Tracking Task Details

[KarhyM]

Hi, our school is new to Workfront and we are looking for recommendations on how to track task details. For example, we created a generic template for all of our didactic courses. The template has all the tasks at a high level for each course. For example, one of the tasks is reserving rooms. We have a procedure attached on how to reserve the room, but there are many courses where specific rooms need to be reserved for various reasons (room layout, equipment needed, etc.) Another example is ordering course supplies. Courses will require different supplies and they may need to know specifics, e.g., ABC or XYZ are cheaper but have a no return policy; order 123. Ideally, we would like the course coordinator to update the details if they find it has changed. How do you store the task details for each course/project so anyone familiar with it will know what to do for that specific task? We like to avoid having a template for each course/project. Your experience is greatly appreciated. Kathy

[NRYNR]

Hi Kathy, I'll take the first shot at giving you some advice. 1) Start with a single project with tasks in the outline for the various activities. Use this project as your test case. 2) Use a single task-based custom form to capture the various attributes of the activities. Keep the form simple with fields that aren't required. 3) Set the project so that all new tasks created automatically get the custom form. 4) Create a custom view in your project's task list that shows the custom fields from the form so you can perform in-line edits on the attributes. 5) Use task reports to get creative in the way you view the information. You might have one report showing all setup tasks while another shows equipment activities. This might require a special "flag" on the tasks indicating their "type". This is how I handle this in my world with a little "is" checkbox on the custom form: 6) Use the updates feature to document what occurred if it makes sense. Once you have a functional design, you can save the project as a template for future use. Nothing will help you with this challenge more than trying things and asking for help from the community. Screenshots go a long way, so make sure to include them if you can. I look forward to hearing how things turn out! Thanks, Narayan

[KarhyM]

Thanks, Narayan! You have me thinking of some ways to track these. I appreciate the ideas Kathy McLaughlin