Automatically Update Ongoing Task Progress Based on Checklist Completion

When using the Custom mode for Ongoing Task Progress, there is a higher degree of flexibility in how you can track progress on a task and set the Ongoing Task Progress Percent. While it is possible to manually update that field as users work on a particular task, automation allows frictionless updates aligned with your process, without manual intervention!

To ensure that Ongoing Task Progress Percent is accurate and consistent, we recommend pairing the Custom mode of Ongoing Task Progress with some additional automation. That way it will be a smooth process for end users while also ensuring your data is clean and consistent. 

In this article, we will walk through a sample configuration that updates the task's ongoing progress based on the completion of the task's checklist. 

Here is a summary of what will be covered in this article:

• Sample Use Case and Configuration Overview
• Object Configuration
• Flow Configuration
• Flow Testing

Sample Use Case and Configuration Overview

Goal

Automatically update Ongoing Task Progress based on the completion of the task's checklist.

Use Case Details

• Tasks can be configured to have checklists added to them.
• As users work on assigned tasks, they are also responsible for completing checklist items on those tasks.
  • The TaskRay Checklist Item object has a Completed checkbox. This checkbox is updated to true when a checklist item is completed.
• With the Ongoing Task Progress functionality, it is possible to track a task's progress while it is being worked on.
  • In this article, we will be updating the task's ongoing progress based on the completion of its checklist.

Ongoing Task Progress Feature Configuration

For the purpose of this automation, there are a few specifics to set up and note regarding the Ongoing Task Progress functionality.

In order for this automation to work, you will need to set the Ongoing Task Progress Type on the applicable tasks to Custom.

• Ongoing Task Progress Type is a field on the TaskRay Task object.
• While the field can be manually updated on applicable tasks, it is also possible to streamline this configuration on projects.
  • If you are using templates to create your projects, you can configure the template tasks to have Ongoing Task Progress Type = Custom. Alternatively, you can set up an automation to update the field according to necessary criteria.
  • Then, when the templates are cloned to create new projects, the tasks in those projects will automatically be created with the Custom progress type already set.

With the automation in place, as the checklist items are marked as completed, the progress will be tracked in the Ongoing Task Progress Percent field. This is the field that we will be updating through the automation.

Additional Custom Fields Configuration

For the purpose of this automation, we will also need to set up three new fields on the TaskRay Task object. These fields do not need to be added to the task page layout as they will be used for "behind the scenes" automation purposes.

The objects involved in this configuration (TaskRay Task, TaskRay Checklist Item) are in a master-detail relationship. This allows setting up rollup summary fields on the TaskRay Task object that summarizes checklist information.

We will add the following fields to the TaskRay Task object:

• Completed Checklist Items - a rollup summary field that counts the number of completed checklist items related to a task.
• Total Checklist Items - a rollup summary field that counts the total number of checklist items related to a task.
• Checklist Completion Percentage - a formula field that calculates the completion of the checklist. Calculated by dividing the value in Completed Checklist Items by the value in Total Checklist Items.

Automation Overview

• The automation is set up using Flow. The Flow is triggered when the task's custom Checklist Completion Percentage field is updated.
• Using the value set in the Checklist Completion Percentage field on the task, the Ongoing Task Progress Percent will be updated accordingly.

Object Configuration [Admin]

In this section, we will walk through the three custom field configurations on the TaskRay Task object.

Completed Checklist Items

1. From Setup, navigate to Objects and Fields | Object Manager.
2. Click on the TaskRay Task object.
3. Under Fields and Relationships, click on New.
4. Select Roll-Up Summary and click Next.
5. Enter Field Label (e.g. "Completed Checklist Items"). The Field Name should automatically populate. Optionally, enter Description and Help Text.
6. Click Next.
7. For Summarized Object, select TaskRay Checklist Items.
8. Under Select Roll-Up Type, select Count.
9. Under Filter Criteria, select Only records meeting certain criteria should be included in the calculation. Enter the following in the first row:
• Field = Completed
• Operator = Equals
• Value = True
10. Click Next.  
    
11. Using the checkboxes, edit field-level security, if necessary. Click Next.
12. Select if you want to add the field to the Project Task Layout and click Save.

