Creating an advanced task group template

Complete the following tasks to create advanced task group templates.

To open the Task Group Template form

1. On the IT Home page, click the Application Administration Console link.
2. On the Application Administration Console, click the Custom Configuration tab.
3. From the Application Settings list, select Task Management System > Task Configuration > Task Group Template, and then click Open.
4. From the Type field on the Task Group Template form, select Manual. 
   If you select Yes in the Visible field, only the data relevant to the Manual type appears in the Task Group Template form. For example, the Flow and Operations tabs.

To enter information in the top pane and the General tab

Define important task group template details, for example, the type of task group template (Standard) or the application it applies to.

1. On the Task Group Template form, fill in the required fields:

   Field Name	Description
   Name	The name of the parent task group.
   Summary	A brief description of the purpose of this parent task group template.
   Company	A company name. This parent task group is available only to the company you select.
   Type	The type of task. The options are as follows: Sequencing—This type of basic task group template contains task templates and task group templates where you can change the sequence during the execution stage. Standard—This type of advanced task group template contains task templates and task group templates that execute in the flow defined by the task administrator. If you are creating an advanced task group template, select Standard.
   Status	The status of the group task template. The options are as follows: Active—Enables the template for use at runtime Inactive—Deactivates the template. Inactive objects cannot be used at runtime. Usually, set an object to Inactive when it is no longer used at runtime, but might be needed again in the future. When it is needed again, you can set it to Active. Potential—Puts the template into Inactive status. You can design the template without activating it.
   Template Category Tier 1	The categorization from the associated field menu. The content of the Template Category Tier 1 menu corresponds to the installed BMC Helix ITSM applications for which you can create tasks. The menu is populated by the active records in the Integration Configuration form. For information about integrations, see Configuring application integrations. You can categorize task templates under a three-tier hierarchy. The tiers help you to organize related templates. The Tier 1 categorization is mandatory, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 (which are described in the Optional Fields table) are optional. Examples: Change Management System -> VM -> Provision Change Management System -> VM -> Extend

2. Fill in the optional fields:

   Field Name	Description
   Category	The application to which this group of task group templates belongs to.
   SubCategory	An optional sub-category description.
   Notes	A description of the task group template's function or any other helpful text for future administrators and designers.
   Priority	A priority for the task group template. The priority applies during the execution stage.
   Visible	Indicates whether this template is visible or hidden to the user for selection during the execution stage.
   Locale	The locale to which this template is applicable
   Template Category Tier 2	The appropriate template Tier 2 categorization. To create a Template Category Tier 2 categorization, type the category name in the Template Category Tier 2 field. When you save the template, the category name is also saved and added to the field's selection list, where it is available to select when you create the next template. To select a Template Category Tier 2 categorization, open the Template Category Tier 2 field menu and select the categorization.
   Template Category Tier 3	The appropriate Template Tier 3 categorization. To do this, use the same method described for creating or selecting Template Category Tier 2.

3. Enter information in the General tab:

   Area name	Description
   Time Out	A timeout value, a status, and status reason for the time out. The timeout value is applied to the Activate time field on the runtime objects. If this timeout value is reached, the Task or Task Group is set (by an escalation of ten minute intervals) to the predefined status value. Important: The clock stops when a Task or Task Group is in Pending status. The fields in the Time Out section are: Time Out Value—The amount of time after which the task times out at runtime. Unit—The time in seconds, minutes, hours, or days. Time Out Status—The status that is set when time out is reached. Time Out Status Reason—A corresponding status reason for the status value.
   Task Group Attachments	Attachments that might be necessary for this task group template. Attachments might be how-to documents that help you complete the task group when the template is used during the execution stage. You can add up to three attachments for each task group template.

4. Click Save.
5. Continue setting up the task group template by creating associations between the task templates and the task group templates that are contained in this task group template, as described in To define an association.

