Properties dialog box - Task page

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Properties dialog box - Task page - Step tab

Right-click on a shape and choose Properties. Or, with the shape selected, on the Edit menu, choose Properties to open the Properties dialog box. Select the Task page and then the Step tab.

The task information covers the time the activity takes to complete, its associated costs, activity base, and schedule. For subprocess or embedded subprocess types, view or specify additional options for the subprocess.

Step Types

Work- Causes transactions to be processed for a specific amount of time (duration). Time spent in the work state is reflected in the Transaction Working Times statistics (see Report Elements).

Process- Connects the current process to another process for purposes of subprocessing, and creates hierarchy. For Process options, see Process Options below.

Delay- Halts processing for a specific amount of time. Similar to Work time, except that the time is counted as Blocked or Inactive time.

Work and Delay Options

The Work and Delay step types share these common options, which are listed alphabetically:

Element	Description
Duration	Duration is the amount of time it takes to do something: Constant–The same time for all transactions entering the activity. Distributed–Distributed within a minimum and maximum time period in one of these ways: Uniform–Duration values within the minimum and maximum range have an equal chance occurring. Normal–Duration values are distributed over the minimum or maximum time based on a normal or bell shaped curve, with the mean being the average of the minimum and maximum. Expression–Durations for transactions are based on the value of an expression. For example, a duration that is exponentially distributed around a mean of 5 minutes uses the expression ExponDist(5). See System Defined Functions Reference. The duration is the active amount of time for any resources specified on the Resources page to do the work, and will be limited by their schedule. For example, a duration of 2 days is 48 hours in Calendar mode. If the duration starts Monday at 8 am and the resource is active 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, then it will take 8 calendar days to complete the task.
Limited Schedule	Limits the time frame of the activity to a schedule. Choose a schedule, or click the button to define a schedule. This option can limit when transactions are processed, and if it is different than (vs. a subset of) schedules for resources used, it might not process any transactions; so use with caution. As an example of Limited Schedule, consider an activity of “Month-end Processing” that only works on the last workday of the month. This is a subset of the resource schedule, and all transactions will be held until this activity is in schedule. You could instead batch collect transactions by an Event; see Properties dialog box - Inputs page for more on batching.
Overtime Behavior	Specifies how the activity behaves if resources go out of schedule. Suspend–No overtime allowed. If a resource goes out of schedule, it stops work. Processing starts again when a resource is available. If the activity goes out of schedule, work is stopped and resumed when the activity is again in schedule. Don’t Start–The activity is not started unless it can be completed in the activity schedule. Resources must be in schedule and available for the length of the activity. Resource availability can be affected by preemptive transactions. OK If Started–The activity allows overtime if it has already started processing a transaction. New transactions are not started until both the activity and resources are in schedule. Always OK–Overtime is always allowed. Finish Queue–The activity allows overtime for transactions that are already in the queue waiting for resources. No new transactions are allowed in the queue until the resources go back in schedule.
Task Type	Places a graphical indicator inside the shape to hint at what the task does. Please see the table below this table for more information.
Callable Task	Indicate that this step calls a task using arguments. Useful for interactions with external systems, such as creating structure for export via XML-based (e.g. XPDL) formats. If you want to detail and simulate the steps of the called task, choose a Process type task and use a Callable Process (also see the Process Options topic for more information on process type tasks).
Cost (Fixed Cost)	Includes a cost and a value category. A resource can have its own value base or inherit this base. Fixed Cost–Per transaction cost. Can be a value or an expression.
Value Class	See Value Class for definitions of VA, BVA, and NVA.
Limited Capacity	Limits the number of transactions that can be processed at one time. For example, an office has four phones. The most calls the office ever handles concurrently is four, regardless of how many workers are available.
Repeat	Specifies that the activity defined for this shape repeats a certain number of times before going to the next step. Click the Specify button to define the repetition. For more information, see Repeat Details dialog box.

Task Type places a graphical indicator inside the shape to hint at what the task does:

Task Type Indicator	Task Type Name and Description
	None. No special Task Type is indicated
	User. A human performs the task with assistance from software.
	Manual Task. A human performs the task without any software involved.
	Automated Task. An automated system, such as a software service application or Web Service, is used. Also known as Service in BPMN.
	Script. A Business Rules Engine performs the task.
	Business Rule. Data send/receive with a Business Rules Engine.
Various Indicators	The Task Types listed after the separator are common notations used by, and may be useful in exchanging data with, established process frameworks or third-party enterprise software from SAP, Oracle, and others.

Process Options

Element	Description
Process Type	Choose to create or use an existing process type: Subprocess–An activity in a higher level process passes a transaction to the subprocess and waits while the subprocess handles the transaction. When it completes, the transaction returns to the original activity in the higher level process and continues. More than one process can call a subprocess. Concurrent Process–A duplicate of a transaction is passed to the concurrent process from an activity in a higher level process. The higher level process does not wait, but continues to process the original transaction while the concurrent process processes the duplicate transaction in parallel. Private Subprocess–Similar to a Subprocess in that a Subprocess completes and the flow returns to the process that called it. However, transactions entering the Private Subprocess are not affected by, and do not interact with, transactions that are introduced from different activities in the parent processes. Embedded–An expanded subprocess contained within a shape in the current diagram. The process flow up to the container shape or Embedded subprocess is the parent process. The parent process waits while the Embedded subprocess handles the transaction. When it completes, the transaction outputs to the next activity in the parent process and continues. Event Subprocess–An Event subprocess can simply have a single function, or be like an Embedded subprocess that contains shapes indicating its behavior. It is primarily used as an exception handler, particularly in BPMN diagrams. Note: Please see the Process Tasks topic for more information on process type tasks.
Process (Process Name)	Specified the child process. The selected shape is the parent shape, and in the parent diagram, of the named process. Available for subprocess type processes (Subprocess, Concurrent Process, and Private Subprocess).
Start Point	Specify the start point label for simulation use. Start points are defined in the subprocess diagram using the Properties dialog box - Inputs page.
New Process button	Available only for subprocess type processes. Create and name a new process (new diagram) to be the subprocess referenced, optionally choosing a template to use.
Properties	Set properties for the process; see Diagram Properties dialog box - Behavior page.
Callable Process, Join Before Complete, Ad-Hoc, Business Transaction, Compensable.	Please see Diagram Properties dialog box - Behavior page for more information on these options.