Task Workflow Example

In this example, there is a Task assigned to one person (Tom) and a subsequent Milestone (assigned to Mary) that depends on the output of that Task. The Task itself is tied to a CAD file in the Catalog.

Milestone 15 (which has a cost estimate Output) is assigned to Mary and needs to be Approved (by Anne). The cost estimate in this Milestone depends on the Output of an earlier Task 7 (the design of a fixture), which is assigned to Tom.

Note that the fixture design - the Output of Task 7 - is linked to a CAD file in the APM (parts) Catalog, so that if that CAD file is updated (versioned), APM will detect the change and help coordinate assessment or take-up of it, including to the downstream Tasks or Milestones that have Dependencies on it.

Step	Action	Task 7	Task 15 (A Milestone)
1	Task 7 (fixture design) had a Target Start Date last week and has not yet been worked on. The Task is Ready to Start (not been worked on yet) and is Late To Start (was supposed to have already been Started)	Task 7: A Ready to Start Task that is Late to Start
2	Task 7 Assignee (Tom) begins working on Task 7: Task status changes from Ready to Start to Started and the Actual Start Date is set. The Target Finish Date is still +5 days away; so it is not now Overdue.	Task 7: A Started Task
3	Tom links a Catalog item as the Output for the fixture design. No Approval is required. Task 7 is Finished. The Actual Finish Date is set (to today).	Task 7: A Finished Task
4	Task 15, to develop a cost estimate for the fixture, is also a Milestone (assigned to Mary) and has a Target Start Date next week. The Milestone is Ready to Start and not Overdue.		Task 15: A Ready to Start Milestone
5	Task 15 Assignee (Mary) starts the task and begins to develop a cost estimate for this. The Milestone is Started		Task 15: A Started Milestone
6	Mary attaches the cost estimate, and marks the Task as Ready or Finished, however an Approval is required. The Milestone is Pending Approval		Task 15: A Milestone Pending Approval
7	The Approver (Anne) accepts (Approves) the estimate provided by Mary Task 15 is Finished and Actual Finish Date is set to the Approval date.		Task 15: A Finished Milestone
(meanwhile)	… A week or so later, the fixture design (CAD Part in the Catalog) is versioned, by a colleague to reflect some changes requested by manufacturing. APM knows the Catalog Part has been versioned, so the Task 7 Output corresponding to this is marked to show the available later version	A new Version of the linked CAD file is available
8	Tom, the Task 7 Assignee, reviews the changed fixture design. (If he decides to stick with the original version, nothing changes.) More likely, he will take-up the new version which updates the Output as V2. The Task history captures this, and updates the Actual Finish Date. If applicable, this Output may then require (re-Approval). The Task is (again) Finished.	Task 7: A Finished Task
9	Next, APM flags any downstream Tasks (Task 15) that depend on this (as Requires Review) and notifies the Assignees of those Tasks		Mary receives a Notification.
10	Task 15 (Assigned to Mary) depends on this Output, so it Requires Review Task 15 (previously Finished) is now in Requires Review.		Task 15: A Milestone that Requires Review
11	Mary needs to evaluate this change, so she reverts her Output to In Progress. The Task is now (back in) “Started” (not Finished).		Task 15: A Started Milestone
12	Mary examines the revised fixture (using Visualizer) and starts re-working the cost estimate, finishing it the next day and updating the Output (to Estimate V2). Task 15 is now Pending Approval,		Task 15: A Milestone Pending Approval
13	After some time, Mary’s revised Cost Estimate it is Approved (by Anne) , The Task is (again) Finished and the Actual Finish updated per the latest Approval date..		Task 15: A Finished Milestone
14	Both Task 7 and Task 15 are Finished !!	Task 7: A Finished Task	Task 15: A Finished Milestone