Task & Workflow Engine

Module Code: TASK Priority: P0 (Critical Foundation) Status: New (To be developed) Dependencies: M00 User Access & Security, M01 Access Control & Permissions, M02 Employee Directory Required By: All operational modules (M09-M14)

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Related Documentation

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Module Overview

Purpose: Central task and workflow orchestration system that manages work items, automates processes, and coordinates activities across all dealership operations.

Priority: P0 (Critical Foundation)

Why P0:

• Every operational module depends on task tracking
• Without it, no module can assign or track work
• Foundational capability like authentication or permissions
• Must exist before any business operations can function

Scope:

• Task creation, assignment, and tracking across all departments
• Automated workflow execution for standard processes
• Cross-departmental coordination and handoffs
• Task escalation and notification
• Work queue management for teams
• Process templates for repeatable workflows

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Functional Specifications

5.1 Task Management

Task Definition:

Attribute	Description	Required
Task Title	Short description of work to be done	Yes
Task Type	Category of task (Follow-up, Appointment, Delivery, etc.)	Yes
Assigned To	Employee responsible for completion	Yes
Due Date	When task should be completed	Yes
Priority	Urgent, High, Normal, Low	Yes
Status	Pending, In Progress, Completed, Cancelled, Overdue	Auto
Related To	Customer, Lead, Sales Order, Service Order	Optional
Department	Sales, Service, Workshop, Management	Yes
Created By	Employee who created the task	Auto
Created Date	When task was created	Auto
Completed Date	When task was completed	Auto
Notes	Additional instructions or context	Optional

Task Types:

Type	Department	Example
Follow-up Call	Sales	Call lead who visited showroom
Schedule Appointment	Sales/Service	Book test drive or service appointment
Prepare Quotation	Sales	Create price quote for customer
Schedule Delivery	Sales	Arrange vehicle handover
Service Reminder	Service	Call customer for maintenance
Quality Check	Workshop	Inspect completed service work
Document Preparation	Admin	Prepare contract for signature
Manager Approval	Management	Approve discount or special terms
Customer Follow-up	All	Post-purchase or post-service call

Task Priority Levels:

Priority	Response Time	Use Case
Urgent	Within 1 hour	Hot lead, customer waiting, VIP
High	Same day	Test drive booking, delivery preparation
Normal	Within 2 days	General follow-ups, routine tasks
Low	Within 1 week	Administrative, non-urgent items

5.2 Task Assignment & Ownership

Assignment Rules:

Rule	Description
Direct Assignment	Manager assigns task to specific employee
Team Assignment	Task assigned to team queue (first available takes it)
Round Robin	Automatic rotation among team members
Load Balancing	Assign to employee with fewest active tasks
Skill-Based	Assign based on employee certifications/skills
Re-assignment	Transfer task to another employee
Escalation	Auto-assign to manager if overdue

Ownership Transfer:

Scenario	Action
Employee on Leave	Auto-reassign to backup employee
Employee Resignation	Manager reassigns all pending tasks
Task Too Complex	Employee can request manager assistance
Overdue Task	Auto-escalate to department manager
Workload Balance	Manager redistributes tasks among team

5.3 Automated Workflows

Workflow Definition: A workflow is a series of tasks that execute automatically based on triggers and conditions.

Common Dealership Workflows:

Workflow 1: New Lead to Customer Journey

Trigger: New lead created (from M10: Lead Management)

Tasks Created Automatically:
1. Call lead within 1 hour (Assigned to: Sales team queue, Priority: Urgent)
2. Send welcome SMS (Auto-executed immediately)
3. Schedule test drive if interested (Created when: Lead responds positively)
4. Follow-up if no response (Created: +24 hours if no contact)
5. Manager review (Created: +7 days if still no contact)

Workflow 2: Vehicle Sale & Delivery Process

Trigger: Sales order confirmed (from M11: Sales Operations)

