TaskOp Newsletter: August 2022
Thank you for your interest in learning more about the most recent updates, fixes, and features for RCP’s TaskOp software. Whether you are a current TaskOp user, or just wanting to learn more about the program, we wanted to take a minute to welcome you!
Be sure to check out RCP’s TaskOp webpage for everything you need to know about our software, including: available modules, a quick tutorial video, an informational survey, and an opportunity to test-drive the system.
In this month’s issue we’ve included:
New Add-On: Custom PDF Reports from Records in TaskOp
We now offer custom PDF reporting functionality (through an add-on).
This add-on allows you to generate any report, utilizing your data, with just the click of a button. Create end-of-the-month reports, end-of-year reports, evaluations on pipelines and pipeline histories, and the ability to save past files.
You can see where these newly added buttons are in the example below:
In addition to generating and storing documents, TaskOp can save and organize the documents in an easy-to-read table.
Automation: Less Manual Input & Review for a Smoother Workflow
Up till now, a great deal of time, effort, and processing power, across the industry, has been spent on repetitive and, in some cases, entirely identical tasks. Whether updating data to a new standard or sorting pre-existing data, each record usually required individual updates.
Today, this lost time and effort can often be cut from your workflow using automation.
And yet, many are left wondering what it actually means when we talk about automation. Automation is more than just a go-to buzzword, though.
So, let’s take a minute to look at how automation is applied in the context of our projects.
When we talk about automation in the real world, especially as it relates to the digital aspects of a business, its primary usage is also its simplest. We take the mundane and repetitive data management, task reviews, that would eat up our staff’s time, and set rules around that data that allow our systems to ‘think’ for themselves.
In doing so, suddenly, that data is put into a form that, when the proper criteria triggers the process, we are creating a remediation task because of inspection data entered. Using these automated processes, even complex data set sorting can be made simple and efficient.
As an example, let’s say we want to trigger remediation work, or a secondary inspection task, to happen when the system or a staff member detects certain results in the data collected in the field from a pre-scheduled inspection.
If this was done manually, it would take someone:
- Reviewing the inspection data collected each time a scheduled task is completed.
- Determining if further action needs to happen.
- Creating a new task.
Automation on the other hand can accomplish this in seconds, without staff input, based on any trigger criteria designated.
Understanding the basic concepts in play here, we can begin to visualize how automation could be applied to virtually every area of a business, from sorting large amounts of raw information to something as complex as creating an integrated personnel record.
Automation allows us to focus on the parts of our projects which can use human ingenuity, instead of spending that time with mundane tasks.
TaskOp is focused on enabling the use of automation in your work.
Contact us any time to discuss how we can add automation to your applications and start streamlining your workflow today!
New Features
Report Settings Sidebar
The new report builder maintains the power and core functionality of the current one while also introducing key improvements to accessibility. Instead of taking you to a separate page, the new version will cause a panel to slide out from the right side of the page, allowing you to preview your report’s data as you customize the report’s settings.
You can now navigate between sections using the icons on the left side of the panel, as well as clicking and dragging to extend the panel to the width you like.
Once you’ve made your changes, you can do one of three actions:
- Press Save to implement them permanently which will then close the panel.
- Select Apply Changes to save your work and keep the panel open.
- Click Preview to show you how your report will appear without committing your changes.
Kanban reports are the first report type to receive the new report builder panel. It will be released to other report types incrementally.
Persistence/Caching Options on Reports
This new feature is only for Table and Timeline style reports.
Report caching stores table information, improving software performance.
Updating your report caching preferences can dramatically decrease load times on reports, especially larger or more complex reports. However, please keep in mind that report caching will limit how frequently your report updates, so if your report displays a data flow or depends on frequent updates, this option may not be the right choice for you.
To update your settings, open the Settings on a Report and scroll to the bottom. Step by step directions are as follows:
- Open your report.
- Click the “Customize This Report” icon in the upper right corner of the report
- Scroll down to the “Options” section.
- Find caching options under “Report Caching” and choices include:
- Use table’s cache behavior (default system behavior)
- Customize caching:
- Clear after… (clear report cache after so many seconds, minutes, or hours)
- Clear after table is modified (clear cache after someone edits the report and saves the edits)
- Don’t Cache (turn off caching on this report)
- Choose the option that fits the report you are working with.
- Click Save.
More specific breakdowns of the “Report Caching” choices are as follows:
| Option | Description |
| Clear after {time} | Eligible reports will be cached for the user until the time elapses, or a user manually refreshes the report (which restarts the cache window). |
| Clear after data in this table is modified | Cache will live until the maximum cache time, or when data is modified. This option, when used alone, is best used for infrequently modified tables. |
| Clear after {time} and Clear after data in this table is modified | Cache will live until the maximum cache time, when data is modified, or when the cache time elapses. This option provides the greatest possibility of frequent updates for the user, with the least performance benefit. |
TaskOp Design and User Group Meetings
Do you have a workflow or process that needs to be tracked and/or have its data collection simplified?
Do you have data points that need to be logged and analyzed?
Do you have new assets that need to be added to your system?
Do you have an idea for a module that you would like to incorporate into TaskOp?
If you said ‘yes’ to any of these questions, or just want to see how TaskOp can help improve your operations, then click here to sign up for a design session today! Alternatively, you can send an email to the RCP TaskOp team at TaskOp@rcp.com.
To review the various modules currently available to TaskOp users, click here.
Don’t let your imagination be limited to just our listed modules. TaskOp has been commissioned several times to perform niche tasks that are specific to a client’s needs.
We are proud to offer customized TaskOp processes that are specific to what you need.
We welcome the challenge of enabling TaskOp to take on your tasks, to best provide the service you need!
Check out RCP’s TaskOp webpage for everything you need to know about this software, including: available modules, a quick tutorial video, an informational survey, and an opportunity to test-drive the system.
Call, email, or fill out our contact form for help getting started or for any other comments, concerns, or questions.
Best regards,
Daniel Pate | Director, TaskOp Development | RCP Inc.
T: (713) 655-8080 | email: DPate@rcp.com
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TaskOp is a trademark of RCP Inc.