Using & Managing Tasks in Casebook

Overview

Users can assign a task to another Casebook User or an external party in Intake, Engage, and Track. Some examples of how Tasks can simplify your day-to-day:

• Organization A uses a team-based approach to case management. They use tasks on Engage to alert teammates to an item needing attention outside of the standard tasks created by workflows, letting teammates provide and track timelines for this supplemental work.
• Organization B needs to collect additional information from potential clients in a digitally secure manner. They use tasks on Intake to securely collect form submissions and uploaded files, and can even request a resubmission from a client if needed. These same kinds of tasks are available in workflow templates too, but because this information is non-standard, the organization requests it through ad hoc tasks on a case instead.
• Organization C uses a client-facing form to document case progress every 30 days. They use tasks on Engage to securely send these forms to clients for completion; once a client submits a response and staff accept it, the form is added to the record. This use case is probably easier to manage from within a workflow since it's repeatable, but it's included here to show that a process doesn't have to be driven by the workflow tool — you can run it through ad hoc task generation instead.

Tasks come in two varieties: ad hoc and workflow-driven. Ad hoc tasks are created in the task section of a given intake report, case or provider record. Workflow-driven tasks originate in a workflow that the organization set-up to govern some kind of process (please review the Workflows Overview for more information about using Workflows). In either case, you will see all of your tasks (ad hoc or workflow-driven) in your Tasks section for an intake report, case or provider record.

Benefits

Using tasks in Casebook has a number of benefits:

• Task tracking creates a full audit trail, supporting compliance with regulations like HIPAA
• Shared task visibility lets teams coordinate care in real time, so nothing falls through the cracks between staff members
• Reduces reliance on scattered emails, spreadsheets, or side conversations by centralizing task assignment and status in one place
• Helps case managers stay on top of client-facing milestones (e.g., appointments, resume workshops, training sessions) so clients stay engaged and on track toward their goals
• Facilitates action-oriented collaboration with external parties like clients, referral providers, etc.

Before You Begin

Before creating and assigning someone a task:

• The person must already exist in Casebook.
• And you want them to receive a notification to complete the task, they must have a valid email address (this is the bare minimum for them to at least receive a secure link (described later) to complete certain task types).
• And you want them to log in to the system, you must also invite them to be a Provider Portal user (if a provider) or Client Portal user (if a client).
• For notifications referenced in this article, your Administrator will need to ensure the notifications are enabled in the Admin module.
• For tasks that you want to be part of a wider set of process-driven tasks, review articles about workflow for more information

Where to Find & Take Action on Your Tasks in Casebook

Tasks can be found in several locations in Casebook to help you find your work and get it done:

• The Home dashboard for any tasks assigned to you. Refer to this article to learn more about what you can do with tasks on your home page.
• On a given intake report, case or provider record for any task associated with each, respective record
• On the dashboard for a given Portal (Provider, Client, etc.) user. Refer to the articles on Client and Provider Portal to learn more about how client/provider portal users interact with Tasks in their respective Portals.

To view tasks on an intake report, case, or provider record, users should navigate to the “Tasks” section. The section displays an interactive table displaying both workflow tasks and ad hoc tasks, allowing users to manage all work associated with that record from a single location. The table helps you stay organized by making it easy to view assignments, track progress, and complete work.

Working with Tasks in the Tasks Table

The Tasks table allows you to manage all work associated with a record. From the Tasks section, you can:

• View workflow and ad hoc tasks in a single view. As a reminder, review the article on workflows to learn about how to view tasks in the context of workflows with which they may be affiliated.
• Create new ad hoc tasks via the “+” sign.
• Update task statuses by using a button in the “Action” column to complete a task (this will have a different icon depending on the type of task) or edit one from the “Options” icon in the same column.
• Complete assigned tasks.
• If a form task, submitting the form will also finish completing the task.
• If an upload attachment task, clicking the upload action from the task and finishing the upload process will satisfy the task.
• Skip tasks and provide a comment as to why it was skipped.
• View task descriptions and due dates.
• See who is assigned to each task.
• Filter, sort, and export task information.

Tasks Table Columns

The Tasks table provides a number of columns that either present data or have a function. Customize which columns are displayed in the Tasks table. By default, Workflow-specific columns are hidden to keep the view focused on the most commonly used information. You can choose which columns to display, and your preferences are automatically saved, so you only need to configure them once. The following columns and their function or types of data are visible on the Tasks table:

Find & Organize Tasks

The Tasks table includes several tools to help you quickly find the work you need. Along the top of the table, users will find the following pre-made filters, which organizes the table by task status:

• To-do: tasks that need to be completed and are actionable
• Not Started: tasks that need to be completed, but are not yet actionable; typically these are future workflow tasks that have not yet been activated in their respective workflows
• Needs Review: tasks that had been marked for review and require approval or denial
• Completed: tasks that have been finished at some point in the past

Filters can be applied via the Filter button on the toolbar or from an Options menu visible when you hover over a column’s name. When hovering over column header names, you also have the option to sort on most columns. Even easier, users can use the Quick Filter box on the toolbar to type a key word or phrase to find matching criteria cross columns.

The Density icon allows you to compact or expand the size of the table and features like export allow you to generate a CSV extract of what’s displaying in the table.

Creating & Assigning Tasks in Casebook

Choose the Right Task Type

Tasks come in a few varieties: basic, requires form, and requires attachment upload.

