Interpret Task Duration Settings

The requirements for qualification on a task differ on a task-by-task basis. For some tasks, once you have completed the task the first time, you will never have to review the information again. For other tasks, it may be more important to review information on a regular basis—this ensures that the proper procedure is both known and is being followed.

A graphic illustration of a task that is either complete or incomplete is as follows:

   

(Learner answers Knowledge Assessment questions or Supervisor answers Capability Assessment questions on behalf of the Learner)

If you have a task that requires review from time to time, you can add a duration setting (found under the task Properties). A value can be set for either the Knowledge and/or Capability component; the values can differ. There are five possible resulting icons:

OR OR OR OR

You can set separate durations for the Knowledge and Capability components, which are measured in days, but you can also set a fixed date duration on a task. Although the resulting icons appear the same, their function is slightly different. Both types of duration are set using the Component Duration Settings dialog (that can be accessed in the Properties section, when a task is selected in the Process Manager tree).

For example:

Task:  Comply with CPR.  CPR must be recertified every 3 years.  This can be accomplished in a few ways:

Number of Days Duration Example

When an Employee completes the Task components for Comply with CPR, the program will begin to count down when the Task will be required to be recertified.  The following variables were used for this situation:

                                                  

Feb 28, 2004           March 1, 2004        Jan 30, 2007     to be completed before March 1, 2007

Fixed Date Duration Example

Regardless of when an Employee completes the Task components for Comply with CPR, the Task is set to expire on a set date.  The following variables were used for this situation:

At this point, two different options can be set.  The SME may wish for the Task components to elapse on this date, and not allow requalification to occur before (likely because new information is to be implemented on this date).  Conversely, the SME may wish for the Employee to be able to complete the Task components in a short time period before they elapse - resulting in qualification for the following period.  If you wish for the first case to occur, you must set the Allow Re-qualification within __ days of expiry to 0.  If you wish for the second case to occur, you must set the number of days in this dialog.

Please note:  the warning period for a Task that has a fixed date duration is set in the Duration Setting dialog, and has nothing to do with the option in the Tools/ System Options dialog.

Fixed Date Example (with no allowance for requalification)

                                      

Feb 28, 2004           March 1, 2004            Jan 1, 2007

Fixed Date Example (with 10 days allowance for requalification)

                                                  

Feb 28, 2004           March 1, 2004            Dec 21, 2006   fixed date is Jan 1, 2007

How Allow Re-Qualification Within ___ Days of Expiry Works

If a task component is set to expire yearly on December 31, and you leave the number of allow requalification at 0, the task component will expire on Dec 31. However, if you set this allow requalification value to be 10 days, and someone happens to take the materials after Dec 21, then they will remain qualified on the task component until Dec 31 of the following year. They are now qualified for the remainder of this year, and the next. They will expire on Dec 31 of the following year - unless they happen to requalify on the material within those 10 days again.

Please note: Hours and Seconds make a difference in this case. It may not be the safest bet to allow people to take the material on Dec 21, because if they are requalifying just before the cutoff, they will be considered expired once Dec 31 rolls around. Make the window of requalification sufficiently large, then complete well within the window - but not necessarily exactly on the first possible day of the window.

Information about Number of Days vs Fixed Date durations