This article provides a comprehensive guide on using the Action Planner and CLF (Closed Loop Feedback) features in employee surveys. It covers the setup, configuration, and management of these tools for project managers and users responsible for follow-up processes.

The Action Planner allows monitoring and administrating the follow-up process in employee surveys post-result reports. Local administrators manage the process for individual units, while a project team oversees the organization-wide process. Integrated into the Org Processor of EFS Employee, it leverages functionalities already implemented in the employee survey. This guide covers the typical steps of a follow-up process, navigation in the organizational structure, creating and managing actions, and configuring various settings for project managers.

• First Orientation in the Org Processor
• Creating and Managing Actions
• Project Manager Instructions
• Creating and Configuring the Task Trigger

Typical steps of a follow-up process

Usually, a follow-up process is separated in two phases: The project manager prepares the Action Planner and starts the follow-up process. The following steps are necessary:

• Activating the Action Planner
• Configuring the Action Planner (e.g. creating subject groups)
• Activating CLF
• Configuring CLF
• Inviting responsible persons

The responsible persons of the individual units work with the Action Planner. Usually, they face the following tasks:

• First login
• First Orientation
• Navigating the organizational structure
• Creating actions
• Real-time monitoring of actions
• Export functions
• Overview of responsible persons

First orientation in the Org Processor

When logging in, you will be routed to the Org Processor start page automatically.

• Here, you can find up-to-date information on the status of the project.
• In many cases, the project manager will use the start page to share information and tips with you.
• You can enter all areas of Org Processor that you’re authorized to access by opening the respective tabs. The sample person in the project shown below can access Return, Report Overview and Action Planner.
• The links in the right upper corner of the screen enable you to update your personal account data, change the language or log out.

Navigation in the Organizational Structure

From the start page, go to the Action Planner tab. It shows the organizational structure for your area of responsibility.

• For each unit, information on the status of the follow-up process is displayed, as e.g. status and number of actions.
• If a unit is opened, i.e. its subunits are currently displayed, it is marked by a [-] icon. By clicking on the [-] icon, the subunits are hidden i.e. the branch is closed.
• If a unit contains additional subunits that are currently not displayed, it is marked by a [+] icon. By clicking on the [+] icon, you can open the unit, i.e. display its subunits.

Display and Editing options

Above the organizational structure, various buttons allow to change the display of the structure or to start import and export:

• Import actions: Use this button to open the import dialog
• Export actions: Use this button to open the export dialog
• Expand all: All branches will be shown, so you can see all hierarchical levels.
• Collapse all: All branches will be closed, so you can only see the first level of your area of responsibility.
• Activate auto expansion: All subunits will be opened automatically.
• View: This button opens a dialog that allows to display of additional columns with information or to hide superfluous columns.

Properties of units in detail

The following information is displayed for each unit.

Column	Description
Unit	Name of the unit.
Metaname	Unique identifier of the units.
Status accumulated	Status light icons provide information on the status of the follow-up actions in the current unit and its subunits:No actions have been defined yet.None of the existing actions has been started.Some of the existing actions have been started.All existing actions have been finished.
Status direct	An exclamation mark shows up if no actions have been created yet for the respective unit or if the minimum number of actions has not been reached yet.Status light icons provide information on the status of the follow up actions of the current unit and its subunits:None of the existing actions has been started.Some of the existing actions have been started.All existing actions have been finished.
Accumulated number of actions	Number of existing actions in the current unit and its subunits.
Direct number of actions	Number of existing actions in the current unit.
Accumulated value of not started action	The number of action which have not been started yet.
Accumulated value of started actions	The number of all actions which have already been started.
Accumulated value of completed actions	The number of all actions which have already been completed.
Actions	Via the icon, you can access the export dialog and download either the actions or the statistics of the current unit and its subunits.

Accessing the actions of a specific unit

To access the actions of a specific unit, click on its title in the organizational structure. An overview of the actions of the said unit is opened.

Display Options

Various links and buttons allow you to change the display:

• The blue Back to Organizational Structure link routes you back to the general overview.
• The Show Tree view button will open the organizational structure in a second window, enabling you to switch quickly between the individual units and levels.
• You can also switch between the different units you are responsible for by using the Arrow buttons.