To define an association

When defining a task group template, select the task templates and task group templates that it should contain to complete a certain action. These task templates and task group templates are then associated with the task group template and are called associations. At runtime, when a task group is generated, the associated task groups and tasks are generated to support the task group.

After you have defined the associations, you can establish how they should interrelate at runtime by creating flow between them. For more information, see To create flows among associations.

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Association tab.
   The task group templates and task templates that have been defined are listed in the Available Task Groups and the Available Tasks tables. If any have been selected, they appear in the Current Associations table.

2. From the Available Task Groups or the Available Tasks table, select a task group or task template to add to the task group template you are currently defining, and then click Add.
   The task group template or task template appears in the Current Associations table.

   Important

   Unlike basic task group templates that utilize sequences in the order of tasks, no task sequence is provided for advanced task group templates.

   If you want the same task template or task group template to be used more than once at runtime, you must add it to the Current Associations table as many times as you want it used. When you add the same task template or task group template more than once, the number in the Instance column is incremented to indicate that this is a new instance.

3. To remove a task template or task group template from the Current Associations, select it and then click Remove.
4. Click Save.
5. Continue creating the task group template by defining the flow between the associations that you just created, as described in To create flows among associations.

To create flows among associations

When you define an advanced task group template, you can establish how the associated task group templates and task templates relate to one another. This is called flow. The flow determines the sequence in which task group templates and task templates are generated at runtime. If the task group template contains other task group templates, these likely already have flow established between the task group templates or task templates that they contain.

A task group template's flow consists of one or more flow relationship records. Each flow relationship record consists of a task group or task template, called the predecessor, which is linked to another task group or task template, called the successor.

To indicate the first steps of the flow, you can use the Start record that is provided by the system and link it to a successor task group or task template. This successor is the first task or task group that is generated when this task template is invoked.

All active task group and task templates listed in the Current Associations table that are not identified as successors are also generated as soon as the task group template is invoked at runtime. These tasks are not part of the advanced flow and can be fulfilled at any time. Multiple instances of the same task or task group template without predecessors generate multiple instances of tasks or task groups at runtime.

If you want to have two tasks to start at the same time, mark them both as Start.

If you want to have tasks or task groups to occur simultaneously, link the same predecessor to more than one successor. To have more than one task or task group completed before a successor can start, link two or more predecessors to the successor. All predecessors must be completed before the successor task or task group can start.

When defining flows, ensure that you do not create loops. Be especially careful if you are linking more than one instance of the same task or task group template within the flow. Check the instance number of the task or task group in the Instance Number column to make sure that you are not linking to the same one.

All predecessors must be completed before the successor task or task group can start (unless the setting is changed to Any Complete in the Flow to Successor when field in the Qualification tab of the Flow Template form).

You can also create a qualification that is used to determine how the flow should be generated. Qualifications use data supplied by input variables to determine the flow. Before you define a qualification, you must map variables to fields on the form. Then you can define the qualification against the fields.

For example, you can use the value retrieved from a question in a variable. The flow from the task loads the variable into a working field using the flow mapping on the flow details page. The qualification references the field.

All the associated tasks and task groups that are built into a task group's flow follow the defined sequence at runtime.

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Flow tab. 
   The task and task group associations that were selected in the Association tab appear in both of the tables in the upper section of the tab. If any flow relationships have been defined, they appear in the Flow Relationships table. The first task usually follows the Start point.

   Tip

   To view any of the task groups or tasks in either of the tables in the upper section of the form, double-click the task group or task in the list. It is displayed in a dialog box. You cannot make any changes in this dialog box. You cannot open the Start record. You can double-click entries in the Flow Relationships table or select an entry and use the Edit button to open a Flow Template form where you can define properties for the flow.

