Task Management and Workflow Buckets

hroot provides a powerful task management workflow to automate checklists and track responsibilities before, during, and after experiments.

• Module Activation: Enabled under Site Settings -> Plugins / Features (/admin/options/features) via the switch Staff Tasks (Aufgabenverwaltung).
• Configuration Location: Task templates, buckets (phases), and project step definitions are managed under Site Settings -> Project steps (/admin/options/project_steps).

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1. Core Concept: Buckets vs. Procedure Ablaufplan

It is essential to distinguish between Project Steps & Buckets and the Session Procedure (Ablaufplan):

• Task Buckets & Staff Tasks (Project Steps): These represent the administrative and organizational checklists across the lifecycle of an experiment (e.g. Preparation: submit ethics application, verify survey software; Execution: prepare lab computers; Post-processing: export data, reconcile payout receipts). Tasks are created dynamically when a phase is reached and assigned to staff members.
• Session Procedure (Ablaufplan): This is the in-session script and timeline protocol for experimenters executing a specific session (e.g. 00:00–00:10 Admission & Seating, 00:10–00:25 Read instructions, 00:25–00:55 Treatment on PC, 00:55–01:05 Participant payouts). The Procedure contains instructions, links to experimental files, can be downloaded as PDF or embedded in calendar ICS invites, and is independent of administrative To-Do tasks. See Managing Experiments#2-procedures-ablaufplne--live-session-protocols for details.

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2. Global Configuration: Buckets & Task Templates

Under Site Settings -> Project steps (/admin/options/project_steps), administrators configure the building blocks:

• Task Buckets (Phasen / Aufgabenpakete): Ordered containers representing project phases (e.g. 1. Vorbereitung, 2. Durchführung, 3. Nachbereitung).
• Task Templates (Aufgaben-Vorlagen): Blueprints for reusable tasks. Each template defines:
  • Title and description / instructions.
  • Default priority (Low, Medium, High).
  • Recurrence (e.g. Once, Daily, Weekly, Monthly).
  • Estimated workload (hours) and default due date offset (days after phase start).
  • Optional default assignee.
• Project Templates (Projekttypen / Vorlagen für Experimente): Group specific buckets and task templates together (e.g. "Standard Lab Experiment", "Online Survey", "Eye-tracking Study"). When an experiment is associated with a project template, only the relevant buckets for that study type are displayed in its tasks view.

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3. Phase Activation in Experiments (Bucket Activation Workflow)

In the experiment's Tasks tab, phases follow an explicit activation lifecycle:

1. Initial Inactive State: When a new experiment is set up, all configured buckets start in an inactive state (displayed with reduced opacity and blurred task lists in the Kanban board). No actual tasks are created yet, preventing task clutter for future phases.
2. Activating a Phase (Aktivieren): As the experiment reaches a milestone, the researcher clicks Activate (Aktivieren) on the respective bucket.
3. Automated Task Instantiation: Upon activation, hroot automatically instantiates all TaskTemplate records associated with that bucket into active StaffTask records for this experiment.
4. Phase Deadline: Each active bucket can be given a phase deadline date (Fälligkeitsdatum) directly in the header, keeping milestones on track.
5. Deactivation: If a bucket is deactivated, the uncompleted template tasks for that bucket are cleanly removed.

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4. Session-Repeat Phases (Session-Wiederholungen)

Certain tasks must be carried out for every individual session rather than just once for the whole experiment (e.g., ventilating the lab room 15 minutes before the session, printing participant sign-in sheets, verifying seating layout).

• Session Phase Flag (session_phase = true): A bucket can be marked as a Session-Repeat Phase. In the UI, it displays a distinct orange badge (Session-Wiederholung).
• Session-Level Generation: Tasks belonging to a session-repeat bucket are automatically generated per session, linking each task directly to its corresponding session datetime and location.

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5. Staff Assignment & Kanban Dashboard

• Delegating Tasks: Tasks can be assigned to individual team members (assigned_to) or co-assigned to multiple users.
• Personal Dashboard: When staff members log in, their assigned tasks appear directly on their personal dashboard in an interactive Kanban Board with columns:
  • Open (Offen)
  • In Progress (In Bearbeitung)
  • Completed (Erledigt)
  • Cancelled (Abgebrochen)
• Real-Time Drag & Drop: Team members can drag cards between status columns, mark items complete, or view task descriptions with one click.
• Automated Email Notifications: When a task is assigned, updated, or removed, the assigned staff member receives an email notification.

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6. Permissions & Delegation

• Creating & Delegating: Any standard Administrator or Experimenter with appropriate rights can create tasks and delegate them to active team members.
• Editing Scope: Standard Administrators can view all tasks across the system, and can edit, update status, or delete tasks that they created (created_by) or that are assigned to them (assigned_to).
• Full Task Governance: Banking-Administrators have full administrative authority to edit, reassign, or delete any task in the system, even if created by and assigned to other team members.