Lesson #7
Calendar – Tasks (List View) function
In RB, when you schedule a job, you include any services requested — reporting, interpreting, video, conference room, etc. — as tasks in the job, not as separate jobs. That way if the job is canceled, all of the tasks are canceled too and nothing gets overlooked. You can also cancel individual tasks from a job without it affecting the rest of the job.
Monitor tasks
You can use either Tasks (List View) or Tasks (Monthly View) to monitor tasks to see if they have been entered, assigned, and acknowledged. In List View you can see at a glance this information and other basic job information in the main window.
The job status for each task is listed and color coded for easy recognition. RB comes with default sets of tasks and job statuses,which you can customize by adding, editing, and deleting entries. You can also choose which colors represent different job statuses, including different colors for light or dark mode displays, in System Preferences.
In either Tasks function you can:
- Add tasks. Tasks can have different time frames than their related jobs.
- Assign tasks to resources.
- Delete tasks (if no resource has been assigned).
- Remove assigned resources.
- Re-assign tasks.
- Cancel tasks (RB will prompt you to send the resource an assignment cancellation notice).
When you change a task’s start or end time — or assign or remove a resource — RB will record the details in the related job’s Notes Log.
In Tasks (List View) you can use shortcuts from the list of tasks to:
- Add a new task to the job.
- View the task.
- Go directly to the task’s Edit Task panel in its job.
- Record the current date and time as when the assigned resource acknowledged the job.
- Remove the date and time listed in the Acknowledged Date column.
Viewing tasks in a list
The default task list shows all of tomorrow’s tasks in a grid that includes:
- Task’s name, status, and any notes about the task
- Order date and canceled date
- Related job number, date, start & end times, notation, status, location, type
- Task start & end times if different from job’s start & end times
- Assigned resource, when they were notified, and when they acknowledged
- Ordering client
- Related case
- Assigned business unit
- Witness
Use search criteria to refine the list of tasks shown. Search criteria in List View includes:
- Date type and date range
- Task type and status
- Assigned resource
- Job’s priority level
- Type of resource required
- Job number, status, and type
- Your company’s business unit
- Related case
- Include canceled tasks or not
Customize how you view tasks lists
The grid in which you view task lists is customizable to your individual preference:
- Re-arrange the columns so the most important information is most prominent.
- Stick up to 10 columns to the left side of the grid so they do not scroll when you have a results grid wider than your screen.
- Stretch/shrink columns to fit the results.
- Hide columns you don’t need to see.
- Choose which column(s) to sort results by.
- If you select more than one column, choose in what column order to sort the list.
- Choose whether to sort info by ascending or descending order in each selected column.
You can save your custom grid as your default. Your customizations do not affect other users, and you can restore the original RB grid layout anytime.
From the results grid you can view and update any listed task’s details, add new tasks to listed jobs, and export the grid as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV(comma-separated values) file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.
Manage tasks
You can manage tasks in either Tasks function:
- Add an overlooked task to a job.
- Enter start and end times for a task that are different from its related job.
- Assign a resource to a task which RB records in the task’s Notes Log. If the scheduling client has preferred resources they appear at the top of the resource list. If the scheduling client has a list of blocked resources RB will alert you if you attempt to assign one and not allow the assignment. When a resource is assigned any warning about them appears beneath their name in the Task panel.
- Notify resources when they are assigned.
- Remind resources of assignments by resending notifications.
- Automatically record the current date and time when a task was acknowledged by a resource.
- Remove a task’s acknowledged date and time with one click if a mistake was made.
- Update the related job’s information including notes, contact information, location, and parties.
- Remove a resource from a task which RB records in the task’s Notes Log.
- Upload task-related files to a task’s repository for assigned resources to download.
- Update a task, such as setting resource acknowledgements’ date and time manually or entering page estimates. If you change a task’s start or end time RB will record the details in the related job’s Notes Log.
- Delete a task if no resource has been assigned.
- Cancel a task if a resource has been assigned.
- Reactive a canceled task and assign a new resource (you can cancel and reactive a task in one click if you are reassigning resources).
- Begin production turn-in.
When you cancel a task the assigned resource is automatically added back to your available resources list for new assignments and RB prompts you to alert the resource of the cancellation. In addition RB keeps track of when tasks were canceled. This will be helpful in cases where there is a cost incurred in late cancellations, such as a hotel’s conference room: You will have a paper trail to back up any cancellation fees charged to your client.
List View vs. Monthly View
Tasks (List View) shows the most information about tasks in the results, you can customize how the results are displayed, and it has more search criteria than Monthly View plus shortcuts to creating new tasks and setting/clearing task acknowledgements. List View will also display jobs that do not have tasks yet (such as “Request New” jobs from RB Connect).
Tasks (Monthly View) is similar to Jobs (Monthly View) and displays jobs by job number in a calendar page format so you can see your work schedule at a glance. Monthly View only displays jobs that have tasks and displays limited information in the calendar page. Rolling over a job number pops up basic information about the task, job, and case.
In both views clicking a displayed item opens the job detail screen with the View Task panel already open so you can see complete task details and edit if needed.
TL;DR: Use the Tasks (List View) function to monitor and manage tasks in a grid layout that shows the most task information at a glance. List View also has the most search criteria for finding tasks.
RB concepts in this lesson
Blocked Resource: Resource that a particular firm or contact does not want assigned to tasks on jobs they schedule or order from you.
Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately, such as branch offices, other companies you own, affiliates, and profit-sharing operations.
Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >
Job Status: Stage a job is in, e.g., New or Cancelled. You can designate your own job statuses in RB.
Job Type: Categories of jobs requested by clients, such as Deposition or Real-Time.
Notation: Short codes (up to 24 characters) you create yourself to give key information about a job (such as “V” for video, “RT” (for realtime), “1 of 2,” or “Daily”) in a results grid, so you don’t have to click into a job’s detail window.
Notes Logs: Un-editable internal-use only notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred, such as a case, job, invoice, or entity. More >
RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >
Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters, videographers, interpreters, scopists, account executives, other agencies that cover jobs for you, or a conference room.
Preferred Resource: Resource that a particular firm or contact wants you to assign to tasks on jobs they schedule or order from you.
Task: Service requested with a job, such as reporting, interpreting, or video, that require a separate resource (person, company, thing) to accomplish. More >
