Before you Begin

This 30 minute hands-on tutorial shows you how to view, update and add tasks in Task Manager. The sections build on each other and should be completed sequentially

Background

Task Manager helps you define, execute, and report on the interdependent activities of a business process. It provides centralized monitoring of all tasks and provides a visible, automated, repeatable system of record for running a business process.

You can:

  • Define the tasks and schedule to ensure the most efficient task flow.
  • Automate the business process, track status, and provide notifications and alerts.
  • Notify users by e-mail for delinquencies, due dates, status changes.
  • Monitor business process status from a dashboard.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of the business process.

What Do You Need?

An EPM Cloud Service instance allows you to deploy and use one of the supported business processes. To deploy another business process, you must request another EPM Enterprise Cloud Service instance or remove the current business process.

Viewing task lists

  1. On the Home page, select 2020, Apr from the lists in the Task Summary area. A summary of tasks status for the selected period is displayed.
    Task Summary
  2. In the tasks status summary, click Open to open the Worklist.
  3. The Worklist displays task with Open status for all users. Click the My Tasks icon to filter the list to task assigned to you.
    My Rasks icon
  4. You have no current open tasks, so the list is empty. Click the Schedule Tasks vertical tab. The Schedule Tasks list provides advanced filtering options. To change the the filter for Schedule, click Schedule in the Filter area. In the Selected list, click 2020 03 March Monthly Close to remove it, then click 2020 04 April Monthly Close to add it to the Selected list.
    Schedule filters list
  5. Click anywhere off of the Schedule filter list to return to the Schedule Tasks page. In the task list, expand the 01 Consolidation Process Kick Off parent task.
    Parent tasks group a set of related tasks. The start date data of the parent task is the earliest start date of its child tasks, and the end date for the parent task is the latest end date of its child tasks.
    Parent tasks expanded
  6. To view predecessor and successor relationships between tasks, click the View icon to the right of the list, and then select Gantt Chart.
    Gantt Chart option
  7. In Gantt view, tasks with Closed status display in blue, Open tasks in green, and Pending tasks in orange. Pending tasks cannot open until their predecessor task closes, even if their start date is reached. In the example, Review Currency Rates is a predecessor task for Load Admin Data, and Load Admin Data in turn is a predecessor for the tasks for loading balance sheet and sales data.
    Gantt Chart view
  8. To return to the list view, click the View icon to the right of the Gantt chart, and then select List View.
    List View option

Updating tasks

  1. In the task list, under the 01 Consolidation Process Kick Off parent task, click 015 - Review Currency Rates.
    List View
  2. The tasks dialog box for the Review Currency Rates tasks is opened. It is an integration task, so the data form needed to perform the task is embedded in the dialog box. Click the Properties tab to open the Properties drawer.
    The Properties drawer displays basic task information, such as the start and end data assigned to the task.
    Task Dialog box
  3. Click the Workflow tab to display the user workflow assignments. User1 is the task assignee. There is no approver assigned to the task, so the task status will change to Closed when it is submitted.
    Workflow drawer
  4. Select the Comments tab. Enter the text 'All rates are current' in the Comments text box and click Post.
    Comments drawer
  5. Click the Comments tab again to close the Comments drawer.
  6. In the toolbar in the upper right of the dialog box, click Submit Task. Administrators can intervene in the close process whenever needed to submit and approve tasks.
    Submit Tasks button
  7. At the confirmation prompt, click Yes.
    Confirmation dialog box
  8. Click the History tab. To provide audit capability, a history is kept of all actions performed on the task.
    History drawer
  9. In the toolbar in the upper right of the dialog box, click X to close the task and return to the task list.
    The task status has changed to Closed, and the status for its successor task, 020 -Load Admin Data, has changed from Pending to Open.
    Task List view
  10. Click Home icon (Home) to go to the home page.

