dspTrack

Use the Work List

The Work List displays tasks in active plans that are not complete and are assigned to the logged in user. To activate a plan, refer to Activate and Deactivate a Plan for more information.

A Work List Item, created on the Work List Setup page (Configuration > Work List) displays on the Work List after it has been created. Work List Items are not associated with plans, so do not require plan activation to display.

Plan Tasks and Work List Items display on the Work List and Work List Setup page. To differentiate between the two, a Plan Task has a Project and Plan name in the PROJECT and PLAN field on the Work List and Work List Setup page. These fields are blank for Work List Items. Refer to Plan Tasks versus Work List Items for more information.

To access the Work List, click the blue tab on the Quick Panel. The number on the tab indicates how many incomplete tasks are assigned to the logged in user.

NOTE: To close the Work List, click the X in the Page toolbar.

The Work List’s Horizontal View allows a user to:

  • View the schedule status of a task. Refer to Set Parameters for Schedule Status Calculation for more information about how a schedule status is set for a task.
  • Upload a file to a task. Refer to Upload Files to a Plan, Task or Work List Item for more information.
  • Access a page with binding criteria if a task has Work List binding criteria configured. Refer to Add Work List Binding Criteria to a Work List Item or Plan Task for more information.
  • Move tasks through the workflow by clicking the Next Action icon. When the user hovers the cursor over the Next Action icon, the tool tip displays whether clicking the Next Action icon will start or finish the task.

  • Track the status of each Plan Task or Work List Item as it moves through the workflow from Ready to In Progress. Once a task is in Completed status, it no longer displays on the Work List. Completed Plan Tasks display on the Plan Task page and the Work List Detail page. Completed Work List Items display on the Work List Detail page only.

    NOTE: Refer to Task Status for more information about how Plan Tasks and Work List Items move through the workflow.

  • View additional details about tasks such as task status, planned start date and planned finish date.
  • Access the Work List Detail page to view the tags and resources associated with a task. Refer to View Work List Details for more information.

On the Work List’s Vertical View, a user can:

  • Add a comment.

  • Add a late comment.

    NOTE: Comments or late comments may be required, depending on how the task is configured. Refer to Set Comment Requirements for Tasks for more information.

    NOTE: The Late Comment icon is disabled when the schedule status for a Plan Task or Work List Item is not late (i.e., its schedule status is on time (green) or behind (yellow)). The Late Comment icon is only available when a Plan Task or Work List item's schedule status is late (red).

  • Access a page that is bound to the selected Plan Task or Work List Item without passing binding criteria. Work List Binding Criteria sets the key to pass to a page. After binding criteria is added to a Work List Item or Plan Task, when a user clicks the link for the page on the Work List, the page opens with the data associated with the key displayed. If the user clicks the Unbound Page icon, no binding criteria is passed to the page. Refer to Add Work List Binding Criteria to a Work List Item or Plan Task for more information.

    NOTE: A user’s security settings will affect whether the user can access the page, and if the user can update data on the page.

  • View the Microsoft Project ID for the Plan Task, if the task was added during an import. Refer to Import Project Files into dspTrack™ for more information.

This topic contains the following sections:

View Work List Details

The Work List Detail page displays additional information that is not available on the Work List about all tasks in every task status, including Completed.

To view the work list details:

  1. Click the blue tab on the Quick Panel to access the Work List.
  2. Click Work List Details on the Page Toolbar; all work list details for all Plan Tasks and Work List Items display.

NOTE: If no items display on the Work List, the Work List Details icon is disabled.

NOTE: The Work List Detail page displays behind the Work List and, depending on how the user’s view is configured, may be obstructed by the Work List itself. In this case, to view the Work List Detail page, either close the Work List or reduce the size of the Work List pane.

View all Work List Items and Plan Tasks for All Work Lists

To view all Work List Items and Plan Tasks for all Work Lists, selectConfiguration > Work List.

This page also allows the user to access pages that display, for each task or item, the users assigned, associated event rules and validations, files uploaded, and the page ID and the binding criteria if applicable.

If a Plan Task is in Completed status, it displays on the Plan Task page or the Work List Detail page. If a Work List Item is in Completed status, it displays on the Work List Detail page only.

Start Work on a Work List Item or Plan Task

A user can mark an item as started on the Work List.

NOTE: Depending on how a user's workflow preferences are set, a resource may receive an email when a task is in Ready status and work on the item can begin. Refer to Receive Workflow Messages  for more information.

NOTE: Work on a task cannot start if the task is in a status of Waiting on Dependency. In this case, if a user clicks Next Action on the Work List, the task(s) and dependency/dependencies preventing the task from starting display. Work List Items cannot have dependencies, so will never be in the Waiting on Dependency status.

To start work on a Plan Task or Work List Item:

  1. Click the blue tab on the Quick Panel to access the Work List.
  2. Click the Next Action button for the Plan Task or Work List Item with a STATUS of Ready.

dspTrack™ moves the item's status to In Progress.

Refer to Task Status for more information.

Finish Work on a Work List Item or Plan Task

A user can mark an item as finished on the Work List, even if that item is late. Once an item is finished, it no longer displays on the Work List. Plan Tasks in a Completed status display on the Plan Task page and Work List Detail page. Work List Items in a Completed status display on the Work List Detail page only.

NOTE: A user may be required to add a comment to a Plan Task or Work List Item that is late to finish it. Refer to Set Comment Requirements for Tasks for more information.

NOTE: Work on a task cannot finish if the task is in a status of Waiting on Dependency. In this case, if a user clicks Next Action on the Work List, the task(s) and dependency/dependencies preventing the task from finishing display. Work List Items cannot have dependencies, so will never be in the Waiting on Dependency status.

To finish a Plan Task or Work List Item:

  1. Click the blue tab on the Quick Panel to access the Work List.
  2. Click the Next Action button for the Plan Task or Work List Item with a STATUS of In Progress.

dspTrack™ removes the item from the Work List and updates the Actual Finish Date for the item.

Refer to Task Status for more information.