict progresses the activity. A 'Not Approved' verdict triggers a Fail Condition which loops back to a specific point in the activity until an 'Approved' verdict is reached.
Form Data Input		This task requires you to complete a form: enter details in fields and select contacts to be assigned future workflow tasks.
Milestone		These tasks are completed automatically once reached and can trigger notifications to relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders do not need to be users to receive a notification. Milestones can also be used to route a decision in an activity such as a 'yes' or 'no' decision route.
Link Activity / Brancher		This indicates that another linked activity has been started. If the activity has been configured so, it will not progress beyond the brancher until the child activity/activities have been completed.
Stage		A stage is a group of tasks/work items. Stages break up your process into manageable sections and may assist in reducing complexity. Bypassing a stage will skip all grouped tasks to resume at the next task following the stage; bypass must be enabled in the activity template.
Adhoc Approval		This approval allows the task assignee to build the approval workflow by grouping approvers into 'steps': adding duration and adding further assets in any linked activity to approve in a batch if required.
Group Activity Brief		Complete forms in groups, allowing you to add data to all forms simultaneously. When created, these forms appear in the 'Briefs' tab of the Activity.
Group Commercial Form		Complete forms in groups - allowing you to add data to all forms simultaneously. When created, these forms appear in the Commercials tab of the Activity.
Content Collation		This is for creating things such as pack copy and works with the content hub and categories.
Upload Visual Brief		Similar to a normal upload task except you can only link this to 'Visual Brief' assets. It connects to a visual brief review task (see below).
Visual Brief Review		This follows the Upload Visual Brief task and works like a normal approval task except that a verdict is not given for a visual brief asset.

Predecessors

If there is more than one task within the activity then the activity template designer can set a predecessor for the task(s). This allows the template designer to create the correct order of the tasks for the specific required workflow. You can have one task that has multiple predecessors: this would happen if you had multiple tasks running at the same time.

Assignee

Tasks can be assigned to a user or to a role.

If assigned to a role, each user with that role will see the request to complete the task in their task list and can choose to take the task. If the task is taken, it will disappear from all other users' task list.

Duration

Each Task is given a duration, priority and cost if required. If a task isn't completed in the duration that is assigned, the task will appear as late and show as red.

See also:

LP3: Activity Priority

LP3: RACI Assignments

LP5: Role Security Levels

LP5: Understanding and Working With User Roles