2. Select Start from the From Task Group or Task table, and then select which task template should be the starting point from the To Task Group or Task table, and then click Flow to. 
   The flow relationship record appears in the Flow Relationships table.
3. Select a task or task group in the From Task Group or Task table.
4. In the To Task Group or Task table, select the successor task group or task to be generated when the previous task is completed.
5. Click Flow to. 
   The flow relationship record is created and is displayed in the Flow Relationships table.
6. If appropriate, define a qualification on the flow to limit when the flow is followed. 
   For more information, see Defining qualifications.
7. Create as many flow relationships as needed to build the entire flow for the task group template, and then click Save. 
   All associated tasks and task groups that are built into a task group's flow follow the defined sequence at runtime.
8. Continue creating the task group template by defining input and output variable mappings, as described in Mapping input and output variables.

To define qualifications in advanced task group templates

If needed, you can create a qualification that is used in the advanced task group template to determine how the flow should be generated. Qualifications use data supplied by input variables to determine the flow. Before you define a qualification, you must map variables to fields on the form. Then you can define the qualification against the field.

1. Define the flow of templates, as described in Creating flow for task group templates.
2. On the Flow tab on the Task Group Template form, select the flow relationship, and then click Edit. 
   Define a qualification for the flow that appears in the Flow Template form
3. To define an input variable mapping, in the Variable Name field on the Input tab, select a variable. You can map Local, System, and Global variables. 
   For example, you might want to select the system variable holding the predecessor status so that the predecessor task can be checked. 
   For information about the different variables, see Creating variable templates.
4. In the To field, select a field to map the variable data to.
5. Click Add. 
   The mapping appears in the Input Variable Mapping table.
6. (Optional) Click Clear to remove the field and variable you had selected.
7. Add as many input variable mappings as you need for the flow.
8. In the Qualification Criteria text field on the Qualification tab, build a qualification statement to specify how the flow should be evaluated. 
   You can include fields in the qualification statement. For example, if you are building a qualification for a flow where you want to take another action if the task group fails, map the variable to the field and create the following qualification with the Predecessor Status system variable: 'Predecessor Status Reason Selection'="Failed"
9. In the Evaluate if Predecessor Failure field, select Yes or No to indicate if the qualification should apply if the task or task group's predecessor has failed.
10. In the Evaluate if Predecessor Canceled field, select Yes or No to indicate if the qualification should apply if the task or task group's predecessor has been canceled.
11. In the Flow to Successor when field, select a value:
    • All Complete causes the successor flow to start only when all predecessors are complete.
    • Any Complete causes the successor flow to start when any of the predecessors are complete.
12. Click Save.

To define statistical operations for evaluating a task group

By default, a task group is considered complete when all the task groups or tasks that it contains have run. When a task group is complete, its status is evaluated. This status can be either Success or Failed. By default, the task group is considered successful when all the task groups or tasks that it contains have a status of Success. If any do not have a status of Success, the task group has a status of Failed or Canceled.

To use other ways of determining whether a task group is complete or successful, you can specify conditions that are used to evaluate the task group's status.

You can define operations that include statistical expressions and retrieve variable values. These can be used to gather data from a task group's associated task groups and tasks, and build this data into qualification statements for evaluating the task group's status. This data can be used to determine whether the task group is complete and whether it is successful.

When you create a statistical operation for a task group, use the following operators to gather data from the associated task groups or tasks:

Each operation works on a child type of the available task or task group that you define. If using the MIN, MAX, SUM, AVG, or COUNT operation, select a field from the task or task group template from which to collect the data. If using the COUNT operation, choose a field like Task ID because this always has a value. For the operation VARIABLE, a variable is selected, and it should be a variable that is written as an output of the child type of this task group. Finally, select a Result field to store the operation result. The recommendation is to choose from the field pools on the Data tab in the runtime Task form.

The results from the operations run on the task group can be used in the Done or Success qualifications that determine whether the task is completed or the data can be gathered merely for analysis.

