Task automation

Learning outcomes:

• What is task automation
• Create a checklist automation
• Create a status-based automation
• Create a time-based automation
• Combine checklist automation with a status or time-based automation

What is task automation?

Task automation allows you to create a basic workflow, or series of tasks that need to be completed at a certain time, in a certain order, to achieve a specific outcome.

Task automation drives the movement of tasks to ensure the correct tasks and processes are completed, at the right time by the right person. So when task A is complete, start tasks B and C. And when Task B is complete, start task D and E... get the picture?

Implementing task automation can supercharge your business processes, leading to process efficiencies, improved collaboration and increased productivity.

You can find out more about task automations and get examples of how you can implement them into your daily work-life today in our task automation update.

Task automations can be implemented on tasks on your homepage, or in the Task module. To navigate to the task module, click the navigation menu button in the top left of screen, and select Tasks. 

When the Task module opens, choose the task board you want to work on by clicking the board.

Create a checklist automation

Adding a checklist automation to a task means that when all the checklist items on that task are complete, the task status will be updated to complete. A checklist is a list of activities on the task that act as reminder for things that must be done to complete the task. A checklist item might be a step with instructions, a link to resources, a file or a web page.

To add a checklist automation, open the task editor by clicking on a task title, then turn on task automation by clicking the toggle to yes and click checklist toggle to yes.

Once you have turned on Checklist automations, add your checklist for the task. When you turn on checklist automations, the checklist input will be displayed. Type the checklist item and click add or hit return to create the checklist item. You can update and delete checklist items if needed.

Once you have completed a checklist item check it off as complete by clicking on the red circle in line with the item. A completed checklist item will show a black circle with a tick.

Once all checklist items have been checked complete, the task status will update to complete.

How to create a status based task automation

A status based task automation is different to a checklist automation. A status based automation creates a relationship between 2 tasks, think parent child. The task you create the automation on becomes the child in the relationship and status updates on the parent task, drive status updates on the child task.

To add a status based automation to a task, in the task editor turn on automations, then toggle dependency to yes. This action displays an input on the editor to search for the task that is the dependency (parent) in the relationship. Start typing the parent task's title and when it appears click it.

Now you have chosen the dependency, select the type of dependency as task status by clicking the task status toggle to show yes, and then choosing the status this task should update to, and the status of the dependency (parent task), to trigger the automation.

When the "PAYG Reconciliation Spreadsheet" task status is updated to complete, this task's status will be updated to in progress and the task owner notified of the task status update so they can begin working on the task.

How to create a time based task automation

Creating a time based automation is very similar to creating a status based automation. Instead of clicking the task status toggle to yes, you click the time based toggle to yes. Then choose the status this task should update to, type the number of days to wait after after the dependency task status is updated to trigger the automation and then select the status of the dependency (parent task), to trigger the automation.

The above says, when the dependency "PAYG Reconciliation Spreadsheet", status is updated to complete, 10 days later, update this task status to in progress.

Combine a checklist automation with a status or time based automation

There will be times when you need to combine automations on a task. So we made that possible too.

Turn on the checklist automation, then turn on the dependency automation, choose whether you will use the time based or status based automation, select the dependency, set up the trigger rules, and add your checklist.

Using the above as an example, when the dependency "PAYG Reconciliation Spreadsheet", status is updated to complete, 10 days later, update this task status to in progress. And when the checklist items are all complete, update this task status to complete.