Editing options

The Create action button allows you to add new actions. If you want to edit existing actions, use the icons in the “Actions” column to open the appropriate function:

• Copy: Enables you to either just copy an action once into a single target unit, or to distribute it into the sublevels of other branches. Actions can be copied into other views, too.
• Move action: Opens a dialog which allows to move the action into another unit.
• Edit: Opens the dialog, allowing to change the data of the action retroactively.
• Delete: After a security prompt, the respective action will be removed.

Creating new actions

To add a new action, proceed as follows:

• Click on the Create action button.
• Enter the necessary data

• If you want to add more actions to the same unit, activate the “Add another action after saving this action” checkbox.
• Use the Save button to create the action. Then, you will be returned to the overview, which contains the new action.

Properties of actions in detail

The table lists all properties an action may have, plus detailed explanations.

Property	Description
ID	Unique identifier of the action. Allocated automatically by the system. It cannot be changed
Title of action	This title will be displayed in the overview of all actions of the respective unit.
Subject group	All actions must be allocated to a subject group. The subject groups are defined by the project management. They are important for the further analysis of the follow-up process.
Problem description	In this field, you can further specify the problem which has been discussed in the workshop or which has been detected in the course of the analysis of the survey resultsIt is recommended to keep the texts short and to the point. With long texts, the usability of the interface and the export files may suffer.
Action description	In this field, you can enter the solution that has been discussed in the workshop or that has been detected in the course of the analysis.It is recommended to keep the texts short and to the point. With long texts, the usability of the interface and the export files may suffer.
Responsible person	The responsible person for the respective action.If this field is used, users can see all users of the current unit’s branch and their e-mail addresses via the Binoculars icon. If this is not wanted, please get in touch with our support: they can configure Action Planner in such a way that the field is hidden.
Process status	With this drop-down field, you can define the current status of the action. You can choose between “not started”, “started” and “completed”. The status of the action will be recorded in the statistics and is symbolized by the status light.Please make sure that during the follow-up process, the status of the actions is always kept up to date.
Scope	With this drop-down field, you can define if this action shall be valid for your “own unit”, or is to be defined as either “cross-departmental” or “cross-location”.This categorization has no effect on the visibility of the actions.
Completion date	Here you can enter the binding “completion date” for the responsible person.Only dates in the following two calendar years can be selected.

Copying actions

Thanks to the copy features of Action Planner, you can easily adapt existing actions for other parts of the structure. Two options are available:

• simply copying the selected action into a single target unit.
• multiple copying of the action into the units of a neighboring branch. It is up to you to decide from which “starting point” downwards the subunits of the branch should be filled with copies, and to which level depth. Up to three levels are possible.

All copying actions will be logged in detail in the copy log file of the source action. Proceed as follows:

• Locate the action you want to copy and click on the Copy icon.
• Define the target of the copying process:
  • Individual target unit
  • Target area
• In the next dialog, describe the target area more closely:
  • If you have selected “Individual target unit”, all you need to do is select that target unit.
  • If you have selected “Target area”, define the starting point and the level depth for the copying process.
• Confirm by clicking on Continue.
• The action is copied. In the copying log, an entry will be made for every individual copy action.

Moving actions

Now and then, it is necessary to change the unit of an action retroactively. Instead of deleting the action in the old unit and creating it anew in the next unit, you can simply move it. Proceed as follows:

• Locate the action you want to move and click on the Move action icon.
• In the field “Move action x to unit” you can select the target unit.
  • To do so, click on the binoculars icon.
  • This prompts a list of all available units. Browse this list and select the desired new parent unit by clicking on Select.
• Confirm by clicking on Save.

The moving of actions requires the right actionplanner_transfer.

Subscribing to reminder emails

Optionally, the project manager can activate the automated dispatch of reminder email. If the function is configured for individual-related dispatch, the reminders will be sent to the creator of the respective unit automatically. Alternatively, you can enter recipients manually.

• Use the Edit icon to open the action for which you want to enter recipients.
• In the detail view, you can find a new „Reminder recipients“ section, containing a list of the current subscribers.
• Click on the Add recipient of reminder button.
• A list of the possible recipients is displayed. Click on the Add e-mail recipient icon to adopt the appropriate person.

Importing actions and/or updating actions per import

Action Planner includes an import function that enables you to edit large numbers of actions easily.

