Working with Assignment Tasks

You can think of the Tasks area as your assignment “to do” list — a collection of tasks or “sub-assignments” that you might need to address before you can mark the assignment as complete. While you are not required to create any tasks as part of your workflow, Avid supports the creation of up to 50 tasks per assignment.

As shown in the following illustration, the Tasks header displays the number of tasks that are associated with the current assignment (two in this case). Each task is listed in the order in which it was created (most recent at the bottom of the list). If the task is associated with a Due Date, that information is displayed along with the task Title, and Team members.

You can click the Refresh button to the left of the Add Task button to update the list of tasks. If you are already viewing a specific task, the Refresh button updates the details of that task.

You can minimize the Tasks list by clicking on the Collapse button. When collapsed, the button becomes an Expand button that you can use to reveal the Tasks list again.

Creating Tasks

Complete the following process to create a new task. After creating a task, you can use the Tasks panel to access the task and edit the title, status, or other values.

Required fields are marks with an asterisk ( * ). If you leave any required field empty, the app displays a red exclamation point to remind you to complete the requirement.

To create and configure a task:

1. Do one of the following:

   • Click the Add Task button in the upper-right corner of the Tasks panel.

     The default task form is displayed in the Tasks panel.

   • If this is the assignment's first task, you can also click the New Task button in the middle of the Tasks area.

     The default task form is displayed in the Tasks panel.

   • Click the menu to the right of the Add Task button to select an alternate Task form.

     For more information on forms, see Working with Forms.

     The app displays your selected form in the Tasks panel.

2. (optional) Click the Status menu below the task title and assign a new status.

   Each new task is associated with the New status by default.

3. Click the title area and enter a new name for the task.

   As you type, a character counter appears below the field. Your title can contain up to 200 characters.

   

4. (optional) Enter a Due date and time to define the completion date for the task.

   After you assign a Due date, you can click the Download button to save the task as a calendar entry. For more information, see Exporting to a Calendar.

5. (optional) Click the Team button and assign one or more users to the task.

   The app displays the five most recently used value for each of these menus. Alternatively, you can click the Show All button to display additional values.

   If the user has the Collaborate app installed on their mobile device, they will receive a notification that they have been added to the task.

6. (optional) Click the Resources button and assign resources to the task. Similar to the Team button, the Resources button might display either the fast menu, or a complete Resources menu.

7. (optional) Enter text in the Description field to provide more information about the task.

   Similar to topics and assignments, Collaborate allows you to add not only text, but also (web) links into this field.

8. (optional) Reassign the task to a new assignment.

   When you create a task, Collaborate associates it with your current assignment by default. The Assignment menu allows you to move the task to a different assignment. This feature can be useful if the scope of the assignment or task changes, or if you've completed the task and want to reuse it in a different assignment.

9. Do one of the following:

   • Click the Create button at the bottom of the Tasks panel to save your task.

   • Press the Esc key, or click Cancel to exit the task without saving

   • Click the chevron to the right of the task name to exit edit mode. In this case the system prompts you to save or cancel through the Close Task window.

Editing Existing Tasks

After creating a task, you can edit the title, status, or other values. If you alter the title while another user has the task open, Collaborate changes the title for both users and it generates notification for the remote user.

To edit an existing task:

1. After opening the associated assignment, double-click the task to open it.

2. Edit the task as needed.

3. Click the Save button to confirm your changes.

Deleting a Task

As a collaborator, you are allowed to delete any task that you have personally created. Users with supervisor-level access have the ability to delete any task, regardless of the creator.

In addition to the process below, you can delete a task by clicking the Delete Task button while editing an individual task.

To delete one or more tasks:

1. Open the assignment that includes the task that you want to delete.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Right-click on an individual task.

   • Shift+click or Ctrl+click two or more tasks, and then right-click your selection to delete multiple tasks simultaneously.

3. Select Delete Task from the context menu.

   A confirmation dialog box appears.

4. Do one of the following:

   • Click the Delete or Delete Task button to permanently delete the task(s).

     The app displays a notification message in the upper-right corner of the user interface.

   • Press the Esc key, or click the Cancel button to abort the deletion process.