Reserving tasks in a workflow

When a Library Administrator creates a workflow template, they can decide if only one out of a group of participants needs to complete a task using the 1 of X check box in the template. For example, a sales group consisting of four users is added as the participants in a review task but only one person on the team needs to complete the review the document.

If only one person has to complete the task (1 of X option is selected), then the option to “force the reservation” of a task is available. Participants may be forced to “reserve” a task in a workflow depending on how the template was configured. If enabled, this enforces that one user out of the group of participants must reserve the task before the task can be reviewed or approved and the task completed.

If the “force reservation” setting is not enabled in the template, then the task can be completed without a reservation; however a reservation can still be made for the task. The first person to complete the task with or without reserving it automatically voids the task for all other participants in the activity.

Once a task is reserved by a single participant, the task is removed from the My Task list for all other participants in the activity. The status for the user who has the task reserved becomes “Reserved” until the review or approval process is complete. The status for the remaining participants who did not reserve and complete the task becomes “Voided”. If a task is reserved by another participant, a notification email will be sent to all other participants.

In the workflow status report and My Tasks list, tasks that can be reserved are shown with an asterisk. If a task needs to be or can be reserved, the Reserve/Undo Reservation button is available from the My Tasks and Workflow Status Report. If the “force reservation” setting is enabled in the template, then the task must be reserved before it can be approved or reviewed.

Other reservation rules include:

• A future task cannot be reserved.
• A reserved task cannot be overridden or delegated.
• An administrator can reserve or undo a reservation for another user.

A task can be reserved if you have been assigned a task, or if you are a senior library administrator or higher. A cabinet administrator can reserve a task for a user if they have ownership of the cabinet where all of the main workflow documents reside.

Read more information on creating workflow templates.

See the table below for a summary of the rules on the 1 of X and Force Reservation settings in a workflow template.

Workflow Template Settings	Effect on Workflow
Image	Only one participant in a group of participants in the activity can complete the task. Participant may “reserve” the task but is not forced to; the task can still be completed without the reservation. First participant to complete the task voids the task for all other participants. The task is removed from their task list. The activity is considered complete after a single participant completes the task. If the participant reserves the task even though it is not enforced: Only the participant who reserved the task can complete the task. The status of the task changes to “Reserved” for the participant who reserved it. The status of the other participants who did not reserve the task changes to “Blocked”. The participant who reserved the task can undo the reservation which frees the task for the other participants to complete
Image	Only one participant in a group of participants in the activity can complete the task. A participant must reserve the task before completing the task; the task cannot be completed without the reservation. First participant to reserve the task voids the task for all other participants. The task is removed from their task list. The activity is considered complete after the single participant reserves and completes the task. If the participant reserves the task: Only the participant who reserved the task can complete the task. The status of the task changes to “Reserved” for the participant who reserved it. The status of the other participants who did not reserve the task changes to “Blocked”. The participant who reserved the task can undo the reservation which frees the task for the other participants to complete.

To reserve a task

You may be forced to reserve a task prior to being able to complete the task. Check the workflow template to see if the “Force Reservation” setting is enabled.

1. Do one of the following:

• From My Tasks, select task that you want to reserve and click Reserve/Undo Reservation. Tasks that can be reserved are marked with an asterisk (*).
• From Workflow Status Report, select task that you want to reserve and click Reserve/Undo Reservation. Tasks that can be reserved are marked with an asterisk (*). Only current tasks can be reserved, future tasks cannot.
• In the new task interface, click  to reserve the task.

2. A message appears asking if you are sure that you want the reservation. Click OK. The status for the participant who reserved the task becomes “Reserved”. The task is removed from the My Tasks list of the other participants and their status changes to “Blocked”.
3. After reserving the task, the task can be completed as normal (mark as reviewed/approved). After the task is completed, the status for all other participants changes to “Voided”.

To undo a reservation

1. Select the task that you have reserved from the My Tasks or the Workflow Status Report. The status of the task should be “Reserved”.

• Alternatively, in the new task interface, click  to remove the reservation.

2. Click Reserve/Undo Reservation.
3. A message appears asking if you are sure that you want to undo the reservation. Click OK. The task is now unblocked for the other participants and reappears in their My Tasks list. The task can now be reserved by another participant in the activity.