• Instead of creating actions manually, you can import all actions or a large number of actions via a CSV or Excel file.
• If you have to edit existing actions, you can export them, edit them externally, and then upload the current data.

Proceed as follows:

• Depending on your goal, you may want to choose different starting points:
  • If you want to create actions via import, use the Import actions button to open the import dialog and download the pre-formatted template.
  • If you intend to update existing actions, export the list of existing actions instead.
• Open the file in a suitable program, e.g., in Excel, and enter the new actions resp. change the existing data. Please make sure that no action ID (ac_id) is entered for new actions!
• Then, save the file in Excel or CSV format.
• Use the Import actions button to open the import dialog and import the file as usual.

Formatting of the import file

Please check the table to learn which data fits into which column of the import file.

Column	Description
ac_id	Unique identifier of the actionIf you want to create a new action, keep this field blank.If you want to update an existing action, the ID can be found in the unit-specific overview of actions
ac_editable	Editability of the measure code:1: editable0: not editable
ac_name	Title of action
ac_cat	ID of the subject group
ac_headline	Problem description
ac_desc	Action description
ac_response	Responsible person
ac_status	Process status code:not started2: started3: completed
ac_scope	Scope code1: own unit2: cross departmental3: cross location
ac_date	Completion dateThe period includes the past three years, plus two years into the future.Format:YYYY-MM-DDHH:MM:SSe.g. 2010-05-2814:00:01
metaname	Meta name: Unique identifier of the unit.

Exporting actions

You can export the actions of your area of responsibility, e.g. for a workshop or for external editing. Switch to the Export tab.

Activate the “All actions for organizational unit and child units” option and confirm by clicking on the Send button. Then, save the file on your PC.

Viewing the status of actions

On the Statistics tab, you can monitor the progress of the follow-up process in your area of responsibility in real time.

While the Actions tab shows the content of the single actions and their current status, the Statistics tab classifies the actions according to the subject groups chosen and the process status. The overall status is calculated from all actions subordinated to the respective subject areas and their status respectively.

The Info section shows the total number of actions, the number of subunits where actions have been created, and the average number of actions created.

Exporting the status of actions

You can export the real-time statistics as an Excel file. This function makes it possible to:

• get an overview of the current status of actions for the unit.
• compare the status in time rows.
• create Excel charts for the follow-up process. Switch to the Export tab.

Activate the “Statistics for organizational unit and child units” option and confirm by clicking on the Send button. Then, save the file on your PC.

Subscribing to Status E-Mails

Optionally, project management can set up status e-mails, providing regular information on the progress of the follow-up process in your unit. If you want to receive such status e-mails, open the Statistics tab and use the binoculars icon to enter your mail address in the “Recipients of status e-mail” field. You can enter other persons as recipients, too.

The frequency and content of the status e-mail are defined by project management.

Overview of responsible persons

The User Management tab provides an overview of all persons responsible for the follow-up process in the current unit, including their names and e-mail addresses.

Project Manager Instructions

Instructions for project managers: Preparing the Action Planner and CLF

In the following, you will get to know the typical process when preparing the Action Planner and implementing CLF in your Employee project.

Creating an organizational structure

Creating an organizational structure is possible in two ways:

• by initially adding Org Processor users and their roles to the Org Processor and subsequently synchronizing these users to a panel group.
• by initially adding panel groups to People and subsequently synchronizing these groups to the Employee project.

When adding data initially, we recommend adding users and their roles to the Org Processor, then synchronizing these data to the panel and performing the central data management in People.

Creating and applying roles

You can either apply the default standard roles or create new roles in order to assign them to users.

Under Project → {Selected project} → Process configuration on the tab Roles, you see four pre-defined standard roles (Owner, Superior, Report recipient and Read-only user) holding different activated rights. By clicking the paragraph icon of a role, you reach the Rights Administration displaying the rights of each role. For tasks and CLF, the following rights under the section Follow-Up – Action Planner are important:

• comment_create: Right to add new comments to tasks and edit or delete own comments
• comment_moderate: Right to edit or delete any comment in relation to tasks
• workflow_use: Right to see and use workflows
• view_survey_result: Right to access survey results

You may adapt the rights of the standard roles in the Rights administration according to your needs and use case. By clicking the button Create role, you can create new additional roles with certain rights.

