Automating tasks for quicker case resolution

Case business analysts can automate tasks in a case so that the tasks can be executed automatically without any user intervention. For information about task automation concept, see Task automation. You can create task templates to define an automated task and you can associate these templates to a case.

You must perform the following tasks to create a task template for an automated task:

To create a task template for an automated task

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.

2. Click My Application Settings .

3. Select to Task Management >Templates.
4. On the Task Templates page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to create a template.
   If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.
   
5. Click .

6. On the Create Task Template page, enter values for the Template Name.

7. Complete the additional fields as explained in the following table:

   Based on the line of business, the values for task labels, task categories, task assignments, and owner groups fields are available for selection.
   

   Field	Description
   Create New Process?	Choose whether you want to create a new process or use an existing process. To create a new process, click . A new process is created that consists of only the Start element, Stop element, and basic properties. You must edit this process as per your requirements. You do not need to register the process. To use an existing process, click .
   New Process Name	If you choose to create a new process, specify a process name. Important: The process is stored in the line of business bundle in which you create the task template. For example, if you create a task template in Facilities line of business, the process is stored in the com.bmc.Facilities bundle.
   Task Summary	Specify a summary for the automated task.
   Task Priority	Select the priority for the task from Critical, High, Medium, and Low.
   Task Description	Describe the automated task template.
   Task Company	Select the company for which you want to create the template. Select one of the following options: Global—All companies in a tenant can view the template. A company name—Only agents of the selected company can view the template.
   Label	Select a label for the task template. You can filter the templates based on a specific label.
   Task Category Tier 1, Task Category Tier 2, Task Category Tier 3, Task Category Tier 4	Select the categorization tiers for the task. Categorization helps in the task assignment and classification.  For example, when a task is created without an assignee, the task category can be used to assign the task. Important: If there is an active domain, Category Tier 1 displays values that belong to that domain.

8. Complete the task metadata fields as explained in the following table:

   Field	Description
   Template Status	Select one of the following statuses: Draft—This is the default status of a new template.  In the Draft status, the template is not available for use. Active—The template is available for use. Important: Only active templates are searchable and available for use.  Inactive—The template is redundant, and no longer in use.
   Owner Company, Owner Organization, and Owner Group	To make a support group or user the owner of the template, complete the following steps: Select a combination of Owner Company, Owner Organization, and Owner Group. Agents in the owner company can view the template. A list of all the users of the support groups directly related to the selected combination of company and organization is displayed. Additionally, if there is an active domain, only support groups from that domain are displayed. For example, if you select the company as Calbro Services and the owner organization as Human Resources, all groups defined for Human Resources are displayed in the list. Click Save. Important: You can make a support group or a user of the support group of any other company that you have access to as the owner of the template. In the Owner Company field, only Operating - Internal, Operating - Customer, and Service Provider companies that you have access to are listed. Details of the individual or group to which the case should be assigned is displayed based on selected values.

9. Click Save.

 To add dynamic fields to the task template for an automated task

After you create a task template for an automated task, you can add dynamic fields to the task template either from the dynamic field library or by creating a dynamic field directly from the template. To add dynamic fields to the task template, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
2. Click My Application Settings .
3. Navigate to Task Management > Templates.
4. On the Task Templates page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to update a template.
   If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.
5. Select the required task template for an automated task. Ensure that the template is not in the Active status.
6. On the template page, click Manage Dynamic Fields.
   • To add a dynamic field to a template, perform the following steps:
     
     1. Click Dynamic Field > New Field.

     2. Specify the details such as Field Name, Field Description, and complete the additional details as described in the following table:
        

        Field	Description
        Field Value Type	Select the type of the dynamic field from the list.  The field values support all value types except multi-select and radio button types.
        Information Source	Select the source from which you want to collect the response to the dynamic field while creating a case. You can choose one of the following sources from the list: Requester—A requester provides responses to the dynamic fields while creating a case. Agent—A case agent provides responses as required while working on a case. Task assignee—A Task assignee provides responses when executing a task associated with the case. System—Select this option when you want an automated task to populate the information automatically without any user intervention.
        Required	To make the response to the dynamic field mandatory while resolving a case, select Required .
        Confidential	To make the dynamic field confidential, select Confidential .
        Hidden	To make the dynamic field, select Hidden .
        Has default value	Select  to specify a default value for the field value, and enter the Value.  Important: This option is not available for List and Attachment type field values.

