Using Tasks to manage Work

A task in Landscape is a way of creating a to-do item, like 'Follow up with the landowner', 'Resolve the encroachment', or 'Acquire a survey'. While it's great to use tasks just to check if something is done, you can also go one step further and link tasks to actual work items in Landscape.

A work item is a pre-created 'container' for documents, map information, expenses, and other data related to a particular thing. For example, you can create a Baseline work item directly from a task 'Update baseline', then upload the completed baseline document to that work item.

Furthermore, you can use a work requirement to make sure that staff are uploading correct documentation into Landscape over the course of the project. For example, if the task is 'Record the deed', you can require that the individual who marks the task as 'Completed' also create an Acquisition Document work item, where they can then upload the recorded deed for future reference.

This work requirement feature becomes particularly useful in the Landscape Projects context, where users can use pre-created customizable lists to track complex workflows, such as acquiring a property. As a staff member is marking various tasks as completed, Landscape can guide them towards uploading the correct data to the correct location, so that at the end of the project, all of the documentation has been uploaded appropriately.

Managing work and work requirements from the task editor

From any task list context, click on the 'edit' button to the left of the task to open the task editor panel.

The task editor panel will open on the right.

The top section of the task editor is for editing the task details, like name, description, assignee, date, and status. The upper left corner will also display which record and/or project the task is associated with.

The 'Work' tab is for adding work, displaying any work that has been attached, as well as any work requirements. If a task does not have any work or work requirements, then the message 'No work requirement' will be shown. From there, you can add a work requirement, or you can add work. Note that it's also typical for work requirements to be added in the task list builder in settings (Settings > Projects > Task Lists) so that they are automatically applied to lists of tasks.

When adding a work requirement, you need to select the work category and (optional) type. Once a work requirement is added, Landscape will prompt the user to add the appropriate item when they go to mark the task as completed.

When adding work, you can either create a new item from scratch, or search for and attach an existing work item.

Once a work item is added, the work tab of the task editor will display a card with summary information. You can click on this card to navigate to and edit the work item further. Note that, once inside the work item, you'll see the original task attached under the 'Tasks' section.