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How do I create an activity plan template?

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Activity Plan Templates expedite the process of creating a new Activity Plan. The templates are pre-configured Activity Plans containing all the detail required to implement an Activity Plan.

Create an Activity Plan Template

To begin creating an Activity Plan Template, select the New button on the activity plan list. The activity plan list is available from the app launcher (at the top, left side of the screen).

General Information

  • 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 activity plan to be used with matters, contacts or accounts. The most common use cases involve matters, 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.

Adding Tasks and Events to the Activity Section

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

  1. Activity Type can be either a task or an event.
  2. 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 dependent on the selection in the drop-down menu. See this article for more details on dependency.
  4. Days Before or After will determine the activity due date and represents the number of days before or after the Activity Plan Start Date. A positive integer represents Days After, a negative integer represents Days Before.
    • Example: The Activity Plan's Start Date is 11/10/2020, an entry of 5 in this column will schedule the Activity for 11/15/2020.  An entry of -5 will schedule the Activity for 11/5/2020, five days before.
  5. Start Time and Duration are necessary for events. The duration value should be in minutes.
  6. Assigned To represents the individual or user to which the activity will be scheduled. This assignee can be determined in one of two ways. 
    • Specify a User or a Queue from your organization's user/queue list. If the specified user entry is left blank (in the template) this entry will default to the current (or running) user when a new activity plan is created.
    • Choose a User Field from the record the activity plan 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. 
  7. Type is an optional selection for task activities. This field updates the Task Type field.
  8. Priority is required for tasks. The default selection is normal. Other optional values are Low, Medium and High.
  9. Send Email when checked will send (via the platform settings) a new task assignment email to the assigned user when the new task is created.
  10. Reminder when checked will enable a reminder when the new task is created.
  11. Comments may be optionally included.

Want to modify the columns in the activity section?  Ask your system administrator to follow this link to learn how.

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.

Did you know?

  • Queues are supported for tasks but only available if there is a queue enabled for the task object.
  • Activity Plan Templates can hold up to 75 activities.

Counting by Business Days or Calendar Days

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 has the potential to fall on a non-business day. In those cases, the following options instruct the activity plan how to adjust the activity date.

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

Activity Plan Example

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 plan Start Date of 6/25/2005

  • Row 1: The Task labeled Milestone Preparation is scheduled for 7 days before the Start Date and is planned for June 18th.

  • Row 2: The Task labeled Milestone is scheduled for 0 days before or after the Start Date and is planned for June 25th.

  • Row 3: The Task labeled Milestone Follow-up is scheduled for 7 days after the Start Date and is planned for July 2nd.

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.

The above graphic illustrates an activity plan that has been assigned to a matter (from a template).

Maintaining the Templates

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

When looking for ways to make your life easier, consider using the Clone button on the template detail page.  This function will create a copy of the underlying template and drop you immediately in edit mode.

Creating a New Activity Plan from a Template

Simply apply a template to a matter and a new activity plan 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 activity plan. These templates help provide a framework for implementing best practices and reusable standards within your organization.

Previous Article Introduction to Activity Plans
Next Article How do I create a new activity plan?
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