Total Checklist Items

Follow the steps above to create another field on the TaskRay Task object. The new field will have the following parameters:

• Field Type = Roll-Up Summary
• Field Label = Total Checklist Items
• Summarized Object = TaskRay Checklist Items
  • Roll-Up Type = Count
  • Filter Criteria = All records should be included in the calculation

Checklist Completion Percentage

The third field will be of a different field type: formula. This field will be calculated using the other two rollup summary fields that we just created: Completed Checklist Items and Total Checklist Items. 

1. Back from the TaskRay Task object manager, select the option to create another new field.
2. On the first step, select Formula for the data type and click Next.
3. Enter Field Label (e.g. "Total Checklist Items"). The Field Name should automatically populate. Optionally, enter Description and Help Text.
4. Under Formula Return Type, select Percent and click Next.
5. On the formula builder screen, configure the formula:
   1. Select the option to Insert Field and select the Completed Checklist Items field.
   2. Back on the formula builder screen, click on Insert Operator and select / Divide.
   3. Back on the formula builder screen, select the option to Insert Field and select the Total Checklist Items field.
   4. Your formula should look like this: Completed_Checklist_Items__c / Total_Checklist_Items__c
      
6. Click Next and continue through the remaining steps to configure the field as necessary.

Flow Configuration [Admin]

Flow Overview

Below is a sample configuration of the Flow:

Follow the steps in the sections below to configure the Flow.

Step 1: Create New Flow

1. From Setup, navigate to Process Automation | Flows.
2. Click on the New Flow button.
3. In the New Flow modal, select the Record-Triggered Flow option.
4. Click on Create.

Step 2: Configure Start and Entry Conditions

When setting up a new record-triggered flow, it is necessary to specify the object and criteria that will trigger the automated process. In this case, we will select the TaskRay Task object because our automation should be triggered when the task's Checklist Completion Percentage value is updated.

1. In the Configure Start modal, click into the Object field and search for TaskRay Task.
2. For Trigger the Flow When select A record is updated.
3. In the Set Entry Conditions section, for Condition Requirements select All Conditions Are Met (AND).
4. For the condition, set the following:
   • Field = Checklist_Completion_Percentage__c (Checklist Completion Percentage)
   • Operator = Is Changed
   • Value = True
5. Leave the remaining options as-is and click Done.

Step 3: Add Element to Update Task

Next, you will need to add an element to update the task's Ongoing Task Progress Percent value. In our case, we will update the task's ongoing progress based on the calculated value in the Checklist Completion Percentage field.

1. On the Flow canvas, click on the Plus / Add Element icon below the Start element.
2. Select the Update Records element.
3. In the new Update Records modal, enter the Label (e.g. "Update Ongoing Task Progress") and API Name.
4. Under How to Find Records to Update and Set Their Values, select Use the taskray task record that triggered the flow.
5. Under Set Filter Conditions, for Condition Requirements to Update Record, keep the None--Always Update Record option.
6. Under Set Field Values for the TaskRay Project Record, set the following:
   • Field = TASKRAY__trOngoingTaskProgressPercent__c (Ongoing Task Progress Percent)
   • Value = $Record > Checklist Completion Percentage ({!$Record.Checklist_Completion_Percentage__c})
     
     Tip: Optionally, if you would also like tasks with fully completed checklists to automatically move into the Finished list, you can also add an additional field update in this element. More specifically, you can select the List field as the one to update and set Finished as the value that it should be updated to. Alternatively, if custom values are configured, you can select any other List value used to designate completion of work on a task.
7. Click Done.

Step 4: Save and Activate the Flow

Now that the Flow is fully configured, it is time to save and activate it.

1. In the top right corner of the Flow canvas, click on the Save button.
2. In the Save the Flow modal, enter the Label (e.g. "Update Ongoing Task Progress (Based on Checklist)") and API Name.
3. Click Save.
4. In the top right corner of the Flow canvas, click on the Activate button.

Flow Testing

As a best practice, it is always a good idea to test custom automations to make sure that they meet requirements and follow expected behavior. Custom automations can be tested using the Debug options in Flow or in the app, using sample test records. 

To test this automation, you can configure a task to have Ongoing Task Progress Type = Custom and add a checklist to the task. As you mark the checklist items as complete, you should see the task's Ongoing Task Progress Percent continuously update accordingly.