Managing tasks

In addition to accepting assigned tasks, you can modify, close, or cancel a task. Additionally, you can also add financial information to a task or send an email note from a task.

To modify a task

Select a change record and click Show Tasks under Details and Tasks.
From the Assigned Tasks table in the Change Management console, select a task, and then click View.
On the Task Management form, update the fields.
Click the Work Info tab.
Define a work info history entry for the task, and then click Save.

To close a task

Select a change record and click Show Tasks under Details and Tasks.
From the Assigned Tasks table in the Change Management console, select a task, and then click View.
Click the Assignment tab, and then update the time you spent on the task.
Click the Work Info tab, and then define an entry in the Work Info History field.
At the top of the Task form, set Status to Closed.
Optionally, send an email notice to notify the task requester that the task is complete. Use this notification to ask the task requester to review and validate the work that you performed.
Select a status reason to describe how the task was closed, and then click Save.
Important

After a task is closed, it cannot be reopened.

To cancel a task

In the Change form, open a change request.
Click the Tasks tab.
Select a task, and then click Cancel.
The task status is set to Closed.

If the task has related configuration items (CIs), you can update any CI costs that are affected by this cancellation. For more information, see Working with related configuration items.

To add financial information to a task

Select a change record and click Show Tasks under Details and Tasks.
From the Assigned Tasks table in the Change Management console, select a task, and then click View.
Click the Financials tab, and then enter the budgeted estimated total time in hours.
When you finish the task, enter the actual total time.
Enter your calculation unit type; for example, flat rate.
Save the change request.
The information is calculated and rolled up into the change request.
When you are assigned a task, you can contribute financial information for the task. However, you can only calculate charges for the change inside the change request.

To send an email note from a task

You can send an email note from the task. You can do this, for example, to request more information about the task, or to request a clarification or assistance from another help desk agent. You can also send a note to the originator of the task to let that person know the task is complete, and to ask the originator to verify the work.

On the Task form, click Email System.
Indicate the recipient by performing any one, or combination of the following actions:
1. Select one of the following options:
  - Select Current Customer—Places the email address of the customer associated with the task in the Internet Email address field. If the button is not available, no customer is associated with the task.
  - Select Current Assignee—Places the email address of the current task assignee in the Internet E-Mail address field. If the button is not available, no assignee is associated with the task.
2. To select another recipient, perform the following steps:
  1. Complete the fields in the People Search Criteria area. Provide as much information as you can.
  2. Click Search.
  3. When the search finishes, click the recipient's name in the search results table to place their email address in the Internet E-Mail field.
    If you need help determining the correct name in the list, you can see more information about an individual by selecting their name from the list, and then clicking View. This opens the People form, which contains detailed information about the recipient.
3. If you know it, type the email address of the recipient directly in the Internet E-Mail field.

Complete the rest of the information fields on the Email System form.

See the following table for a description of what to put in the information fields.

Field

Description

Email Subject Line

By default, the subject line contains the task ID number, to which you can append text, or which you can type over.

Email Message Body

You type the message text here. By using the buttons to the right of this field, you can also automatically insert text from the record into the message text; you can insert values for the following. If any of these buttons is not active, it means that the corresponding field in the Task form contains no information.

Status
Summary
Details
Resolution

Email Attachment

You can attach a file to the email message (Service Desk limits you to one attachment). To attach a file, right-click inside the Email Attachment table, and then click Add. In the Add Attachment dialog box, browse to and select the file that you want to attach. Click Open. Details of the attached file appear in the table.

Click Send Email Now.