Create and Manage SDLC Tasks

A task is the main entity of the whole development process since it contains information about the requirements for the responsible person, work progress, and result.

The article contains information about the access level required to work with the tasks, the creation of tasks of different types, and about the creation of articles from defects.

Access to tasks

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Operation	pda_admin	pda_user	Other roles
Create	+	The operation is allowed but the user can only fill in the Project field with the projects in which they are a team member or a team leader.	-
Write	+	The operation is allowed for any user with the role, if the Project field is empty. If the Project field is filled in, allowed for: Team leader. Team member. The user specified in the Assigned to field. If the field Product or Product module is filled in, allowed for the product and product module owner. The user can only select a project where they are a team member or a team leader.	-
Read	+	+	+
Delete	+	Allowed for the team leader of the project to which the task is related.	-

Create a task

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To create a task, complete the following steps:

1. Find the required task type in the SDLC → Tasks section of the navigator. Open the list for the required task type.
2. Click New and fill in the form fields.
3. Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.

tip

You can also create new tasks in the add tasks to board widget (for Kanban projects) or sprint planning widget (for Scrum projects).

Task form fields

General

Field	Mandatory	Description
External number	Y	Specify the test case number in an external system. The field is available only for Test cases.
Test case URL	N	Specify a link to the test case. The field is available only for Test cases and Automated tests. On the automated test forms, the field is read-only and dispalyed only if the Test case is specified.
Test case	N	Specify a test case for which the automated test is developed. The field is available only for Automated tests.
Name	Y	Specify the task title.
State	N	Select the task state. The available options vary depending on the current task state. The field appears after saving the record and is automatically filled in with New.
Blocked	N	Select the checkbox to prohibit the transition of task to another state. When the checkbox is selected, the State field is read-only and the task card cannot be dragged between the columns. The field appears after saving the record.
Block reason	N	Specify the task block reason. The field is displayed if the Blocked checkbox is selected, and it is not available for Subtasks. When the checkbox is cleared, the field is hidden but not cleared.
Documentation type	N	Select the type of documentation that needs to be composed or updated during the task. Available options: User documentation Technical documentation The field is available only for Documentation tasks.
Parent task	N	Specify a higher level task that includes this task. Depending on the type of the created task, the following types are available for selection: Feature: only Epics are available. User story, General task, Defect: Epics and Features are available. Subtask: all task types are available apart from other Subtasks. The field is not available for Epics.
Priority	N	Specify the task priority. Available options: Low Medium High
Rank	N	Specify the task rank. A lower rank indicates a higher priority. The field is not available for Subtasks.
Research question	Y	Specify a question for the research to answer and describe the value of it. The field is available only for UX researches.
Research method	N	Select a method to conduct the research. Available options: User journey analysis Survey Interview Competitive analysis Usability testing Card sorting Concept testing Audit Other The field is available only for UX researches. Editing the field value is available to users with the pda_admin role, or pda_user if they are the Assigned user.
Hypotheses	N	Specify the hypotheses to be tested in the course of the research. The field is available only for UX researches.
Requirements for respondents	N	Specify the requirements for the respondents to participate in the research. The field is available only for UX researches.
Description	N	Add the task description.
Cancellation reason	Y	The field is displayed only for Canceled tasks. Specify a reason for the cancellation of the task.
Assigned user	N	Specify the employee responsible for the task. You can only specify an employee with the pda_user or pda_admin role.
Work notes	N	Add work notes.
As a	Y	Specify the consumer of the functionality that will be implemented in the User story. The field is available only for User stories and Design stories.
I want	Y	Describe the functionality that will be implemented in the User story. The field is available only for User stories and Design stories.
So that	Y	Specify the consumer pains that will be solved by the functionality implemented in the User story. The field is available only for User stories and Design stories.
Acceptance criteria	Y	Specify the parameters that the task must comply with to be considered completed. The field is available only for Features and User stories.

Planning

Field	Mandatory	Description
Planned start date	N	Specify the date to start working on the task.
Planned end date	N	Specify the date when the task needs to be completed.
Story points	N	Estimate the task in story points – standard units of task complexity, amount of work, and involved risks. The field is not available on the Subtask form.
Planned time to spend	N	Specify the planned amount of time required to complete the task.

Additional

The tab is not available for the Subtasks.