Basic Tasks

Basic tasks are simple action items you want other users (full and provider/client portal users) to complete. These tasks have very little functionality other than being marked as complete via the Tasks table, a secure link to non-Client/Provider portal users or via the Tasks table on the dashboard of a Client/Portal user or full user’s home page. They can be marked for “Review” if your process requires the task creator perform some kind of quality review of whatever work was completed as a result of the assigned task.

Requires Form Tasks

Easily and securely share forms that are created in Casebook with staff and 3rd party users. Both Casebook, non-Casebook and Provider/Client Portal users can complete forms. Completed forms will be automatically saved from whichever location you created the task and form. Form tasks have the same reviewer capability. Forms have a few other important considerations for you to keep in mind:

• Be mindful of the visibility option you set for a form: Only forms available to Access users (a preference set during Form creation/editing) will be available as an option when selecting a form when the assignee is non-Casebook or Portal user. If the form is not available to Access users, it will not be displayed in the options list.
• Pre-population of data in a form can be tricky: If you have data that is prepopulating in a form from somewhere else in Casebook, we strongly suggest adding a step and a task assigned to one of your staff members to review the form before sending it to the recipient. This will ensure that prepopulated data in a form will get saved to it before a Portal user opens it via an assigned task on their Portal dashboard. In other words, if you do not add this extra review step/task before sending to an external party, they will not see prepopulated data in the form. Finally, as a reminder, use the “save and continue” task type in this approach. So, for the recommended first step/task, you would use the form “save and continue” task type and in the next step/task where you assign it to the client or provider recipient, you would use the same task type as a final step. Of course, if the same form needs to be routed to different recipients over time, continue to add more steps/tasks with the save and continue task types for the same form as you see fit!

Requires Attachment Upload

Quickly request that another staff or 3rd party user upload an attachment via this task type. Upon navigating to their task list and attempting to complete this kind of task, staff and 3rd party users will be prompted to upload requested attachments. These attachments can also be marked for review and when approved will appear in the Attachments section.

Create & Assign a Task

While on an Intake Report, Case or Provider record, use the following steps to assign a task to another Casebook User

1. Navigate to the record that you wish to create a Task.
2. Either use the Left-hand Jump Navigation Menu or scroll down to the Tasks Section.
3. Select the + Icon on the Tasks section to add a new Task.
4. Enter information regarding the Task, such as the Task Name, Due Date, and Task Description.
5. Assign the task:
   • Type in the name of the person you want to complete the task.
   • Select the person's name from the options. See the articles on inviting someone to Provider Portal or Client Portal to learn how to invite the respective person type to be a provider or client user of Casebook.
   • Note: If the person record does not have an email address, then you'll receive an error when adding the task. You will need to make changes to the person record, then refresh the intake page for those changes to apply.
6. Mark the task for review, if the task creator should review the task after it is completed by the assignee.
   1. Tasks marked for review will route to the task creator after they have been submitted by the task assignee - refer to later in the article for more information.
   2. Marking a task for a review, when available as a set-up parameter on a task, is a great way to ensure that tasks should be double-checked for quality if your process calls for that.
7. When you are finished and ready to assign the task, select Add Task.
   • If you assigned the task to another Casebook user, they will receive a notification in the notification center and via email.
   • If you assigned the task to an external party and they are not configured as a type of Portal user, they will receive an email with a secure link to access and complete the task. Once they complete the task, you will be notified. If the person is a type of Portal user, they will still receive the relevant notifications, but they will be redirected to log into Casebook and complete their work inside of Casebook.

Task Notifications

Casebook ships with a number of out-of-the-box notifications concerning tasks. These can be turned on/off in Admin and further described in this article. One caveat about task notifications and Portal users: if you are creating tasks and inviting someone to Portal (or assigning tasks to someone who has not yet accepted an invitation), Client and Provider Portal users will NOT receive task assignment notifications (via email) until they have accepted the invitation.

Reviewing a Completed Task that was Marked for “Review”

As mentioned earlier, marking a task for review, when available as a set-up parameter on a task, is a great way to ensure that tasks should be double-checked for quality if your process calls for that. This functionality is very similar to workflow approval steps. The workflow approval steps feature will result in “review” tasks that also appear in the Tasks table, but operate a little differently, so you should read the relevant article about that for more information if you’re interested. Read on to learn more about the Task Review process.

From the home page or from the Tasks section of an intake report, case or provider:

1. Navigate to the record and click on the Review button.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and make your selections.
3. If the task needs changes or is incomplete, you can click on Reject. You'll be asked to make a note to the assignee/submitter on why the task was not accepted. The assignee will receive an email with your note and information on how to resubmit the task.
4. If the task is complete and no further changes are needed, click on the Accept button. The task will be marked as complete, and if the task relates to a form or an uploaded attachment, they will be added to the record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I view both workflow tasks and ad hoc tasks together?

Yes. The Tasks datagrid displays both workflow tasks and ad hoc tasks associated with the current record.

Are tasks shared across Cases, Intake Reports, and Providers?

No. Each Case, Intake Report, and Provider has its own Tasks datagrid containing only the tasks associated with that record.

Can I customize the Tasks datagrid?

Yes. You can customize visible columns, apply filters, adjust display density, use Quick Filter, and export your task list.

Can I create a new task?

Yes. Users can create ad hoc tasks directly from the Tasks section of a Case, Intake Report, or Provider.

How do I know if a task belongs to a workflow?

Workflow tasks include information such as the associated Workflow, Step, Step Due Date, and Step Assignee.