Collaborative Task

Management
Systems
MIS PROJECT

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................. 1
Implementing a Task in Docbase................................................................................. 2
Why task where implemented in DocBase..................................................................5
How Processes and Task are presented in DocBase (TMS)..........................................5
Conclusion................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction
I have chosen collaborative task management systems because a friend of mine is working
with a Document Management System which also uses Task as to integrate the power of
collaboration into document versioning.
I saw that after a document is created, a sale contract, each of its versions are updated and
reviewed by the person which created it which will represent the owner of the whole versioning
process. It is good to know that in this Document Management Systems they use task as to
automate the work and also to establish how this one is implemented.
The following is assured through the Document Management System Process (which include
tasks):
-

Document are reviewed and corrected if necessary;

Annotations and future changes can be added and implemented;
Tasks describe in full the process of selling car products;
Task are also automated so whenever an assignee (person of group of persons) must

finish a task this one is informed via email;

From the Collaborative Task Management Systems also assignees receive reminders if
tasks will reach their due date.

Before the users are making and completing the task in the system an administrator has to
create task and process templates as to permit users to have already a starting foundation. Of

course for this also the Software Team offer support and also the business administrator has to
overview the implemented task.
The software is called DocBase Management System and is provided by Acanthis Software.
The company is Dutch so when I will put the print screens here they will be also in Dutch. It is
necessary to understand that a task implemented in this collaborative task management system
represents in reality an activity which is also performed.
Also there are task which are of high importance and must be implemented first or are task
of lower importance which are implemented at a later time.

Implementing a Task in Docbase

In order to create tasks which can be implemented DocBase business architectures have to
think beforehand of the way they will be used by users and for that they followed some rules. In
the Administrative Module task implementation looks in the following way:

The following elements were considered important to be implemented:

Task name which must be a relevant task name as to give hints to the user;
Task description which can describe in detail why the task should be completed and
made by a person outside the collaborative Management System before this one comes

and closed this task;

Task Duration a task has usually a certain period of time in which this one must be

completed;
Task Flag usually task which are to be done must be flagged in the system as for users

to notice them and to know that they have to complete it;

Task Checklists some of the task might composed of mini other activities which can
transmitted to the user when this one has to complete the task. This is useful because it

will inform new system users what activities they have to complete in their work field;
Task Activity in this case might be focused: on changing some values in the system, on
starting other task and processes or just in letting other users know that the task had been

completed;
Task Assignee usually a task assignee can be represented by one person or a group of
persons which have to complete the task. When it comes to the group their might be two
situations: when all persons have to complete the task or when one is completing the task

is enough;
Reminder after due date some tasks might remain uncompleted if the owner will not
supervise them so this is why users which must complete them are informed also after
the task expires that they have to complete them.

So using the previous menu a standard task with different functionalities might be created
and whenever this task will be run its assignee will be informed that a task which must be
completed has been started in the Collaborative Management Task System.
As previous stated before in every system tasks are grouped in processes where other
settings must be given. In DocBase Management Module tasks are usually, at first, attached to
standard processes which are created as task containers and also to describe the business
workflow. For the process settings are rather different and these ones will apply to all the tasks
which are contained in the process. Of course a task can be included in more processes so this is
why for the last one settings are rather different.

The following Settings are considered important to a process:

-

Name as to be descriptive;
Process Description a summary of why the process has been created and what is the

reason for it;

Process Type which can be: Parallel all tasks start at the same time or Sequential

when task start at a different time sequence;

Authorization Profile some processes might not be accessed by users and some might
be. It is important always to establish what processes are to be completed by users in a

collaborative task System;

Priority which can be: High, Medium or Low;
Process owner is that person which has to supervise all task activities. Meaning if the
process fails the owner will be responsible because tasks have not been completed in the
system. A possibility that the owner will be informed of all task activities has also been

created;
Task list where task and their running order are listed. Task can be imported from the
previous menu or they can be created ad hoc for this specific process.

Why task where implemented in DocBase

Task functionalities were not implemented from DocBase beginning but in time this
functionality become a necessity as users needed to be aware if their document related activities
have been completed by them or by their work colleagues. In a way task implementation helped
everybody to inform what their activity must be and also to do it.
At first this functionality could not be easily implemented as in programming there were a lot
to think of and also a task life cycle for documents have to be establish. Task currently reside for
documents inserted in DocBase as to inform users on what they have to do in order to reach the
final versioning of a document or to inform users on their activities.

How Processes and Task are presented in DocBase (TMS)

In DocBase, when reaching a project, users will have the possibility:

-

To close a currently running task which might trigger the closing of the process (if this

task is the last task from the process);

To reopen a task which was closed but not all activities pertaining to it were completed;
To see the task duration but now all dates will relate to the date where the process was
started so users can easily see what is the period, as a calendar date, in which they must

complete the task;

They can see the assignees which closed the task and what resolution did they gave when
the task was closed.

Conclusion
Of course tasks represent only information which is structured different but because of
offering this task module to users, which is called a Workflow module, the software become more
and more searched between foreign customers because it offers a way for persons from different
departments to collaborate and also it offers a better time management system to users which
need this type of functionality.
I know that tasks are important and also they offer a way to collaborate and to integrate the
business process into a software model.