Creating a Delay Task

Delay tasks can be used to stop the workflow for a specified duration. Delay tasks are always automated. The delay can be set to affect the planned or actual time of a task in a workflow.

You can also set the date and time on which the next task in the workflow should be run. When you select this option, a date and time field appears. You can set the date and exact time at which the next task should begin.

Creating a Delay Task

1. Search for the Request Details window, if it is not already on screen.

2. Select the Update Dependencies explorer option on the Request Details window, or the button from the toolbar. The Task Dependencies window appears with icons for task entity types displayed below the toolbar.

3. Add the Delay task to the Dependency Diagram. On the dependency diagram, double-click the delay task icon to view the Delay Task Details window.

4. Complete the common task fields on this task.

5. Configure the delay settings.

Planned Start	This is the planned start date of the next task in the workflow. Use this parameter if you want to delay the next task based on its planned start date.
Actual Start	This is the actual start date of the next task in the workflow. Use this parameter to delay the next task in the workflow based on its actual start time. The actual time is calculated using the end time of the previous task, that is, the task before the Delay task. The Delay task calculates the time for the next task to run based on the actual time of its previous task. The actual time cannot be set at template level. It must be set by the request manager when each request is created.
Days/Hours/Minutes	This field is only displayed when you select the Planned Start, Actual Start or Request Time Field option. Specify the number of days, hours, and minutes by which you want to delay the next task.
Actual Time	The date and time on which the next task in the workflow should be run. When you select this option, a date and time field appears. You can set the date and exact time at which the next task should begin. If you include a delay task in a workflow template, you cannot set the actual date and time because the information is not known at that point. The actual date and time can be specified only on the task that is part of a request.
Request Time Field	Select this option to specify a request date field as reference for the delay tasks to complete. A drop-down list of all of the request date fields appears. Select which field to use and the date indicated in this field in the request will be used by the Delay task as a completion date. If no date is specified in the referenced field, the task completes instantly. You can also use the Days/Hours/Minutes fields to set up an offset duration on top of the date specified in the selected request date field in the drop-down list.
Child Requests Closed	This criterion sets the Delay task to only complete when all the child requests linked to the current request have been closed.
Parent Request Closed	Select this option to allow the Delay task to only complete when the parent request linked to the current request has been closed.
Calculate Delay Time Using Working Hours	This field is only displayed if the Planned Start, Actual Start or Request Time Field option is selected. Select this option to specify that the delay task must use the hours definition selected in the SLA attached to the request, on which this delay task has been created. If there is no SLA attached to the request, the delay task will instead use the default hours definition specified on the Hours Definition window. If this option is cleared (the default setting), then the delay task will not use the hours definition selected in the SLA attached to the request or the default hours defined.

6. Save the details.