Task Control Center

Overview of the Task Control Center

The Task Control Center is the main screen and considered the true heart of the system. Almost all information is somehow, directly or indirectly linked to the tasks. There are a lot of buttons and even additional pull-down features which can only be accessed from this screen.

You access it from the Task button from the main screen or Data -> Task from the pull down menu.

One of the main jobs of the Task Control Center is to keep the masses of information you might have organized and easily accessed with a single click or keystroke. It's the answer to the realization that a system which requires too many steps will not be used very often in a real-time environment. Although, the screen appears "busy", this one screen allows you to have easy access to most features, with a single push of a button.

The Task Control Center will keep tasks easily prioritized by follow up date and other categories, so information may be viewed and scrutinized in multiple ways. The tasks are organized to allow similar tasks to be grouped together to make it easy to organize and handle the actual tasks more effectively as they actually happen.

Most of the different views of the tasks provide filtering as well as sorting and locating, so that only the selected types of tasks are included. With all views showing incomplete tasks, future tasks come to view only on the days you set.

Since many functions apply to single tasks, there are even some features which are added to the main menu when the Task Control Center is open that are not available with other screens.

Tip: Any function behind any button is described with an information blurb when you move and hover the mouse point over the button.

Choosing the Best Task View

There are several different ways to view the tasks. The sort tabs at the top allow you to select the filtering, grouping and sorting most useful for the particular purpose. Once you have a lot of information, it will become more apparent that you need efficient means of grouping your follow-ups and locating the information days, months, or years later.

The first question when choosing the best view, is whether you're looking for a specific task, or a group of tasks. Then, the next decision is how you want the information filtered and sorted. Both these conditions are set with the sorting tab you choose.

Once you have a view and record selected, hitting another sort tab will keep that record selected and relate it to the new sort.

Each Sort Tab will be explained in detail below. But again, the best way to understand how things work is to have your own data and trying the different sorts to find the views best suited for your particular type of information.

Search Incomplete Tasks Sorted by Task Type

This view shows your tasks in order of status and task type. This would be used when you want to see all incomplete tasks and want to page through the different task types.

Once you choose a task type from another sort view, the selection will start with that criteria. There is no locator field with this view, so you would normally choose it after coming from another view, or use the scrolling keys.

Selected Customer Tasks

This view shows your tasks filtered by a specific customer. Choose the customer prior to coming to this screen or hit the customer button below the list box and select a customer from the customer selection table. This would be used when you want to view all task for a single client. Sometimes you want to have several tasks listed for a single customer and this view becomes important in that case, so you can easily review in one screen all tasks associated with your client.

Incomplete Type-Selected Tasks

This view shows your tasks filtered by a specific task type. It only shows incomplete tasks. Therefore either select the task from a different view, or use the Task Type button to select a type from the task type lookup table. This view allows you to handle specific types of tasks at a single sitting. You can use it while working on follow up calls, and update the information as the tasks are completed or updated, for example.

Short List of Tasks

This view shows your tasks filtered by tasks which have been marked with a check on the Short list check box. This is one of the many ways to organize your plans for task completion. You can check the items which you want "short listed" to help with task prioritization.

You can short list tasks by simply pressing the button with the pencil icon below the list. Each press of the button will toggle the short list switch for the selected task. Of course, you can also update the task by changing the task record from the task form.

From this view, you can print out the complete short list to a printer by pressing the "Print Short List" button below the list box.

Task Group View

This view shows only your tasks which are assigned to a specific group. Sometimes you want to put a series of tasks together in a single group you designate to allow you to keep them bound together. Another purpose is when you have several issues under one category, but might not remember the label you give it later, so grouping it can help further categorize and later locate it. The group is assigned to the task within the task form.

All groups are kept in a lookup table to prevent misspelling, etc. Access the groups with the group selection button below the list box within this view.

View Hot Tasks

This view shows only your tasks which are tagged as "Hot". This allows you to immediately view the items having today or earlier date assigned as the next date, and have been assigned a Hot status. Hot tasks are always colored red in color so you can easily see them stand out in a list, no matter which view you are using.

Searching for Specific Tasks

To locate a specific task, select the Search All tab. All tasks in the file are included in this view. They are sorted by task label.

Type the label characters as you named them in the task you're looking for. As you type you will be taken closer to the match. Sometimes only a couple key strokes are needed to match.

If you want to view all the incomplete tasks and wish to find different single tasks, one after another, choose the Search Incomplete tab. Again locate by simply typing the characters after selecting the list box of the task being sought.

(See Locating for more specific information on finding records).

Search Incomplete Tasks Sorted by Date

This view shows your tasks in order of follow-up date and is filtered by the date range you specify. If you only want to view a certain span of time you selected for following up tasks, this is the view to use.

Finding a Task by Date

Then if you want to further pinpoint a task, type out the date while the focus is on the task list box or locator field above it. For typing dates, just type two digits per month, for date, and for year if you want another year - no slashes. Another shortcut: typing "08" will take you to 08/01/2004 if the year is 2004.

Task Control Panel

Task Documents

Pressing the Task Document button will open up a list of documents associated with the selected task.

From this screen, to add a new document, press the Insert button. It will automatically link a new document to the task selected from the Task Control Center, and open up a blank form for a new document.

