To begin creating an APT, select the New button on the AP list. The AP list is available from the app launcher (at the top left side of the screen).

• Provide a Name and Description that will make it easy to recognize the template when searching and displaying the template in lists.
   
• The source object will categorize the AP to be used with matters, contacts, accounts, or any other objects enabled for activities in your organization. The most common use cases involve matters, which are the default choice here. 

• The Start Date field is an optional selection that when used will automatically default the activity plan's Start Date to the date value found in this field at the time of application.

From left to right, the column headings are described as follows:

1. The activity type can be either a task or an event.
2. The subject should identify the task or event you are creating in the same manner it serves when creating a calendar activity manually.
3. Dependency allows the current activity to be scheduled depending on the selection in the drop-down menu. This article provides more details on dependency.
4. Days Before or After will determine the activity due date and represent the number of days before or after the Activity Plan Start Date.  A positive integer represents Days After, and a negative integer represents Days Before.
   Example: The AP's Start Date is 11/10/2020; an entry of 5 in this column will schedule the activity for 11/15/2030.  An entry of -5 will schedule the activity for 11/5/2030, five days before.
5. Set the Start Time for the event. 
6. The duration is the length of the event in minutes.
7. Assigned To represents the individual or user to which the activity will be scheduled. This assignee can be determined in one of two ways:
   1. Specify a User or a Queue from your organization's user/queue list. If the specified user entry is left blank (in the template), it will default to the current (or running) user when a new AP is created.
   2. Choose a User Field from the record where the AP is being created. Should the field be blank when the plan activities are created, the new activities will be assigned to the current (or running) user. 
8. Type is an optional selection for task activities. This field updates the Task Type field.
9. Priority is required for tasks. The default selection is normal. Other optional values are Low, Medium, and High.
10. Show Time As allows you to set your availability to Busy, Out of Office, or Free.
11. When checked, Send Email will send (via the platform settings) a new task assignment email to the assigned user when the new task is created.
12. When checked, the Reminder will enable a reminder notification when the new task is created.
13. Comments may be optionally included.

Navigating the Activity List

1. Use the Add New Activity button to continue adding tasks and events to the activity plan.
2. To remove an activity, use the X icon located in the left-most column.

Activity dates may be determined by Calendar Days or Business Days.

Business Days: Adding or subtracting by Business Days is the process of deriving a result date by adding (or subtracting) a given number of business days to/from the start date (or dependency date).

Business days can be determined by: 

• Your Organization's Business Hours
  When a new activity plan is created, business days are determined using these global options.
• Standard Weekdays (Monday through Friday)  

Calendar Days: Adding or subtracting by Calendar Days is the process of deriving a result date by adding (or subtracting) a given number of days to/from the start date (or dependency date). All days on the calendar are counted without regard to business hours.

When counting by Calendar Days, the resulting date can potentially fall on a non-business day. In those cases, the following options instruct the activity plan on how to adjust the activity date.

• Allow Non-Business Day
• Select Following Business Day
• Select Preceding Business Day

A: By default, all activities in the activity plan are dependent on the plan's Start Date.  Activities are scheduled either Days Before or Days After the start date.

In chronological order, with a Start Date of 1/6/2025. 

• Row 1: The Task labeled Milestone Preparation is scheduled for 7 days before the Start Date and is planned for December 30th.
• Row 2: The Task labeled Milestone is scheduled for 0 days before or after the Start Date and is planned for January 6th.
• Row 3: The Task labeled Milestone Follow-up is scheduled for 7 days after the Start Date and is planned for January 13th.

In this example, all activities rely on the Activity Plan Start Date to determine their scheduled date.  Changes made to the Activity Plan Start Date will automatically reschedule the activities.

Most organizations assign an administrator to oversee your APTs. Rank and file users of the application will not typically edit the templates.

Simply apply a template to a matter, and a new AP is deployed with everything scheduled and assigned as per the template. The matter's new activity plan may be left as-is or edited to reflect a unique schedule for the given AP. These templates help provide a framework for implementing best practices and reusable standards within your organization.