When creating new roles, the respective labels of roles, e.g. “Owner”, can be identical, making it hard to distinguish between different Owners with identical names. However, the bracketed abbreviation behind the label has to be unique.

Creating users and assigning them to their organizational unit

Under Org Processor → Org processor users, you can import already built organizational structures or create Org processor users as well as their assignments to units manually.

Create new master data

For the synchronization of Org Processor users and panelists, you need the use of master data. You can either use existing master data or create new ones. Using master data and subsequently synchronizing them is recommended. This way, you don‘t have to manage these user data on both sides – in the Org Processor and in the panel. For creating new master data, go to People → Master data → Create master data.

Create a panel group through Employee Import

Under People → Panelist administration → Panelists import from Employee project, a new panel group has to be created in the context of the project setup.

Setting up the synchronization

To transfer the data of the panel groups to the organizational structure, the Employee synchronization is available. To set up the synchronization, go to People → Groups → [Select group] → Employee-Sync → Add Employee-Sync job.

Here, the following information is required: select your Employee project as well as the master-data variable storing the respective assignment of panelists to their roles and unit. Roles and units are quoted in the following format: [ROLE ABBREVIATION]:[metaname(s) of organizational unit(s)]. Different roles are separated by semicolons, and different units by commas. Example: OWN:unit1; SUP:unit2, unit3, unit4.

For a successful synchronization, the panelists of the group need a master data variable with at least one role and unit assignment.

The synchronization of each Employee project runs once a day. In case you want to make changes to Org Processor users, you will therefore have to wait one day. During the synchronization, all existing roles and units are deleted before being created again. Therefore, it is not recommended to make changes to the users manually. Correct roles and units are transferred, and incomplete roles and units remain deleted.

On errors during the synchronization, an e-mail is sent to the job creator. The error of the last synchronization can be viewed by going to People → Groups → [Select group] → Employee-Sync as well as by editing a job.

There can be only one synchronization setup for each Employee project – and vice versa, each group can be synchronized to several Employee projects.

Displaying the originator of an action

It is possible to display in the Action Planner who has created an action. This improves transparency and traceability in the follow-up process. To do so, open the Org Processor → Configuration → Action Planner configuration menu and activate the “Show originator of an action” option on the Settings tab.

Now, an additional “Created by” column will be displayed in the overview of actions of a unit, showing to you and your Action Planner users who have created a specific action. The detailed views of actions and the exported list of actions contain this information, too.

Creating subject groups

Action Planner actions are usually allocated to subject groups which are defined by the project management beforehand. In many cases, these subject groups correspond to subjects that have already been used in the questionnaire to group questions, for example, “Leadership culture”, “Working conditions” etc. But you can also choose subject groups that have been defined as fields of development for the organization based on the survey results.

Accessing subject groups

To find the existing subject groups of your project, open the Org Processor → Configuration → Action Planner configuration → Subject groups menu. A “Default subject group” exists per default.

The subject groups can be imported and exported in Excel or CSV files. For the import, use the button Import subject groups, for the export, use the Excel export or CSV export buttons.

Via the button View, you can select and deselect the languages in which the subject groups shall be displayed. You can also select the number of rows per page.

Editing subject groups

To edit the existing subject groups, use the icons in the “Actions” column:

• Edit: Click on the Edit icon to open the dialog shown above and change the label.
• Delete: Additional subject groups can be deleted. The default subject group cannot be deleted.

Creating new subject groups

To create an additional subject group, proceed as follows:

• Click on the Create subject group button.
• Enter the English and/or German name of the subject group.
• Decide if the subject group should be selectable. This is usually the case for newlycreated subject groups. Deactivating selectability is an option if, for example, a subject group is deprecated and you do not want users to allocate further actions to it.
• Click on the Save button.

Setting up automated dispatch of status e-mails

Optionally, you can set up status e-mails that provide regular information on the progress of the follow-up process. The Action Planner users can subscribe to these status e-mails for their area of responsibility.

Example

A status e-mail contains an overview of measures for the current organizational unit and its subunits (section “Information”) and additional status overviews by subject groups.

