Actions, tasks, and users

When you are designing a User Action node, you are answering these questions:

  • What actions need to be taken?

  • Who takes them?

  • What do users see when they take those actions?

  • When do users take the actions?

  • What are the consequences of users not taking actions that have been assigned to them?

  • Why did users take the actions they took?

    Not all processes need to have this question answered, but, if your process does need it, you can configure it when you design your process.

In a User Action node, tasks and users are the people who take actions.

In IPA, a task represents "users who perform a specific function," which is similar to the concept of a role. An administrator creates a task, for example, "New Hire Approval", and then links users to the task. When the process designer creates a User Action node that assigns an action to a task, the designer is actually assigning the action to a group of users.

You can assign a User Action node directly to users. A user is anyone who exists as a Lawson "actor" in the Lawson system.

When you design a User Action node, you can assign an action to tasks, users, or both.