Tasks Created Automatically:
1. Verify vehicle availability (Assigned to: Inventory team, Priority: High)
2. Prepare sales documents (Assigned to: Admin, Due: +1 day)
3. Schedule pre-delivery inspection (Assigned to: Workshop, Due: -2 days before delivery)
4. Contact customer for delivery appointment (Assigned to: Sales rep, Due: +3 days)
5. Arrange finance/insurance if needed (Assigned to: F&I team, Due: -3 days before delivery)
6. Prepare vehicle handover (Assigned to: Sales rep, Due: Delivery day)
7. Schedule first service reminder (Auto-created: +6 months)

Workflow 3: Service Appointment & Completion

Trigger: Service appointment booked (from M12: Service Operations)

Tasks Created Automatically:
1. Send appointment reminder SMS (Auto: -1 day before appointment)
2. Check customer arrives (Assigned to: Service advisor, Due: Appointment time)
3. Assign technician (Assigned to: Workshop manager, When: Customer checks in)
4. Complete service work (Assigned to: Technician, Due: Same day)
5. Quality inspection (Assigned to: Service manager, When: Work completed)
6. Prepare invoice (Assigned to: Service advisor, When: QC passed)
7. Notify customer pickup ready (Auto SMS when invoice ready)
8. Follow-up satisfaction call (Auto-created: +2 days after service)

Workflow 4: Overdue Payment Follow-up

Trigger: Invoice overdue (from M11 Sales or M12 Service)

Tasks Created Automatically:
1. Send payment reminder SMS (Auto: Invoice due date +1 day)
2. Call customer for payment (Assigned to: Accounts team, Due: +3 days)
3. Second payment reminder (Auto: +7 days)
4. Manager intervention (Assigned to: Finance manager, Due: +14 days)
5. Escalate to collections (Created: +30 days if still unpaid)

Workflow 5: Vehicle Maintenance Reminder

Trigger: Scheduled maintenance due (based on mileage/time from M12 Service)

Tasks Created Automatically:
1. Send service reminder to customer (Auto SMS: 30 days before due)
2. Call customer to book appointment (Assigned to: Service team, Due: +7 days)
3. Second reminder if no booking (Auto SMS: 15 days before due)
4. Follow-up call if no response (Assigned to: Service advisor, Due: 7 days before due)

5.4 Task Notifications & Reminders

Notification Channels:

Channel	When Used	Recipient
In-App Notification	All task assignments	Assigned employee
Email	High/Urgent tasks	Assigned employee
SMS	Urgent tasks, customer reminders	Employee or customer
Desktop Alert	Overdue tasks	Assigned employee
Daily Digest	All pending tasks	Each employee (morning email)

Notification Rules:

Event	Notification
New task assigned	Immediate notification to employee
Task due in 1 hour	Reminder notification
Task overdue	Escalation to employee and manager
Task completed	Confirmation to creator
Task reassigned	Notification to new owner
Task cancelled	Notification to assigned employee

Reminder Schedule:

Timing	Action
1 day before due	Email reminder to assigned employee
1 hour before due	SMS reminder for urgent tasks
On due date	In-app notification
1 day overdue	Escalation notification to manager
3 days overdue	Daily escalation to department head

5.5 Task Escalation

Escalation Triggers:

Trigger	Escalation Action
Task overdue by 1 day	Notify employee’s direct manager
Task overdue by 3 days	Reassign to manager for action
Task overdue by 7 days	Escalate to department head
High priority task overdue	Immediate manager notification
Urgent task overdue by 1 hour	Immediate reassignment to backup

Escalation Matrix:

Department	Level 1 (Overdue +1 day)	Level 2 (Overdue +3 days)	Level 3 (Overdue +7 days)
Sales	Sales Manager	Sales Director	General Manager
Service	Service Manager	Service Director	General Manager
Workshop	Workshop Manager	Technical Director	General Manager
Admin	Admin Manager	Operations Manager	General Manager

5.6 Work Queue Management

Team Queues:

Queue	Description	Assignment
Sales Queue	Incoming leads, follow-ups	Sales team (first available)
Service Queue	Service requests, appointments	Service advisors
Workshop Queue	Repair jobs, inspections	Available technicians
Admin Queue	Document prep, compliance	Admin staff
Manager Queue	Approvals, escalations	Department managers