Organizational unit: Sample Company C Inc. (US-C100-001)

Subject group: Default subject group

• ————————————-

Number of actions: 9

Not started: 5

Started: 0

Reopened: 0

Completed: 4

Subject group: Teamarbeit

• ————————————-

Number of actions: 6

Not started: 2

Started: 4

Reopened: 0

Completed: 0

Information:

Total number of actions: 15

Total number of reopened actions: 0

Total number of organizational units: 1

Mean number of actions: 15

In addition to the status e-mails, you can send automated reminders to the responsible persons before the completion date of an action is reached.

Creating a mail template for the status e-mail

As for other automated dispatch processes, the content of the status e-mail is defined via a mail template. In the Options → Mail templates menu, create a new mail template. Please mind:

• Select the “Org Processor mail” type.
• Dedicated wildcards #overview_action_german# and #overview_action_english# are available for the status e-mails. They allow insertion of the overview table shown above either in English or in German. At least one of these wildcards should be entered in the template.

The #overview_action_german# and #overview_action_english# wildcards can only be used in e-mails of type “Text”. The use of these placeholders in e-mails of type “HTML” is not supported.

Assigning the mail template to the current project

In the next step, the new mail template is allocated to the current project, Otherwise, it would not be available for status e-mails in this project.

• Switch back to your project and open the project’s Mail templates menu.
• Locate the mail template you have just created.
• In the column “Project template”, its current assignment status is indicated. Usually, a new template has the status “No”. If you click on the status link, it will change to “Yes”.

Configuring the status e-mail

To configure and activate the status e-mail, open the Org Processor → Configuration → Action Planner configuration menu. On the Settings tab, go to the “Status e-mails section”:

• In the “Mail template for e-mails containing status information” field, select the template created above.
• In the “Start date to send status e-mails” field, define from which date onwards the mails should be sent.
• In the “Send interval of status e-mails” field, you can define how often the emails will be sent. You can choose between daily, weekly, and monthly dispatch.
• In the “Dispatch of status e-mails active” field, the dispatch process is activated. As long as this field is not activated, no emails will be sent.
• In the “Mail template for notifications (Portals)” field, you can optionally select a mail template to inform responsible persons when new tasks are being created for their organizational unit.
• Save the settings.

New tasks can either be created manually or automatically (by the Task Trigger).

Subscribing to status e-mails

If Action Planner users wish to receive status e-mails for their area of responsibility, all they need to do is open the detail view of the parent unit, go to the Statistics tab, and enter their mail address in the “Recipients of status e-mail” field.

Setting up automated dispatch of reminders and auto-escalation

It is possible to send automated reminders to the persons responsible for the follow-up process before the completion date of actions is reached.

• The automated dispatch can be activated optionally.
• Several mails can be defined, to fit various recipients and various situations.
• You can define if the reminder should be sent to the user who created the action (individual-related), or if users with a specific role in the respective unit should be contacted.
• If individual-related reminders are used, a dedicated dialog allows the users to enter recipients for specific actions.

Creating a mail template for the reminder mail

As for other automated dispatch processes, the content of the reminder mail is defined via a mail template. In the System → Libraries → Mail templates menu, create a new mail template. Please mind:

• Select the “Org Processor mail” type.
• Dedicated wildcards are available for the reminder e-mails, enabling you to insert the necessary information. The table provides an overview.

Wildcard	Meaning
#ac_name#	Title of action
#ac_headline#	Problem description
#ac_desc#	Description of action
#ac_response#	Responsible person
#ac_cat#	Subject ID
#ac_status#	Status ID
#ac_scope#	ID of scope
#ac_date#	Completion date
#ac_creator#	Creator
#label#	Name of unit
#metaname#	Meta name of unit

If you grant users access to “Mail users”, please note: The users will get access to all “Org Processor mail” templates including the reminder emails. By labeling reminder mail templates clearly, you can prevent users from selecting them in the mail dispatch process.

Assigning the mail template to the current project

In the next step, the new mail template is allocated to the current project, Otherwise, it would not be available for status e-mails in this project.

• Switch back to your project and open the project’s Mail templates menu.
• Locate the mail template you have just created.
• In the column “Project template”, its current assignment status is indicated. Usually, a new template has the status “No”. If you click on the status link, it will change to “Yes”.

Defining general reminder settings

In the next step, you define general settings for the reminder.

