Creating an automated task

Use this task to create a task that will be completed automatically at a specified step in a release. An automated task can create a new Maximo® object or record; change the value of a field in a record; kick off a workflow that runs in the background; or carry out any other operation that you define.

About this task

A commonly used automated task is used to change the progress value of a release; for specific instructions for creating this type of automated task, see the "Automating a Progress change" topic.

When you create an automated task, you select an action that the task will carry out; the action that you select must be defined in the Actions application. You are presented with a list of defined Actions, and you can do either of the following:

Select one of the existing actions from the list. The instructions in this topic assume that you select an existing action.
Go to the Actions application, where you can define a new action. After you define a new action, you can apply it to the automated task (and to any automated task that you create in the future). Instructions for defining an action are provided in the online help for the Actions application.

This product ships with a set of predefined actions that can be used in a release process. For each action, there might also be an action group. An action group includes both an action to carry out the task and one or more additional, related actions. For example, the PMRELPROGTOBLT action is used to change the progress value to Built. The PMRELPROGTOBLTGRP action also includes an action to create a progress history record. (You can add actions to group actions; for instructions, see the Actions application online help.)

For a complete list of the predefined actions that are included for the Release process, go to the Actions application (select Go To > System Configuration > Platform Configuration > Actions). Type PMREL in the Actions field, and click Actions to display a list of the predefined release actions. Brief descriptions are included. The built-in actions that are shipped with this product are also described in the "Actions" topic.

To create an automated task, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Open the Plans tab in one of the following records:
- The release for which you want to create the automated task
- The activity in which you want to place the automated task
Click New Row in the Tasks section.
Ensure that Flow Action Assist is not checked. If the box is checked, clear it.
In the Flow Action field, select Select Value.
In the Select Value dialog, click the PMREL action that you want to automate. For example, select PMRELPROGTOBLT to automate a change to the Built Progress value. If you want to simultaneously create a progress history record when the change is made, select PMRELPROGTOBLTGRP.
Insert the new task in the Job Plan, Release, or Activity in which you want the task to execute. For example, insert an automated PMRELPROGTOBLT task at the end of an activity that contains tasks that are used to build a release.

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