RealAdvice

WarpCore

WorkFlow PM

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Help

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Troubleshooting

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I can't move a task to the stage I want

Troubleshooting

I can't move a task to the stage I want

The stage is not in the menu, or the move is refused.

Symptom

On the Work panel of a property or engagement, one of these happens when you try to move a task:

  • The task's card has no Move to… button.
  • The stage you want is not in the Move to… menu.
  • You pick a stage, and a message titled Not moved appears at the bottom right of the screen. The task stays where it was.

Likely causes

#
What you see
Cause
1
No Move to…, and no Skip
The task is done, skipped, not applicable or undecided, or your role does not let you move tasks.
2
No Move to…, but Skip is there
No move from the task’s stage is open to you just now. The template permits none, or each one is held by a test on the project’s values. Or, while the company’s rule on who may make a transition is switched on, each one is for a higher role than yours or only for the people on the task.
3
The stage is not in the menu
The template has no transition from this stage to that one. Or the transition's test fails on the project's values. Or, while the company's rule on who may make a transition is switched on, the transition is for a higher role than yours, or only for the people on the task. A person who may override sees that stage, with You can override this.
4
“This move needs a higher role, or it is only for the people on the task.”
The transition is for department managers and above, or for company administrators only. Or it is only for the people on the task. The menu lists such a stage only for a person who may override. Anyone else sees this message when the page was out of date: for example, someone took them off the task after the page opened.
5
A message that starts “This task needs a release clearance” or “The release clearance”
The task waits on an approval, and you are moving it into an ending that sits in Finished.
6
“Someone else moved this task a moment ago. It is shown as it is now.”
Someone moved the task while you were looking at it.
7
“This task is waiting on work that is not finished.”
A task that blocks this one is not done yet.
8
A message headed Not moved that starts “The tasks this start takes changed”
The menu line counted other tasks the start would take. Someone was put on one, or one moved or finished, before your move landed. Nothing was saved.
9
No Work panel at all
The work belongs to no property and no engagement, so it has no Work panel.
No records

Checks

  • Read the task's state, beside its stage on the card.
  • Read the whole message at the bottom right. It says which rule refused the move.
  • For causes 2 and 3, open the template's version: on Workflow Templates, open the template and select View on the version the project uses. Its Transitions section lists every move from each stage, who may make it, and its tests after Only when.
  • For cause 3, look at the project's values in Fields on the project's page.
  • For cause 5, look at the task's card for Legal approval, or another approval, under Needs.
  • After the message, does a window open with Why override? You may move the task past this rule. See Move a task to another stage.

Fix

  1. A done task cannot move from the Work panel. A skipped or not-applicable one needs a manager to bring it back first. If your role is the problem, ask a manager to move it.
  2. Ask the template's author whether a transition from this stage is missing. If the moves are for a higher role or for the people on the task, do as for cause 4. If a test holds them, do as for cause 3.
  3. Ask a manager to change the value the transition tests, or to override the move. If the transition is for a higher role, or for the people on the task, do as for cause 4. Or ask the template's author to add the transition.
  4. Look at the task again: the menu lists the stages you may move it to now. Ask a person the transition is for to make the move, or ask a manager to put you on the task or to override the move.
  5. Request the approval and wait for it. See Approvals, sign-offs and exceptions. A manager can override the move, with a reason.
  6. Look at the task again. It shows where it is now. Move it again only if it still needs it.
  7. Finish the task it waits for first. Or ask a manager to move the task anyway, with a reason. One override is enough. The task then shows Started without its prerequisites, and its later moves do not wait for that task.
  8. Look at the panel: it shows the tasks as they are now. Open Move to… again and move the task.
  9. If the work is in a group, a manager can move its tasks from the group. See One task across a group.

Confirm it worked

The card shows the new stage, and a message titled Task moved says where the task went. A move into an ending that sits in Finished shows the task as Done, and the message is titled Task finished.

Who to ask

A department manager can move most tasks, bring tasks back and change values. The template's author changes its transitions. Which rules are switched on is a company setting that tech keeps. See How work moves through stages.