Task Scheduling
Use
A task first needs to be scheduled before it can appear in a user's task list at the specified time.
However, not all tasks have to be scheduled. Essentially, only the tasks in the following areas need to be scheduled:
· Settings for the Organizational Unit
· Sign-Off (only requires central scheduling)
Other tasks are triggered automatically by another task, as is the case for Assigning Roles to Persons.
If a person has authorization for several tasks in the same Web application, just one of the tasks needs to be scheduled. This restricts the number of tasks that need to be sent. For more information, see Roles and Authorizations Concept.
Integration
Scheduling uses SAP Business Workflow and Case Management functions.
Prerequisites
· In Customizing, you have defined values for the scheduling frequencies and the respective timeframes within a given year. You define frequencies under Edit Attribute Values and the respective timeframes under Specify Timeframes for Frequencies.
· Under Edit Attribute Values in Customizing, you have specified the possible values for the attribute Control Significance.
· You have made the settings in Customizing under Workflow.
Features
There are two scheduling levels:
...
1. The task is scheduled centrally, whereby the following is specified:
¡ The frequency with which a task is performed
¡ The date range within which the task is performed for a specific timeframe
¡ The controls that are concerned (not possible with all tasks)
2. An organizational unit can refine and "tighten" the settings made centrally by:
¡ Scheduling a task to occur more frequently
¡ Determining earlier start and end dates for a timeframe
¡ Adding more controls
If a centrally scheduled task is not relevant for a particular organizational unit, it is also possible to set the frequency of such a task to Never.
If you do not set up any special scheduling settings for an organizational unit, the central settings are applied.
The scheduling settings can be changed at any time prior to the start date.
Central Scheduling
Central scheduling is performed by the person with authorization for the task Edit Central Settings for Scheduling (EDIT-CSCH). This person first specifies how frequently a task needs to be performed (for example, bi-annually). The system automatically determines which exact timeframes were specified in Customizing for this frequency (for example, First Half of the Year, Second Half of the Year). The system obtains the year from the personalization settings for the scheduler. The scheduler can then enter for one or more timeframes the date range in which the task must be performed. The date range consists of the latest possible start date (which means the task may be started earlier) and the end date.
Note that the date ranges must not overlap in the scheduling for two consecutive timeframes. This means that the requested start date scheduled for the second half of the year must not fall before the latest end date scheduled for the first half of the year.
We recommend that the current date not be entered as the start date in central scheduling. If you use the current date, the relevant workflows are then started immediately. The system immediately checks for each organizational unit whether separate scheduling settings have already been made at the org unit level. If none have been made, the system applies the central settings, that is, it immediately sends the tasks to the persons responsible. This means that the organizational units do not have time to revise the central settings and adjust them to their requirements.
For control assessments and tests, you can also specify whether all controls should be considered or, for example, just the most important ones (this depends on the attribute Control Significance).
Task: Control Design Assessment
Frequency (central setting): Bi-Annually
Timeframe: 1. First Half of 2005, Latest Start Date: 10/15/05, End Date: 10/31/05, All Controls
Timeframe: 2. Second Half of 2005, Latest Start Date: 03/15/06, End Date: 03/31/06, Only Most Important Controls
You can also specify that a task should never be scheduled. You may want to do this to deactivate a task that is not relevant (for example, the task Process Design Assessment).
When you have made all of the central scheduling settings, you can use Send Message to inform all of the users who are required to perform scheduling at the organizational unit level. At this point, the task Edit Scheduling Settings for Organizational Unit automatically appears in their task lists.
The Send Message pushbutton is not used to start the scheduled tasks. Instead, the tasks are triggered by the start date specified. This pushbutton is used just to start scheduling at the organizational unit level.
Scheduling at Organizational Unit Level
Once scheduling has been completed centrally and the corresponding notifications have been sent (see above), the task Edit Scheduling Settings for Organizational Unit (EDIT-OUCH) appears in the task lists of all users with authorization for this task. When they select the task, the details of the central schedule are displayed.
You can either set the centrally specified frequency to Never (if the task is not relevant) or increase it. If, for example, the Bi-Annually setting is specified centrally, you may not select Annually but only Bi-Annually, Quarterly, or Monthly. If you change the frequency, different timeframes are used. For example, the frequency Quarterly uses Quarters 1 to 4. In this case, you have to schedule the task for four timeframes.
Similarly, you can only tighten the settings for controls. If the central settings specify that all controls must be applied, you are not permitted to specify that only the most important controls need to be considered for your organizational unit.
You can use Consistency Check to determine whether your settings fall within the limits set by the central settings.
When you have completed scheduling for your organizational unit, you can remove the task Edit Scheduling Settings for Organizational Unit from your task list by choosing Close.
If you want to check which tasks have been scheduled and for when they have been scheduled, you can use the IMG activity Workflow ® Analyze Application Log for Scheduling in Customizing for MIC.
Sending Tasks
If there is no specific scheduling for an organizational unit on the start date scheduled centrally, the scheduled task is sent on that start date. If specific scheduling settings exist for an organizational unit, the task is sent on the specific start date that was scheduled. In both cases, the task in question appears on the start date in the task list of the person authorized to perform the task.
If additional organizational units are created after the start date scheduled centrally (that is to say, after the tasks have been sent), a task is not sent subsequently for these organizational units. Nevertheless, you can start the task “ad hoc” for organizational units created subsequently. For more information, see Ad Hoc Start of Assessments and Tests.