Queue Rules:

Rule	Description
First In, First Out (FIFO)	Oldest task taken first
Priority Sort	Urgent tasks appear first
Skill Match	Only show tasks employee can handle
Load Limit	Employee can’t take new task if >10 active
Auto-assign	Task auto-assigned if in queue >4 hours

5.7 Task Templates

Pre-defined Task Templates:

Template	Tasks Included	Used For
New Vehicle Sale	12 tasks from quotation to handover	Every new car sale
Service Appointment	8 tasks from booking to follow-up	Every service booking
Lead Follow-up	5 tasks for lead nurturing	Every new lead
Vehicle Delivery	7 tasks for delivery preparation	Every vehicle delivery
Warranty Claim	6 tasks for warranty processing	Warranty repairs
Test Drive	4 tasks for test drive process	Test drive requests

Template Benefits:

• Ensures no steps are missed
• Standardizes processes across team
• Automatic due date calculation
• Consistent customer experience
• Easy to modify for special cases

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Data Model

Task Table

Field	Type	Description
task_id	UUID	Unique task identifier
task_type	ENUM	Type of task
title	VARCHAR(200)	Task description
description	TEXT	Detailed instructions
assigned_to	UUID	Employee ID (FK to M02)
assigned_by	UUID	Creator employee ID
department	VARCHAR(50)	Department responsible
priority	ENUM	Urgent/High/Normal/Low
status	ENUM	Pending/In Progress/Completed/Cancelled/Overdue
due_date	DATETIME	When task is due
created_date	DATETIME	When task was created
started_date	DATETIME	When work began
completed_date	DATETIME	When task finished
related_to_type	VARCHAR(50)	Customer/Lead/SalesOrder/ServiceOrder
related_to_id	UUID	ID of related record
workflow_id	UUID	If part of automated workflow
parent_task_id	UUID	If subtask of another task
estimated_duration	INT	Estimated minutes to complete
actual_duration	INT	Actual time spent
notes	TEXT	Additional notes

Workflow Table

Field	Type	Description
workflow_id	UUID	Unique workflow identifier
workflow_name	VARCHAR(100)	Name of workflow
workflow_type	VARCHAR(50)	NewCarSale/ServiceBooking/etc
trigger_event	VARCHAR(100)	What starts this workflow
trigger_module	VARCHAR(50)	Which module triggers it
status	ENUM	Active/Paused/Completed/Cancelled
started_date	DATETIME	When workflow began
completed_date	DATETIME	When workflow finished
related_to_type	VARCHAR(50)	What this workflow is for
related_to_id	UUID	ID of related record

Task History Table

Field	Type	Description
history_id	UUID	Unique history record
task_id	UUID	Which task (FK)
action	VARCHAR(50)	Created/Assigned/Completed/etc
performed_by	UUID	Employee who did action
performed_date	DATETIME	When action occurred
old_value	TEXT	Previous value
new_value	TEXT	New value
notes	TEXT	Reason for change

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Business Rules

Task Creation Rules

Rule	Description
Every task must have owner	Cannot create unassigned task
Due date required	All tasks need completion deadline
Valid related record	If linked to customer/order, must exist
Permission check	Only authorized roles can create certain task types
Department match	Task assigned to employee in correct department

Task Completion Rules

Rule	Description
Only assignee can complete	Task owner must mark as done
Completion notes required	Must explain outcome for certain task types
Related record updated	Completing task updates parent record
Dependent tasks triggered	Next workflow tasks auto-created
Quality check required	Manager approval for critical tasks

Workflow Rules

Rule	Description
Single active workflow	Only one workflow instance per order/customer at a time
Sequential execution	Some tasks can’t start until previous completes
Parallel execution	Some tasks can run simultaneously
Conditional branching	Workflow path depends on previous task outcome
Workflow cancellation	Cancel workflow cancels all pending tasks

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Integration Points

Inbound Integrations (Modules that create tasks)