   • To add dynamic fields from the dynamic field library, perform the following steps:

   1. 1. From the Available Dynamic Fields list, select a dynamic field. 
         The list displays all the Active dynamic fields which are available in the dynamic field library.

      2. (Optional) Update the Information Source and Required fields.

7. Click Save.

To add a dynamic group to the task template for an automated task

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.

2. Click My Application Settings .
   

3. To add a dynamic group to a task template, select Task Management > Templates.

4. On the Task Templates page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to update a template.
   If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.
   

5. Open the required template from the list.

   You can edit templates that are in the Draft status.

6. On the template details page, click Manage Dynamic Fields.

7. On the Manage Dynamic Fields dialog box, click +Dynamic Group, complete the following fields, and click Save.

   Field	Description
   Group Name	Enter a name for the dynamic group. The name is unique for every group. Important: Do not use a dot (.) in the name of the dynamic group.
   Group Display Label	Enter a label for the dynamic group.
   Active	Select this option to display the group while creating a task.
   Publish in Library	Select this option to publish the group to the dynamic group library so that you can use the group in another case template. If you do not select this option the group is only available for the case template in which you create the group.

   
   

8. On the Manage Dynamic Fields dialog box, expand the dynamic group, and add dynamic fields to the group by using any of the following ways:

   1. To add a new dynamic field to the group, click +Dynamic Field, and specify the values for the dynamic field.
      
   2. To add an existing dynamic field to the group, in the Available Dynamic Fields section, search for the dynamic field, and drag the field to the group.
      The dynamic fields available in the line of business of the template are displayed in the Available Dynamic Fields section.
      
9. To change the order of a dynamic field in the group, drag the field to the desired location.
10. Click Save.

To edit process and manage dynamic fields associated with a task template for an automated task

While creating a task template, if you have selected to create a new process, you must edit the process that gets created by default to meet your requirements. Also, if you have added dynamic fields or dynamic groups to your task template and you want to update them automatically by using the process, in the process you must add steps to manage the dynamic fields and dynamic groups. You can use the Update Task Data element in the Process designer of BMC Helix Innovation Studio for managing the dynamic fields and dynamic groups. 

To edit process and manage dynamic fields associated with a task template, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
2. Click My Application Settings .
3. Select Task Management > Templates.
4. On the Task Templates page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to update a template.
5. Select the required task template for an automated task. Ensure that the template is not in the Active status.

6. On the template page, click Edit Process.
   The Process designer of BMC Helix Innovation Studio opens in a new window. In the Process designer, a template of the process is displayed with the Process and Document variables populated.

7. In the Process designer, modify the process as per your requirement.

8. (Optional) If you have added dynamic fields to your task template, perform the following steps to update them automatically:
   

   1. From the Palette, drag the Update Task Data element to the canvas where you want update the dynamic fields or dynamic groups in the process.

   2. In the Element properties pane, enter values in the required fields, such as Action Type Name, Label, and so on, and complete the other details as described in the following table:

      Section	Field	Description
      GENERAL	Run as	Select the Inherit from Process option from the list. The process in which you want to use the Update Task Data element is set to defined requirements.
      INPUT MAP	Task ID	Click Click to build an expression.  On the Edit Expression page, select  from the list displayed in the Available Values pane. The Task ID option indicates the task ID of a task created by using a task template so that the dynamic fields associated with the task template are updated.
      	Document Definition Name	Select a value from the list. The document definition name must be same as that of input Document Definition.
      	Add/Remove Documentation Nodes	Click this option and from the list select the dynamic fields which you want to update, and click Apply. The list displays all the dynamic fields associated with the task template. After you add the dynamic fields, click Click to build an expression to enter an expression for updating the dynamic fields.

9. Click Save and go to the previous window to see the template details page.
10. Change the status of the template to Active.

To associate a task template for an automated task to a case template

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.

2. Click My Application Settings .

3. Select Case Management > Case Templates.
4. On the Case Templates page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to update a template.
   If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.
   
5. Select the required case template. Ensure that the case template is not in the Active status.
6. On the template details page, click Add Tasks.
   A list of active task templates for the selected company is displayed.
7. Select the template for the automated task that you want to use and click Save.

Modifying a task template for an automated task

Only a case business analyst can modify a task template for an automated task. You can modify the following template details based on your access permissions:

Access to the application or library that you want to edit	Submitter	Belong to template owner group	Template details that you can modify
			Dynamic fields and other details such as priority, categories, metadata, and so on
			Dynamic fields only
			Other details except dynamic fields
			None

Related topics

Automated tasks

Process designer elements