At runtime, whenever an associated task or task group is changed to a Completed status (Success, Failed, or Canceled), the expression is applied and the task group is evaluated according to its qualification statements. As you are building the expression, fields in which you do not specify a value are considered as having a NULL value.

Consider the following information when creating an expression:

• To calculate all tasks or task groups, you must select a field that has a value. The COUNT operator will return inaccurate results if the value in the selected field is NULL.
  For example, you might want to select the Request ID field (which always has a value) to COUNT all successful child tasks. If you choose a field that does not have a value in it, the count could be inaccurate.
• To calculate tasks or task groups where a particular field has been filled, you can select that field. If the field has not been filled when the task or task group is completed and the task group is evaluating, it has a value of NULL. The task or task group are not included in the calculation.

Follow the steps given below to define statistical operations for evaluating a task group:

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Operations tab.
2. In the Expression 1 Operation field, select one of the operator values. 
   
   • MIN
   • MAX
   • SUM
   • AVG
   • COUNT
   • VARIABLE

3. In the Task/Task Group field, select the type of associated object to evaluate.

   Important

   If you are creating an expression for a task group that contains both task groups and tasks and you want to gather data from both, you must create separate expressions for each. A single expression can be applied only to either a task or a task group.

4. In the Closed Status Reason field, select a status to include only those items in the specified status in the calculation. To include all items, regardless of status, leave this field empty.
5. In the From Field field, select the field from which to retrieve or calculate data.
6. In the Result Field field, select the field from the task group form that contains the value retrieved or calculated by the operation, and then click Save.
7. Create a Done or Success Qualification statement that incorporates the Result field, as described in To define a Done or Success qualification.

To define a Done or Success qualification

You can build qualification statements that are used to determine whether a task group is completed or successful. You can incorporate the data gathered by statistical operations, as explained in To define statistical operations for evaluating a task group. The data is used to determine the status of the task group.

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Completion tab. 
2. In the Done Qualification field, build a qualification statement to evaluate whether the task group is complete.
   You can use the Result Field entries from the Operations tab to build the qualification.
3. In the Success Qualification field, build a qualification statement to evaluate if the task group is successful.
   You can use the Result Field entries from the Operations tab to build the qualification.
4. Click Save.

To specify usage information for task group templates

The Usage tab tracks whether the task group template is being used by Task Group Templates, Parent Templates, or Request Templates. The metrics indicate how many times the template was used at runtime and some of the most important status values, for example, Last Used or Closed Success.

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Usage tab.
2. On the Show field, select Task Group Template, Parent Template, or Request Template, and then click Save. 
   The Used By Templates table shows other templates that are using the task group template.
3. Review the information on the System tab of the Task Group Template form.
   The System tab shows internal information about the task template.

To map an input and output variable mapping to a task group template

Variable mappings enable data to be passed in to and out of fields when the task group is executed. To define variable mappings, you map an existing variable to or from a field.

1. On the Task Group Template form, click the Input tab. 
   If any input variable mappings have been defined, they are displayed in the Input Variable Mapping table.
2. In the From Variable list, choose the variable to map.
3. On the To Field field, choose the field to relate the variable to. 
   In the execution stage, a pool of fields (for example, Character01) is available in the Data tab of the Task runtime form for variable usage. The To Field list includes all the fields contained in the Task Group runtime form. You generally should not map to Display Only fields. If you do so, the value assigned is not retained.
4. Click Add. 
   The variable mapping appear in the Input Variable Mapping table.
5. Click Save, and then click the Output tab. 
   If any output variable mappings have been defined, they are displayed in the Output Variable Mapping table.
6. Click the From Field list. 
   The list includes all the fields contained in the Task Group runtime form.
7. In the To Variable list, choose the variable to map to. 
   For output variables, you can map only to Local and Global.
8. Click Add, and then click Save. 
   The variable mapping appears in the Output Variable Mapping table.
9. Continue setting up the task group template, as described in To define statistical operations for evaluating a task group.