Module	Creates Tasks For	Example
M10 Lead Management	Lead follow-ups	”Call lead within 1 hour”
M11 Sales Operations	Sales process	”Schedule delivery”
M12 Service Operations	Service process	”Service reminder call”
M13 Workshop Operations	Workshop jobs	”Complete vehicle inspection”
M14 Customer Traffic	Walk-in follow-ups	”Follow up on showroom visit”

Outbound Integrations (Task Engine notifies other modules)

Module	Task Engine Notifies	Example
M20 Messaging System	Send SMS/Email notifications	”Service appointment reminder”
M02 Employee Directory	Employee workload tracking	Update employee task count
M03 Company Configuration	Department dashboards	Show pending tasks by department
Customer/Lead/Order records	Update record status	Mark lead as “Contacted” when task completed

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User Roles & Permissions

Task Creation Permissions

Role	Can Create	Can Assign To
Sales Rep	Sales tasks	Self or team
Service Advisor	Service tasks	Self or team
Workshop Manager	Workshop tasks	Any technician
Department Manager	All department tasks	Anyone in department
General Manager	All tasks	Anyone
System Admin	All tasks	Anyone

Task Management Permissions

Role	Can View	Can Edit	Can Delete	Can Reassign
Task Owner	Own tasks	Own tasks	No	Request only
Team Member	Team tasks	No	No	No
Department Manager	Department tasks	All department tasks	Overdue only	Yes (within dept)
General Manager	All tasks	All tasks	Yes	Yes (anyone)
System Admin	All tasks	All tasks	Yes	Yes (anyone)

Workflow Permissions

Role	Can Create Workflow	Can Modify Workflow	Can Cancel Workflow
Employee	No	No	No
Manager	Department workflows	Department workflows	Department workflows
General Manager	All workflows	All workflows	All workflows
System Admin	All workflows	All workflows	All workflows

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Key Performance Indicators

Task Metrics

KPI	Description	Target
Task Completion Rate	% of tasks completed on time	> 90%
Average Completion Time	Hours from creation to completion	< 24 hours
Overdue Task Rate	% of tasks past due date	< 5%
Task per Employee (Daily)	Average tasks completed per day	8-12 tasks
First-Time Resolution	% resolved without escalation	> 85%
Task Escalation Rate	% of tasks escalated to manager	< 10%

Workflow Metrics

KPI	Description	Target
Workflow Completion Rate	% of workflows completed successfully	> 95%
Average Workflow Duration	Days from start to completion	Varies by type
Workflow Abandonment Rate	% of workflows cancelled	< 3%
On-Time Workflow Completion	% completed within expected timeframe	> 90%

Departmental Metrics

KPI	Description	Target
Sales Task Completion	Sales team task completion rate	> 95%
Service Response Time	Time to respond to service tasks	< 2 hours
Workshop Efficiency	Workshop tasks completed per day	Monitor trend
Manager Intervention Rate	% tasks requiring manager action	< 15%

Customer Impact Metrics

KPI	Description	Target
Customer Response Time	Time to respond to customer-related tasks	< 1 hour
Customer Satisfaction	Rating for completed service tasks	> 4.5/5
Missed Appointments	% appointments missed due to task failure	< 2%
Service Reminder Success	% customers who book after reminder	> 30%

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Reporting & Analytics

Standard Reports

Report	Frequency	Audience
My Tasks	Real-time	All employees
Team Task Summary	Daily	Team leads
Overdue Tasks	Daily	Managers
Department Performance	Weekly	Department heads
Workflow Efficiency	Monthly	Management
Employee Productivity	Monthly	HR & Management

Dashboard Views

Dashboard	Shows	For
Employee Dashboard	My tasks, due today, overdue	All employees
Manager Dashboard	Team tasks, escalations, bottlenecks	Managers
Executive Dashboard	Overall metrics, trends, alerts	Senior management
Department Dashboard	Department workload, completion rates	Department heads

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Last Updated: November 15, 2025 Version: 6.0 Status: New P0 Baseline Module