• Go to the Projects → {Selected project} → Org Processor → Action Planner configuration → Reminder settings menu.
• Click “Activate reminder support” and Save.
• Now the other options can be edited.
• If you want to activate the automated dispatch process immediately, activate “Activate reminder dispatch”. This is not necessary: You can make all necessary settings beforehand, and start the dispatch process later.
• Use the “Type of reminder” mail to define who should receive the reminders:
  • Individual-related reminder: Per default, the mail is sent to the user who created an action. Alternatively, the users can enter other recipients in the “Reminder recipients” section of the detail view of the respective action.
  • Role-related reminder: Users with a specific role will get the notification. The role is defined in the next step.
• Save your settings.

Defining specific reminder mail settings and auto-escalation

Finally, define one or several reminder emails and optionally the auto-escalation. Start by clicking Add reminder mail setting. Then, configure each mail as follows and Save:

• Mail template: In this field, select the mail template which should be used. Mail templates of type “Org Processor mail” are available if they have been assigned to the project.
• Action status: In this field, you select which status an action should have to trigger the currently-defined reminder mail. For example, you can send different emails to the users responsible for “not started” and “started” actions. Or you can send a Thank-you mail to users who have completed their actions in time.
• Days before end: Define how many days before completion the mail should be sent.
• Roles: If “Role-related reminder” is selected, use this field to define the recipients’ role.
• Escalate: When the escalation is active, expired tasks will be escalated to the parent unit and the Org users in that unit will get a notification.
• Completion date: The completion date can be extended upon escalation to avoid further automatic escalation before the next user is able to edit the mentioned tasks.

The reminder emails can be edited and deleted later.

The escalation can only be activated for role-related reminders.

Managing variables of actions

In the variable editor, you can create, edit, and relocate the variables storing information on a task. Navigate via the following path to the variable editor of the Action Planner:

Org Processor → Configuration → Action Planner Configuration → Action Planner variables

When creating a new variable, you can select different display types like Text field, Checkbox, Image and Hyperlink. Self-created variables generated for the Action Planner are automatically labeled with the prefix ac_.

To hide or display variables in the exterior view, set the setting “Show the content of this variable” to “no” or “yes”.

In editing mode, you can change the label of self-created variables. You can also decide whether you want to “Allow editing of the content of this variable” or “Show the content of this variable” or not.

With the arrows on the right, you can change the order of variables in the variable editor and respectively change the order of variables in the exterior view.

Variables in the Task List

All Action Planner variables (ac-variables), including self-created variables, can be displayed in the exterior view of Task List in Portals. With the new display types Image and Hyperlink, links to images or other pages can be created in the exterior view of Task List in Portals. To provide the display types in the exterior view of Task List in Portals, you want to create the respective variables in the variable editor of the Action Planner first.

The display types Image and Hyperlink can only be used in the Portals page module Task List. They have no influence on the exterior view of the Org Processor.

History log for tasks

Each task has a history log in which all modifications to this task are chronologically stored. The information stored in the history log of tasks is only viewable in Task List of Portals.

Workflows

The workflow buttons are an important feature when working on tasks. Workflows enable you to assign, escalate, close and reopen tasks as well as invite participants to follow-up surveys. Workflows can be added and configured for each of the three status Not started – Started – Completed to define the availability of the different workflows for each status.

Configuring workflows

To configure workflows, navigate via the following path to the workflows of the Action Planner:

Org Processor → Configuration →  Action Planner configuration → Workflow

Via the Add button and the trash icon, you can add workflows to the different statuses and remove them again. Linked workflows are configurable for the respective status. Configured and therefore applicable workflows have a green radio button in the column “Executable” – a red radio button however labels workflows that are not configured and therefore not executable. The order of workflows can be adapted via drag and drop and determines the order of workflow buttons in the exterior view.

Creating mail templates for workflows

Some workflows require mail templates. Mail templates for workflows need to be saved as individual project templates in order to be available for workflows.

• Navigate via the following path to the mail templates for your project:

[Selected project] → Mail templates → New draft

• Create a new mail template. Please consider:
  • Select the “Org Processor mail” type.
  • Via the following path, you‘ll find all Action Planner variables available. Here, you can add new variables, adapt all variables and you can use these variables as wildcards in your mail template:

[Selected project] → Org Processor → Configuration → Action Planner configuration → Action Planner variables

To use Action Planner variables as wildcards in your mail template, enclose the relevant variable label with two hash signs.

