Webster's dictionary (m-w.com) defines a task as "a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time." The best example of a task in GrandView is a Project Task, which can be created from the Projects > Status > Schedule tab. Tasks associated with a project have a description, assignee, and a due date. They may also have file attachments and sub-tasks. Another type of GrandView task is the Contact Task, which can be used to set a deadline for calling or emailing a contact, setting up a meeting, and so forth. Training Tasks are yet another (albeit implicit) type of task and are determined based on the courses to which you are assigned. The date you are scheduled to complete a course is a training task's due date. Personal Tasks, the newest addition to the GrandView task family, are Outlook-style tasks that can be created from the Shortcuts module on the Dashboard. If the Shortcuts module is not visible, click the Edit Layout link from the Dashboard to add it.
Tasks are a handy way of keeping track of your to-do list. You receive alerts in your Dashboard Actions module when someone assigns you to a task, and you also receive an alarm when a task becomes overdue. But if you're not looking at them daily, those task due dates can creep up on you quickly. How can you possibly remember to complete all of your tasks before they become overdue? Enter Reminders. You may already be familiar with reminders in Outlook, and using them in GrandView is just as easy. When you create a contact task, you have the option to specify a reminder date on the task-creation dialog itself. The assignee of the task will receive a reminder immediately; if you assigned the task to someone else, you will receive a reminder on the specified reminder date. Reminders for these and all other tasks can be added/edited via the Tasks module on the Dashboard. Just use the reminder add/edit icon, specify a date, and click the Snooze button. The reminder will appear in two places when the snooze date arrives: in the Reminders module on the Dashboard and in your Actions module. Both locations allow you to edit the task a reminder is attached to or open the reminder directly. You can snooze a reminder to be reminded again on another date or dismiss it altogether.
Tasks and Reminders are just one way GrandView helps you execute your projects in a timely manner. It is our hope that knowing more about the task options available to you in GrandView will help you meet your project completion goals and result in greater customer satisfaction.
Jeromie Walters
GrandView Business Solutions Developer