Housing options task progression management overview
A task is a discrete action that must be completed as part of a wider housing options case. Each task has three constituent elements that are defined as part of its configuration: an owner (which can be automatically determined through an allocation rule), a service level agreement (dictating the duration over which it must be completed) and, optionally, a direct relationship to other prerequisite or dependent tasks. Task ownership is assigned from those user accounts and roles that are configured within the overarching housing option workflow type.
Depending on the complexity of any given housing options task, it will likely be progressed in phases, with each phase being thought of as an event within the lifecycle of the task. In terms of the completion deadline allotted to the task, the expectations placed on the owner are governed by the Service Level Agreement (SLA) in operation, as defined by the housing organisation in line with their published advisory service standards. Whilst the SLA operates right down to specific task level, it is applied in the wider context of other dependent tasks that coexist within the parent case. The SLA is set within the task definition, comprising a unit (days, weeks, months) and a period multiplier (an integer). Therefore, the target completion date for a live task is automatically calculated from the associated definition, based on the planned start date. Undoubtedly, there will be circumstances arising outside of the owner's control which they can influence through the adjustment of the planned target completion date. An owner also has the ability to place a task on hold in situations where no action can be taken for a set period of time, and where the SLA might otherwise be unavoidably exceeded. For instance, it would be legitimate to place on hold a task where a follow-up interview has been scheduled with a customer who is known to be on holiday. As part of the process, a future release date would also need to be specified, ensuring that no open tasks remain static without a set progression point. Any number of discrete notes can also be appended to the housing options task as an aide memoir to the owner, these appearing as separate entries within the event log.
From an end user perspective, all assigned housing options tasks can readily be viewed and progressed via the 'cases and tasks' Home pane. This is in essence a 'to do' list, with real time information presented on the status of each task. Simply by double-clicking on an entry included within the list, an end user can launch and progress the task. As the current status of each individual task is advanced, the collective progress contributes to the overall status of the parent case. In particular, where all mandatory tasks have been completed, the status of the parent case is automatically set to 'mandatory complete'. This system-generated status is also assigned to cases which contain only optional tasks i.e. no tasks have been linked with a 'mandatory' attribute.
Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of housing options task progression management, including: