This getting started article will help Technicians to create and configure Ticket Tasks both in the TDNext interface in a Ticketing application. The user must have the TDNext access, and Ticketing application access.
Overview
Ticket tasks are used to engage other people or groups to contribute to a ticket while the ownership and primary responsibility for the ticket remains the same. Tasks are added to a ticket by the Responsible party.
Where to Find This
This feature appears in the TDNext interface.
Navigate to creating a Ticket Task following these paths:
- TDNext > Applications Menu > Ticketing Application
- Once in Ticketing Application > [Open existing ticket] > +Add > Task
Where to Start
When to Reassign Tickets versus Create Tasks
As a best practice, organizations that use both tickets and ticket tasks should define when to reassign a ticket versus when a ticket task should be used.
Tickets should arrive to the owning group and then remain with that group. Tasks are used to engage other people or groups as needed.
Reassigning a ticket gets it to the correct owner. For example, a ticket comes into group A for fixing the widget. Group B, however, is the group that fixes the widget. This ticket gets reassigned to group B. The ticket is transferred to the right team that owns the overall issue.
Assigning a task brings in people or groups who need to work on some aspect or component of the overall request, even though these people or groups do not own the overall request. For example, a ticket comes in for fixing the entire widget factory. This ticket gets assigned to whoever owns the overall widget factory. In this case, it belongs to group C. One of the necessary parts of fixing the widget factory is to fix the widget machine. A ticket task is therefore created for group B to fix the widget machine.
Impact of Reassigning a Ticket or Ticket Task That is Assigned to a Group
When a ticket or ticket task is assigned to a Group or to a Group + Person, the system checks the new assigned person's groups before updating the assignment on the ticket.
- If the new person is a member of the ticket or task's current group, the group assignment will stay on the ticket or task
- If they are not a member of that group, the ticket or task will be assigned to their primary group as well as the individual
- If they aren't a member of that group and don't have a primary group, it will assign the ticket directly to them and remove the old group assignment.
Groups that have been deactivated will not be factored into this process. If an individual's primary group has been deactivated, it will behave as if the individual has no primary group set.
Creating and Assigning a Ticket Task
Adding a Task to a Ticket
To add a task to a ticket:
To create and assign a ticket task:
- In TDNext > Application Menu > Ticketing Application
- Open existing Ticket > +Add > Task
- Fill out details like date/time, description, and Responsibility
- This can be a person or group.
- They can be left unassigned but not best practice.
Adding a Ticket Task to My Work
To add a task to My Work:
- In your task that is assigned to you, Go to Actions
- Add to My Work
Editing, Assigning or Deleting Ticket Tasks
To edit a task:
- Open the task from the Ticket’s General tab and select Edit or
- Go to Tasks/Activities tab of a Ticket > open Task > Edit
Taking a Ticket Task
Taking a task is assigning the Unassigned Task to yourself.
To take a ticket task:
- Open the Task via the Tickets’ General or Tasks/Activities area and go to Actions
- Take Task
Updating a Task on a Ticket
To update a task on a ticket:
- Go to the Tickets’ General tab > select Update on the Task listed there or
- Go to Tasks/Activities tab > locate the task > click Update or
- Open the task itself and Actions > Update
Creating and Managing Task Templates [Video]
Task templates save time and improve operational efficiency, ensure that any needed order of tasks is maintained, improve the consistency and clarity of tasks for tickets and improves customer satisfaction.
This video covers:
- Creating and managing task templates
- Configuring the permissions needed to initiate task templates
- Navigating task templates in general
Duration 14 minutes.
Presented by Serkan Ozsoy, Managing Consultant, Implementation Services
Setting Est and Complete Within Columns to Zero Hours
The Est column represents the estimated effort for this task. This only needs to be set if you're doing any reporting on estimates vs. actuals for ticket data. The Complete Within column represents the duration for this task- the number of hours it takes for this task to complete. If Complete Within is set to 0, the Start/End dates are set to be immediate when the task template is applied. For example, if the task template is applied at 1/1/2011 at 1:11 PM, and a task in the task template had no predecessors and "Complete Within" set to 0, then the task would be due at 1/1/2011 1:11 PM.
Permissions and Access Needed for Ticket Tasks and Activities
Required permissions:
- Must be able to log in to TDAdmin & TDNext environments.
- In TDAdmin, must be an Administrator for the environment, or be an application admin in order to create task templates.
- In TDNext, must have the security roles and permissions enabled to add or edit task templates.
Unless explicitly mentioned otherwise, you cannot perform any of the listed operations on tickets or associated tasks or activities if the ticket has been converted to a project task or if the ticket is a template.
The reviewer of a ticket is explicitly listed as the reviewer based on the ticket type, or one of the groups they belong to is listed as the reviewer. Someone who is primarily assigned to a ticket is either explicitly listed as primarily responsible, or the ticket is assigned to one of the groups they belong to.
Adding Tasks to a Ticket
You can add a ticket task to a ticket if any of the following conditions are true:
- You have the Edit All Tickets permission
- You are the reviewer of the ticket
- You are primarily assigned to the ticket.
Workflow tasks cannot be manually added to tickets. In addition, maintenance activities can only be added to change or release tickets.
Adding a Ticket Task to My Work
You can add a ticket task to your My Work list if all of the following conditions are true:
- The associated ticket has not been converted to a task
- The associated ticket is not on hold
- The task is active
- The task is less than 100% complete
- You are assigned to the task (either listed explicitly as responsible, or the task is assigned to one of your groups)
- You have access to My Work.
If a task has no responsible user when the task is added to your My Work list, you become responsible for the task.
Editing (including Assignment) or Deleting Tasks on a Ticket
You can edit (including assignment) or delete tasks on a ticket if any of the following conditions are true:
- You have the Edit All Tickets permission
- You are the reviewer of the ticket
- You are primarily assigned to the ticket
- You are assigned to the task (either listed explicitly as responsible, or the task is assigned to one of your groups).
Workflow tasks cannot be deleted. For all other ticket task types, deletion permission depends on the above criteria.
Taking a Ticket Task
You can take a ticket task if you can edit the task and all of the following conditions are true:
- The ticket task is not marked as complete
- The ticket task is not assigned to any user.
Updating Tasks on a Ticket
You can update a task on a ticket if the ticket has not been converted to a project task, the ticket task is active, and any of the following conditions are true:
- You have the Update All Tickets permission
- You have the Edit All Tickets permission
- You are the reviewer of the ticket
- You are primarily assigned to the ticket
- You are assigned to the task (either listed explicitly as responsible, the task is assigned to one of your groups).
Essentially, this is the same set of conditions for being able to edit or delete tasks on a ticket, apart from the fact that the "Update All Tickets" permission also applies.