• The wildcard #action_comment# is especially dedicated to workflow e-mails. By using this wildcard in the mail template, comments within workflows can be included in e-mails to be sent. These wildcards can be found in the section Mail text of the new draft by clicking on the question mark icon.

Example for a mail text within a mail template:

—

Hello #ac_resonse#,

a new task #ac_name# has been created:

http://www.example-efs.com/APortalsName/#ac_id#

Please take care of it.

Best regards,

the system

—

The link in this email text is the same for all workflow mail templates. Upon execution of workflows with e-mail dispatch, the wildcard ID in this link is replaced by the actual ID of the relevant task. Via this link, the responsible person is led directly to the assigned task.

By clicking on the question mark icon, a list of available wildcards for setting mail templates is shown.

• After having completed the mail template, confirm with Save.
• Optionally, you can view the e-mail of your mail template in preview mode by clicking on the button Preview on the top left side of the draft.
• To allocate the new mail template to the current project, go back to the Mail templates menu and switch the assignment status of your mail template in the column Project template from “No” to “Yes” by clicking on the status link.

The new mail template is now available for your project within the workflows.

Configuring the workflow “Assign to”

This workflow allows the assignment of tasks to users, who receive a respective notification via e-mail. You can define whether people of one‘s own unit only or people of one‘s own unit and all levels down will be selectable upon execution of this workflow. You also select the mail template for the e-mail that will be sent to the person this task is assigned to.

• To configure this workflow, click on the link Assign to.
• In the workflow editor, select Own unit or Own unit and all levels down, depending on the units you want to be selectable for the responsible person when assigning tasks.
• Select a previously created mail template for the e-mail dispatch.
• Confirm your settings with Save.

The radio button of the respective workflow changed to green. The workflow “Assign to” is configured and executable.

Configuring the workflow “Escalate to”

This workflow allows the escalation of tasks to users of the next level up. These users receive a notification via e-mail with the information about the escalation. For this email, the mail template you select during configuration is used.

• To configure this workflow, click on the link Escalate to.
• Select a previously created mail template for the e-mail dispatch.
• Confirm with Save.

The radio button of the respective workflow changed to green. The workflow “Escalate to” is configured and executable.

Configuring the workflow “Invite to follow-up survey”

This workflow allows the invitation of survey participants to follow-up surveys in order to find out if taken tasks have contributed to the satisfaction of this participant and will result in a different (more positive) feedback.

• To configure this workflow, click on the link Invite to follow-up survey.
• Select a previously created mail template for the e-mail dispatch.
• In the drop-down list Sample, select the personalized survey the participant will be invited to.
• Select the participant variable storing the task ID
• the participant variable storing the Employee project-ID
• as well as the ac-variable containing the participant‘s e-mail address
• and the ac-variable containing the project-ID for the follow-up survey
• Confirm your settings with Save.

The radio button of the respective workflow changed to green. The workflow “Invite to follow-up survey” is configured and executable.

Configuring the workflow “Close“

This workflow allows the closing of tasks by users responsible for them. There are two types of closing:

• the simple closing
• the closing with (automatic) invitation to a follow-up survey

Simple closing

For the simple closing, no configuration is necessary. This workflow is executable directly after adding the workflow, indicated by the green radio button.

Closing with (automatic) invitation to the follow-up survey

• To configure this workflow, click on the link Close.
• For completing the settings in the workflow editor, see steps 2-7 of the workflow configuration „Invite to follow-up survey“.
• If you wish an invitation to a follow-up survey to be sent out upon closing at all times: don‘t check the box „Confirm invitation?“.
• If you want the responsible person of the task to decide whether he/she sends out an invitation to a follow-up survey or not upon closing: do check the box „Confirm invitation?“.
• Confirm with Save.

The radio button of the respective workflow changed to green. The workflow “Close” is configured and executable.

Allocating the workflow right

In order to see and apply the configured workflow buttons in the exterior view, responsible users of tasks need the workflow right in their respective roles.

• To allocate the workflow right, navigate via the following path to the Rights administration of the role you want to allocate the workflow right to:

[Selected project] → Process configuration → tab Roles → Paragraph icon of the respective role → Rights administration

• Check the box in the row “actionplanner_workflow_use” of the section Follow Up – Action Planner.
• Confirm with Save.

