Step 4: Customizing IT-company tasks

IT-company consists of different departments responsible for special tasks. Each of departments may require appropriate task customization that will make task adapted to department's workflow. VIP Task Manager provides users with customizable tasks attributes of various types and calculated fields with formulas. For example customer service department need to take stock of clients' requests and orders, so specific department tasks can include such additional attributes as type of the contact with client (if it is phone call, fax or e-mail), client's name, phone number, , type of request and so on. When, for example, client has some problems with computers and a field specialist should visit the client, office manager can filter tasks of field department by date and see if some tasks are planned for field administrators on certain date and if someone is free at certain time of a day.

When design is finished and field team works on site, for example, in order to install the LAN, they need certain quantity of different materials and hardware that should be used for work. Materials are cables of certain length and wires of different types and categories (twisted pair wire, coaxial cables, patch cords etc.), certain number of network mounting accessories like connectors, ducts, plug sockets, patch panels and so on. But these things are not so important as more expensive networking hardware as switches, hubs, routers, bridges, repeaters etc. All these materials and hardware should be previously procured. It is possible to create procurement checklist with a help of VIP Task Manager. After the hardware estimate is designed it can be entered in VIP Task Manager in a form of task list, where each task will represent point of the estimate. For this purpose it is necessary to create such custom task attributes as "quantity", "price" or/and "price per unit". Estimator from field team will give names and quantity of required goods. Then procurement checklist can be assigned to the specialist responsible for procurements.

After the hardware estimate is designed it can be entered in VIP Task Manager in a form of task list, where each task will represent point of the estimate. For this purpose it is necessary to create such custom task attributes as "quantity", "price" or/and "price per unit". Estimator from field team will give names and quantity of required goods. Then procurement checklist can be assigned to the specialist responsible for procurements. Such manager will contact suppliers and when required item is found he/she will enter price of this item or "price per unit" (in this case "price" should be calculated field that equals quantity multiplied by price per unit), order it and check as "Complete" or "Ordered". The field team coordinator will immediately aware what items are already purchased and at what price.