How to prepopulate a work item with tasks based on a template?

If you have a list of tasks that should be applied to your work items time and again, it is possible to promptly add them, either automatically or manually.

The following features in Targetprocess serve for this purpose:

• Task / Test Case Templates mashup — works for User Story > Tasks and User Story > Test Cases lists. You define lists of tasks and test cases as custom templates as one-time action. Further you apply these templates to your user stories manually whenever needed.
• Task Creator plugin — works for User Story > Tasks lists. You define lists of tasks as custom templates as one-time action as well. In order to apply a template, you insert special shortcut sequence into the name of a story when you add it.
• Webhooks (Deprecated. Please use Automation Rules instead) — work with multiple types of entities. You define events and matching filters and create a custom script. The script is launched automatically when a work item is added - and creates subset of tasks inside it.
• Quick Add Several Work Items — work with multiple types of entities. You can update your existing work items with lists of predefined nested tasks manually.
• Import from CSV file — work with multiple types of entities. You can update your existing work items with lists of predefined nested tasks as well as create new work items. This action is fully manual, but it allows to update multiple entities as a bulk action.
• Automation Rules - this feature is very flexible and allows to create a pre-defined set of Tasks based on new User Story creation, change of some fields etc. We can also set different fields for Tasks at the time of their creation

Task / Test Case Template

The mashup works for User Story > Tasks and User Story > Test Cases lists. When you install this mashup (add-on) from our Mashups Library you find special tab named Template under every user story. It works for any portfolio (project), any team and any process. Each template is a set of tasks and/or test cases. Within this tab you create new templates, modify them, delete them and apply to the opened user story.

In our guide we have full description of Tasks / Test Case Template mashup.

Task Creator plugin

Another option is to use the plugin named Task Creator. It supports User Story > Tasks lists. When a user creates a new user story and enters a relevant command prefix, for example {DOD3}, into the Name field, then predefined tasks to this story are automatically added by the plugin.

You have to be Administrator in Targetprocess in order to activate this plugin and modify its settings.

Follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Settings > Plugins, find there an icon for Task Creator plugin.
2. Press Add Profile button to create a new profile for the plugin.
3. Specify a command (i.e. shortcut) prefix name and a list of Tasks to be created using this command.

Further on, when a user creates a new User Story and enters a relevant command prefix, {DOD3}, into the Name field, 8 tasks are automatically added.

You can create multiple profiles with various commands to obtain templates of Tasks lists for lots of particular cases.

Webhooks

You can let the webhook create set of tasks for whenever a work item is added to the system. You define events and matching filters and create a custom script. The script is launched automatically when a high-level item is added - and creates subset of tasks inside it.

As a basis use the article that describes Automatic Actions in Targetprocess.

Available examples:

• Create a set of default Tasks when a User Story is created
• Create a set of default User Stories when a Feature / Iteration is created
• Create Project structure when Template is selected
• Create Epic structure when Template is selected

Import from CSV file

The second option is to use Import from CSV file feature. You need to prepare a template of parent and nested tasks in any spreadsheet editor tool e.g. MS Excel and add them to your portfolios (projects) by performing Import action whenever it is required. In addition to names, this option allows to set and update more particular details for each item.