You have allocated the workflow right to responsible users in their respective roles.

Creating and configuring the Task Trigger

With the Task Trigger, you can create new tasks in Employee projects for survey projects. The Task Trigger can automatically be executed in a survey after the response to a question. Depending on how a survey participant has answered a certain question, the Task Trigger creates a task in the Action Planner which has been predefined for this purpose. The Task Trigger can be created on any page of the survey project. If the Task Trigger is created on the final page, for example, it will be triggered upon completion of the survey. The Task Trigger is configured on the basis of a selected Employee project storing the required organizational structure and the respective Action module the Task Trigger accesses when triggering the task. A number of conditions and settings define if a task is created and what content is stored in this task. The target unit for a task needs to be provided in a variable of the originating survey. In case a unit cannot be found, a survey runtime error is thrown and the survey‘s error notification recipients will be notified. The survey wildcards can be used to dynamically fill Action Planner variables. Conditions can be defined to provide different content based on predefined rules. Default fields for defining the task cannot be removed and must have a value.

To create the Task Trigger, proceed as follows:

• Navigate via the following path to the Task Trigger in your survey project:

[Selected project] → Questionnaire editor → [Selected page] → Triggers

• The Trigger list is opened.
• Click on the button + Trigger.
• Enter a Title for the trigger into the text field. Alternatively, you can enter the title in step 5.
• Activate the option Task Trigger and click on the button Create.

The Task Trigger is created and the tab Settings is opened.

• Assign a Title for the trigger if not yet done.
• Optionally, you can fill in a Description.
• Via the Execution position, you can define when the trigger is going to be executed. If you want the trigger to be executed directly, it will be triggered upon loading of the page, that is as soon as a survey participant reaches this page. If you want the trigger to be executed after submitting page, it will be triggered upon submitting the page, that is as soon as a survey participant leaves this page.

On the final page, only the direct execution of the Task Trigger is possible. If you want to perform step 8, save your previous information first!

• Optionally, define a Condition for the execution of the trigger to adapt the trigger‘s behavior respectively. In order to do so, click on Edit in the row Condition, enter as usual variable, condition, and value into the entry mask in the condition editor, and confirm with Save.

Switch back to the tab Settings by clicking on the link Back.

• If you want the trigger to be executed in preview mode also, check the respective box.
• If you want the trigger to be executed multiple times in one survey session, check the respective box.
• Save your information.
• Click on the tab Detail Configuration. The tab Detail configuration is opened.

• Select the Employee target project in which the task is going to be created. The section Task definition with a list of definable target variables is opened.
• Select the survey variable storing the meta name of the organizational unit, enabling the trigger to assign the task to the relevant unit.
• In the section Task definition, enter values for the target variables into the five predefined required fields.
• With the variable Completion date, you define how many days the task has to be finished.
• With the variable Action status, you define if the task has the status Not started, Started, or Finished.
• Optionally, you can add new assignments. In order to do so, click on the button Add and define more target variables and their values.
• Optionally, you can define a condition for each assignment. In order to do so, click in the column Condition on the sign icon of the respective assignment, enter as usual variable, condition, and value in the condition editor, and save your information.

Switch back to the tab Detail Configuration by clicking on the link Back.

• Confirm your information with Save.

The filling of the task is defined. The configuration of the Task Trigger is completed. The Task Trigger will automatically be executed when the trigger condition is met.

When entering the values:

• all text strings must be enclosed by quotation marks.
• wildcards can be used to insert project variables.

A lightning symbol in the info column of the Questionnaire editor indicates that triggers have been created. By hovering over the symbol, you can display the type and number of created triggers.

FAQ

What is the purpose of the Action Planner?

The Action Planner allows monitoring and administration of the follow-up process in employee surveys after the delivery of result reports. It helps track and manage actions taken based on survey results.

How can I create a new action in the Action Planner?

To create a new action, click on the “Create action” button, enter the necessary data in the provided fields, and click “Save”. You can optionally choose to add another action after saving.

What are workflows in the Action Planner?

Workflows in the Action Planner are predefined processes that allow users to assign, escalate, close, and reopen tasks, as well as invite participants to follow-up surveys. They help streamline the follow-up process and ensure consistent handling of actions.