1. Open the Project Template setup screen (Setup > Templates > Projects).
2. In the Project Templates screen, click the Add button to create a new project template, or the Edit button to update a project template.
3. On the Tasks tab, click the Add button.

   Note: Some items in the drop-down lists in this dialog come from entries you have made via the Setup menu (for example, Setup > Tracking Descriptions). If you have security privileges, you can also right-click in these drop-down lists to add, edit, or delete items from the list.

4. Identification:
   • Order: The default order number is 1 for the first task that you add to a project. For each additional task, the application assigns the next available number. However, you can enter a duplicate order number, if necessary.

     Note: For tasks that are concurrent, you may want to use duplicate order numbers. When the preceding task is completed, notifications will be sent that both concurrent tasks are ready if you have set up notifications at the Firm level. Both of those tasks must be completed before a notification is sent that the next task is ready.

   • Activity: Select the activity for the current task.
5. Task information: In the Tracking description field, select a tracking description from the drop-down list. If you have security privileges, you can right-click to add or edit a tracking description.
6. Budget information: Enter the task budget information in the Hours and/or Amount fields, or click the Down arrow button and use the drop-down calculator to enter the numbers. If you want the budget information to calculate automatically based on the staff rate of the assigned staff member, mark the Calculate amount automatically checkbox.
7. Target dates:
   • Start: To specify the project’s target start date, complete the month(s) and/or day(s) fields, and then select Before due date or After received date from the drop-down list.
   • Complete: To specify the target completion date, complete the month(s) and/or day(s) fields, and then select Before due date or After received date from the drop-down list.
8. Assigned: Click the More button next to the Staff field to assign the task to a specific staff member, or click the Down arrow button to assign a staff member dynamically based on their role (for example, Client’s Partner, or Engagement’s Biller).
   
   If you are licensed for the Staff Management module, you can also:
   • manually assign staff to the task based on their qualifications. Click the More button next to the Staff qualifications field and create a filter to specify which qualifications the assigned staff member must possess to work on the task.
   • automatically assign staff to the task based on a work queue. When you click the Work queue option, the task will be placed in a queue that appears in the Work Queue portlet of the Staff Dashboard only for those staff who meet the qualifications.
9. Solution:
   • Select solution: From the drop-down list, select the solution needed to complete the task.

     When you select a solution (UltraTax CS, Creative Solutions Accounting, Accounting CS, Financial Analysis CS, Fixed Assets CS, Microsoft Word or Excel, or other application) for a project or task, Practice CS will do the following when you launch the solution from the project or task:

     • If the client exists in the solution that you have selected, the client will be opened automatically.
     • If you have entered a file path for Word or Excel, the document in the file path will open automatically.
     • Practice CS will automatically start a timer, if you have the Start Timer for Projects checkbox marked in Setup > User Preferences > Time & Expense Entry. When you close the client, document, or application, the timer is stopped. You then need to post the recorded time to Time & Expense Entry.
   • Solution path or File path: Click the More button to navigate to the solution’s shortcut.
   • Completion event: This field is available when you select UltraTax CS in the Select solution field. Select the status event that marks the task’s completion from the drop-down list.
     If you are licensed for UltraTax CS and would like a task or project to be updated automatically when the corresponding status event is logged in UltraTax CS, use the Completion Event field in Practice CS to select the UltraTax CS status event that marks the task’s completion.
     
     Logging the event and closing the client in UltraTax CS stops the Practice CS timer (if running) and updates the Tracking field to Completed. You will need to post time recorded by the timer to Time & Expense Entry.
10. Notes: Enter an optional comment in the text box.
11. Click the Links tab if you want to add links to files, websites, or documents outside of Practice CS, including documents stored in FileCabinet CS or GoFileRoom.

    The links you add to a task template are added by default to all new tasks generated from that template.

12. Use the Custom Fields tab to enter additional information for the task template. Custom fields can be checkboxes, dates, lists, numeric fields, staff lists, or text-entry fields. Custom fields for dates have a drop-down calendar. Numeric custom fields have a drop-down calculator. See Custom fields setup overview for more information on custom fields.
    Practice CS allows you to create your own custom fields and field names for offices, staff, activities, clients, engagements, projects, tasks, and time & expense entry. Using custom fields enables you to track additional information in the application. You can create checkboxes, date fields, numeric fields, text fields (up to 4000 characters long), lists, and staff lists.
    
    To create custom fields, choose Setup > Custom Fields and then Offices, Staff, Activities, Clients, Engagements, Projects, Tasks, or Time & Expense Entry, depending on where you want the custom fields to appear within Practice CS.
13. Click OK to save the task.

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