Office Timesheets Help

Task rules control how tasks are created within Office Timesheets. They require that certain task element levels be included during task creation. This ensures that a company’s rules for proper task creation are enforced.

Using element level dependencies, you can specify the order of the elements available for task creation where each element depends upon a previously entered element level. Essentially, dependencies allow you to define what elements can and can not be used for creating tasks based on previous element level selections. This helps companies enforce certain policies for creating tasks and reduces errors by not allowing individuals to create incorrect tasks.

Tip: The Task Rules screen allows you to only define the element level dependencies. In other words, it allows you to select the order of the elements in a Task entry. You have to also define the actual element item entries that can be used for a particular task. To do this, specify them as dependencies in the Dependencies panel of the corresponding Element Item entry. For example, if Client depends on Employee, then for each employee, in the dependencies panel of the Employee dialog box, you will have to select the Client or Client Group entries that the employee can use in his/her Task entries.

Note: Only systems administrators can define Task Rules and Dependencies.

To define Task Rules and Dependencies:

Click on Task Rules in the Process Management tab.

The Task Rules screen appears.
Specify the order and dependency of the elements. You can also indicate which are required elements.
Click the Save button to save the Task Rules and Dependencies that you have defined.

Note: If tasks and entries were created in Office Timesheets before defining required rules and dependencies, any future editing of such tasks or entries will enforce the established task rules and dependencies. For example, you have just made Client a required level, and you have a time entry which contains no client. In future, when you edit this time entry, Office Timesheets will not let you save it until you select a Client.

The following table provides more details about the components of the Task Rules screen—

Item

How to use the Item

Default Value
(if any)

Use level dependency rules

Check the Use level dependency rules check box if you want Office Timesheets to enforce the level dependency rules that you have defined. If level dependency rules are enforced, then while making a Task entry, Office Timesheets will not allow you to select an item until the item that it depends on has been selected.

For example, if you have specified that “Project” depends upon “Client”, while making a Task entry, Office Timesheets will not allow you to select a Project until you first select a Client.

Note: If you uncheck the Use level dependency rules check box, Office Timesheets will not enforce the level dependency rules even though you may have defined them.

Use required rules

Check the Use required rules check box if you want Office Timesheets to enforce the required rules that you have defined.

For example, if you specify that ‘Client’ is required, Office Timesheets will not allow you to save a task entry if you have not selected a ‘Client’. Since ‘Client’ is required, you will be able to save the entry only after you have selected a Client.

Note: If you uncheck the Use required rules check box, Office Timesheets will not enforce the required rules even though you may have defined them.

The Order panel

The Order panel displays all the elements that you have defined in the Define Elements screen. Using the buttons in the Order panel, you can define the order of the elements. You can also specify the level dependency and required rules.

Level order

All the elements of a task that you have defined in the Define Elements screen appear in this column. You can specify the order in which the elements should appear in the Task dialog box. The order you select affects the way in which level dependencies are defined. For example, if Project is dependent on Client, then Client must appear before Project in the level order.

Dependent on

If an element depends on some other element, from the Dependent on drop-down list for that element, select the name of the other element. For example, if Project depends on Client, select Client from the Dependent on drop-down list of Project.

Note: An element can be dependent upon any element that appears before (i.e. above) it in the Order panel and not necessarily the element that just precedes it. For example, in the above figure, we can specify that Cost Center is dependent on Client.

For any element, the Dependent on drop-down list contains the names of the elements that appear before (above) it in the Order panel.

The Dependent on drop-down list contains the names of the elements that appear before (above) it in the Order panel

Tip: Select ‘No level’ from the Dependent on drop-down list if you want to remove a previously defined dependency. For example, if you had earlier specified that Project is dependent on Client, but now decide that that dependency is no longer required, select ‘No level’ from the Dependent on drop-down list of the Project row.

Required

Check the Required check box next to an element, to indicate that it is a required element.

For example, if you specify that ‘Client’ is required, while making a Task entry, Office Timesheets will not allow you to save the entry if you have not selected a ‘Client’. Since Client is required, you will be able to save the entry only after you have selected a Client.

Note: The Required check box is grayed out for Employee. This is because an Employee is always required for a Task entry.

The Move Up button

Click on the name of any element and then click the Move Up button to move the element one position higher in the level order.

The Move Down button

Click on the name of any element and then click the Move Down button to move the element one position lower in the level order.

The Save button

Click the Save button to save any changes you make to the page.

Note: If you move to some other page before clicking the Save button, the changes you have made will be discarded. Therefore, remember to always click the Save button before you move away from the page.

Tip: If you do not want to save your changes, move to some other page without clicking the Save button.