Documents contain a large area for text, a date and time, and info area where it can be re-linked to another task or person. Use the documents for letters, boiler plate text, reference text, how-to text, and any other type of information requiring multiple lines of information.

To print the document, select the document and press the Print Document button. This will print the document with the title and date. Be sure and select a printer prior to printing: this is a quick print feature.

To print a letter, press the Print Email/Letter button. This will print it with the person's address and date used. Letters are intended for quick single page letters only. This also allows you to attach the letter as a file in email if you choose send from the preview screen.

To email, you have a choice of sending the text directly to the text of the email, or printing and attaching a formatted version. The Email Text button creates a standard email message if you have Outlook Express installed -- and it will use your default user profile as well.

To complete the email services, there is a button taking you to your Outlook Express In Box.

Task People

In case you need to associate more than one person to a task this table will allow you to add "tags" to people from the People File. Then you can easily look up information like phone, address, etc., from anybody associated with the task.

The records in this file only contain two fields of information: person code and task ID: not the actual person or task record. You to look up the person from the Person file so you don't need to remember any of the codes.

People Documents

If you have put in documents under the People Control Center, it is possible to have a document entered without being attached to another task or no task at all. Therefore, this view is provided as well as at the People Control Center. You can refer to Task Documents above for further information.

Customers and Invoices

Automatic Customer Creation

Once you have assigned a company to using the Bridge button: you will enable the Customer button, taking you to the Customer Form. What the bridge button does is copy the company information to a new customer record and assigns the customer a customer code label, and then attaches that label to the task form you have selected. That way you can always tell when viewing tasks whether or not the task person belongs to a company which is also a customer.

Note: be sure you first have a company attached to the person who's assigned to the task.

On the bottom of the customer form, is a button which takes you to the Customer Invoices.

From here, you can manually enter or change invoices.

Automatic Invoicing

Cadenzia allows you to create an invoice using the detail you've created under each task. To create an invoice using existing detail:

Fill out the Financial Tab area in task detail records for each line item you want in the invoice. Leave the invoice number blank.
Put an amount in the price, or quantity, price each and hit the Calculate button to calculate the price.
Check the Receivable box.
Hit OK and return to the Task Control Center. Do this for all the line items you want in the invoice.
Go to Task Utilities from the pull-down menu, and select Invoice from This Task's Receivables.

You now have an invoice which has been created and the new invoice number assigned to all the task detail records you just set up for invoicing.

Now just Go to the Customer Invoicing and you'll see the new invoice. You can now go in, and edit it, preview it and print it with your company logo.

Productivity Summary

This handy button gives a quick view of total system productivity by year-to-date through today's time. Once you have a significant amount of time in the system, you can see the value of tracking your productivity through the system as a fringe benefit.

View Calendar by Selected Day

This button takes you to the day selector so you can view items with the day you select. At this point, you are presented with the Detail by Selected Date Screen.

This screen allows you to see task detail entered for the time range selected, displaying totals for hours, price and a total count of items for the User logged in.

You can update the Parent's task from any selected item in the list using the Update Task button.

Automatic Time Adjustments

The two fill buttons allow you to adjust the time back or forward on the selected item to compensate for natural delays between entries.

View Calendar by Date Range

This button takes you to the same screen as the above but extends the range of time to work with a larger number of days.

Company Form

You can access the company record with this button: making it easy to view or change any company information related to the task and person selected.

Person Form

This button provides quick access to the person assigned to the selected task. You can view or change any information related from this form.

Shortlist Toggle Switch

This button is a toggle switch for the selected task. It checks the shortlist check box if it's not checked, and un-checks it if it is checked.

Hot List Toggle Switch

Like the Shortlist button, this toggles the task between the Hot and Open Status.

Mark Complete

This button will mark the status of the chosen task as Complete. Although it will still be available for access, it will not be part of the set of any Incomplete Tasks views.

Quick Dialer

As long as you have a modem connected, and a number selected, this button will dial the number using the Windows dialer.

Advance Days

Setting the days spin-wheel and then pressing this button will adjust the task Date Next field to the number of days specified. Handy way to work with a group of tasks, keeping the day spin-wheel at a single number. This will keep them grouped by the same date to follow-up again when viewing by any Incomplete sort order.

Task Detail Control Panel

Time Stamp

When you have a detail record which has been started and saved, and you have it selected, this button will update the End Time with the current clock time.

Restart Detail

When you want to quickly add a copy of an existing note starting now, just press this button. You can then use the Time Stamp button explained above to repeatedly add and stop a time slip without even opening a new note form.

Replicate Detail

Use this button to copy the selected detail record across a a date range: one per day with the same information including time.

Quick Timer

Another convenience feature -- this provides a timer window. Pressing the Elapsed Time button shows total and time since the last press of the button.

This can also be handy for those real busy times when you want to quickly begin a timed note with a single key stroke based on the detail and task you have selected, and then monitor the elapsed time. It must be closed before doing anything else, so it forces you to either create a detail record or not and closing it before moving ahead with other tasks, etc.

Tip: You can also have more than one Task Control Center window opened, for multiple task tracking. The system will allow multiple sessions, but it does require more memory and errors are easier to occur -- on both the system and user!