Field	Mandatory	Description
Project	N	Specify the project to which the task belongs. If the project is related to product development, the Product field is completed automatically with the related product. If the user has the pda_user role, they can only specify an active project that includes this task type and in which they are a team membet or leader. Users with the admin or pda_admin role can specify any active project that includes this task type. If you change the Project field value in the parent task, it will be changed automatically in related Subtasks. The field is read-only on their forms.
Release	N	Specify the release that will include the task result. You can specify a release in the Planning, Planned or In progress state. If the Product field is completed, you can only specify a release of this product. If the Product field is empty, it is completed automatically when you specify a release. When the related release moves into the Released state, the Released marker is added to the release tasks. Such tasks become inactive and read-only except for the Release field. The Released label in Russian appears on their forms. You can leave work notes in their Activity Feed. The task will no longer be considered Released if you clear or change the value of the current field.
Related article	N	Specify an article that contains information on the defect. For instance, it could be the conditions triggering the defect or a workaround. You can create an article using the corresponding UI action in the burger menu . The field is available only for Defects and appears on the form after the first saving of the record.
Product	Y/N	Specify the product to which the task is related. The field is mandatory if the task is related to a project dedicated to product development. If the Project field is empty or a project in which the Product development checkbox is cleared is specified, you can specify any product record that is not in the Archive state. If the Project field is completed with a record in which the Product development checkbox is selected, you can specify a product record in any state related to this project. When the current field is cleared, the Product module and Release fields are cleared as well. If the specified Project is dedicated to product development, it will be cleared too when the current field is cleared. If you change the Product field value in the parent task, it will be changed automatically in related Subtasks. On their forms, the field is read-only.
Product module	N	Specify the product module to which the task is related. If the Product field is empty, you can specify a module that is not in the Deprecated state and is related to a product that is not in the Archive state. The Product field will be completed automatically with the product to which the module belongs when you complete the current field. If the Product field is completed, you can specify a module of this product that is not in the Deprecated state. If you change the Product module field value in the parent task, it will be changed automatically in related Subtasks. On their forms, the field is read-only.
Detected in release	N	Specify the release in which the defect was found. The field is only available for Defects.
Sprint	N	Specify the sprint that includes the task. The field appears only if the task belongs to a Scrum project. The field is not available for Subtasks.

Results

The tab is displayed only for Design stories and UX researches.

Field	Mandatory	Description
Layout	N	Specify a link to the layout created in the course of the design story. The field is available only for Design stories.
Analytical artifacts	N	Specify a link to the materials used for the analysis of the design story and the preparation of the layout. The field is available only for Design stories.
Article	N	Specify an article written as a result of the research. The field is available only for UX researches.
Results URL	N	Specify a link to the research results. The field is available only for UX researches.
Conclusion	N	Describe the research results. The field is available only for UX researches.

Publications

The tab is displayed only for Documentation tasks and all of its fields are available only to the tasks of this type.

Field	Mandatory	Description
Announcement	N	Specify the announcement created as a result of the documentation task.
Knowledge base article	N	Specify the Knowledge base article created as a result of the documentation task.
External links	N	Specify links to the publications of the documentation task results on external resources.

Developer Panel

This section contains the data on the current task received from the Git integration module. Read the detailed description of the panel in the Developer Panel article.

The Task type column is present in the SDLC Task table. It shows a record's task type and is read-only. Use it for generating reports or filtering in the list interface.

Related lists

caution

No related lsits are displayed by default for custom task types. You can add them manually if necessary.

For Epics and Features:

• Child Tasks – the list of tasks for which the current task is the parent task.

For the tasks of all types except for Subtasks:

• Subtasks – the list of subtasks related to this task.

For the tasks of all types:

• Task Dependencies – the list of dependencies in which this task is selected as the initial or dependent task.

Cancel a task

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You can cancel a task on its form or from the project board. You can find such records in the list interface of the required task type if you filter it by the Canceled = Yes column.

To cancel a task on the form, complete the following steps:

1. Find the required task type in the SDLC → Tasks section of the navigator. Open the list for the required task type, find the required record and open its form.
2. In the burger menu , click Cancel task.
3. In the modal window that opens, specify the Cancellation reason and click Cancel task.

To cancel a task from the board, complete the following steps:

1. Open the board of the required project.

   How to open project board

   • Navigate to SDLC → General Settings → Project Boards, open the required Board form and click the Open board button.

   tip

   Role required: pda_user, pda_admin.

   • Navigate to SDLC → Projects → All Projects / My Projects, open the required Board form and click the Open board button. To return to the board form, click .

   tip

   Role required: pda_user, pda_admin.

2. On the board, click the card of the required task to open preview. In the preview, click .

3. In the modal window that opens, specify the Cancellation reason and click Cancel task.

When a task is canceled:

• its state becomes read-only;
• it becomes inactive;
• the Canceled label in Russian appears on its form;
• it disappears from the task board.

note

If you cancel a task repeatedly, you will see previous value of the Cancellation reason field. You will be able to edit it if necessary.

Reopen a task

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You can reopen a canceled task. To do so, complete the following steps:

1. Find the required task type in the SDLC → Tasks section of the navigator. Open the list for the required task type, find the required record and open its form.
2. In the burger menu , click Reopen task.
3. In the modal window that opens, click Reopen task to confirm the action.

When a task is reopened:

• the task state becomes editable;
• the task becomes active;
• the Canceled label disappears from the task form;
• if the project is specified for the task, and there is an active column for the task state on the board, the task appears on the board.