Viewing dashboards

  1. On the Home page, click Dashboards, then click Task Overview.
    Task Overview card
  2. You can click in the charts to drill to detail. Click the green Complete bar in the Schedule Tasks chart to view the completed tasks.
    Task Overview Page
  3. Notice that the Review Currency Rates tasks you submitted is listed. You can open tasks from the list. Click 015 - Review Currency Rates to open the task.
    Tasks List in Dashboard
  4. Click X in the upper right corner to close the task, then click OK to close the Tasks list.
  5. You can use the POV settings to change the Year and Period. Select Mar for Period. The information for March is displayed.
    Compliance Overview Card
  6. Click the Task Manager Overview vertical tab.
    The default view for the Task Manager Overview dashboard is the number of tasks for each priority level.
    Task Manager Overview
  7. You can use the View By list to change the view. In the View By list, select Task Type.
    The number of tasks for each integration task type is displayed.
    Tasks Type view
  8. Click Compliance Overview.
    Compliance Overview Card
  9. The Compliance dashboard gives an overview of close process efficiency.
    xxx
  10. Click Home icon (Home) to go to the home page.

Viewing task manager reports

  1. On the Home page, click Reports.
    Reports card
  2. In the tabs across the bottom of the page, click Task Manager Reports.
  3. In the report list, select Early Tasks in the Name column, and HTML in the Output Format column.
    Task Manager Reports list
  4. Click Generate.
  5. In the Schedule list select 2020 03 March Monthly Close, and in the Period list select Mar.
    Generate Report dialog box
  6. Click Generate.
  7. When prompted, save the compressed file to a location, navigate to the location and uncompress the file. Click Early Tasks.html to view the report in your browser. Close the report when you finish reviewing it.
    Early Tasks report
  8. In Financial Consolidation and Close, click Close to close the Generate Report dialog box.
  9. Click Home icon (Home) to go to the home page.

Adding tasks to schedules

In this section, you add a task for reviewing changes to entities to the close schedule for April 2020, and then add it as a child task to the 01 Consolidation Kick Off parent. You must have the Service Administrator or Power User role to add tasks.

  1. On the Home page, click Tasks.
    Tasks Card
  2. Click the Schedule Tasks vertical tab and verify that the current schedule is 2020 04 April Monthly Close. Click New icon (New).
    New button
  3. Enter 011 - Review New Entities for Task Name and 011_Admin for Task ID.
    Task Name and ID fields
  4. Make the following additional selection on the Properties tab:
    • Organizational Unit: North America
    • Task Type: Basic Task
    • Priority: High
    Task Properties
  5. Click the Instructions tab and enter the following instructions: Verify that no new business units have been added and that no restructuring has taken place.
    Instructions tab
  6. Click the Workflow tab. Leave yourself as the assignee. Clich the Calendar icon for Starts and set the start date to one day prior to today's date, Set Ends to one day after today's date.
    Workflow tab
  7. Select the Questions tab and click New icon to add a question.
    Questions tab
  8. Make the following entries in the New Question dialog box:
    • Question: Did the review of the organization structure include all regions?
    • Type: Yes/No
    • Role: Assignee
    • Required: Yes
    New Question dialog box
  9. Click OK. The question is added to the Questions tab.
    Questions tab
  10. Click the Predecessors tab, and click + (New).
    Predecessors tab
  11. In the list of tasks, select 0005 - Review New Closing Procedures, then click OK.
    Add Predecessor dialog box
  12. Click Save and Close to return to the Schedule Tasks List.
    Save and Close button
  13. Click the ellipsis in the row for the 01 Consolidation Process Kickoff parent, and select Edit.
    Eiit option
  14. In the Edit Task dialog box select the Children tab. In the Available Tasks list, select 011-Review New Entities, and click Add to move it to the Selected Tasks list.
    Children tab
  15. Click Save and Close.
  16. 011- Review New Entities is added as a child of 01 Consolidation Process Kickoff, with Open status. Click 011-Review New Entities to open the task.
    Review Entities task
  17. The Tasks dialog box is displayed, with the instructions you entered. Try to submit the task by clicking Submit Task.
    Task dialog box
  18. An error message is displayed. You made the question you added to the task required, so it must be answered before the task can be submitted. Click Close, and the click the Questions tab in the right side panel.
    Information dialog box
  19. In the Questions tab, select Yes in the answer list.
    Questions tab
  20. Click Submit Task. Click Yes at the confirmation prompt. Click X in the upper right to close the Task dialog box and return to the Schedule Tasks list.
    The task status is changed to Closed.
    Task Status

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