Working with Action Items
Claim, complete, validate, and extend the deliverables in a For Action thread.
In a For Action thread, the Action items panel tracks each deliverable from commitment to validation. Every step is recorded in a timestamped, color-coded activity log, for example "name committed to do this task", "name marked as done", "name validated this action item".
Each item shows who it is Assigned to (or "Open to any recipient"), its Validator, and its Due date, plus a status badge such as In Progress or For Redo.
If you are the assignee (or claiming an item)
Only To recipients can work on items. The sender, validators, and CC participants never can.
Click I'm on it. If the item has no assignee, this claims it for you; the log records that you "committed to do this task".
Click the item's status circle (Mark done) to open the completion form. Enter a completion note and attach at least one MOV (means of verification) file as evidence: PDF, PNG, or JPG, up to 10 files. Click Mark as done. The log records "marked as done" with your note and files.
Wait for the validator. While you wait, you can click the status icon again (Un-complete) if you marked it done by mistake.
If the item is rejected (logged as "returned for redo", with the validator's reason and possibly a new due date), it shows For Redo. Address the feedback and complete it again.
Requesting a due-date extension
If an item has a due date you cannot meet, click Request extension, pick the new date and time, give a reason, and click Submit request. The option is available to the item's assignee, or to whoever clicked I'm on it, while the item is not yet done.
Each item allows one extension request. The thread creator then clicks Approve (the due date changes to the one you asked for) or Deny (with an optional reason). Both the request and the decision are logged.
If you are the validator
You validate an item when you were chosen as its validator, or when you are the thread creator and no other validator was set. For each item marked done you can:
- Validate: approve the completion. Once every item is validated or cancelled, the creator can resolve the thread.
- Reject: return it for redo. A reason is required; you can also set a new due date. Click Confirm rejection.
If you are the thread creator
Besides the lifecycle actions, the creator can:
- Add action items to a thread that is already underway, for follow-up work discovered along the way. Here a due date is required; the validator and assignee are optional, as on the compose form.
- Change an item's validator from the panel, choosing yourself or one of the thread's validators, until the item is done, validated, or cancelled.
- Decide extension requests (Approve or Deny).
- Cancel an item you added while it is still pending, that is, before anyone has clicked I'm on it or completed it. A cancelled item no longer blocks the thread. If every item is cancelled, the thread can be closed.
The activity log is the audit trail of the thread. Every commitment, completion, validation, rejection, extension, and cancellation is permanently recorded with who did it and when.