Edit steps

Editing steps in templates

You can add new steps and modify existing ones directly in Tallyfy templates.

Who can edit steps?

Members with a “Light” role cannot edit templates or their steps. Only “Standard” members (if allowed by an Admin) or “Administrator” members can edit steps.

Adding new steps

To add a step, open your template in Edit mode, scroll to the bottom of the steps list, click Add Step, type a name for your new step, and press Enter. That’s it.

Modifying existing steps

To modify a step:

• Navigate to the Templates library interface
• Locate your target template and click the Edit icon (pencil symbol)

Once you’re in edit mode, click any step to open its details panel on the right. You can edit everything about the step from here:

Step description

Write the instructions for the task. You can add text, formatting, images, files, links, tables, videos, variables, and snippets.

1. Click on the step you want to edit.
2. Click into the Description area in the details panel.
3. Use the toolbar to format text, add links, images, etc. See Insert Media for details.
4. Tallyfy saves changes automatically.

Use videos for clear instructions

A short video (like a screen recording) can often explain a step better than lots of text. Consider embedding videos for complex tasks.

Assignment

1. Click on the step you want to assign.
2. Go to the Assign tab in the details panel.
3. Choose how to assign:
   • Specific Person/Group: Pick members or groups from the list.
   • Job Title: Assign based on role (e.g., “Account Manager”).
   • Guest: Assign to someone outside your company using their email.
   • Nobody right now: Leave it unassigned initially. (See note below).

• If you choose “Nobody right now”: What happens when the process runs depends on the Assign launcher automatically setting (in the Advanced tab). If ON, the person starting the process gets assigned. If OFF, the task stays unassigned.
• Assigning Groups: You need to create the group first in Tallyfy before you can assign a task to it.

Step type

Different step types behave differently (e.g., Approve/Reject steps have different buttons). See Step Types Explained for details.

1. Click on the step you want to change.
2. Click the Type dropdown in the details panel and choose the new type.

Form fields

1. Click on the step.
2. Go to the Form fields tab in the details panel.
3. Click Add field to add a new one, or click an existing field to edit it.

See Types of Form Fields for more details.

Checklist field saving issue

If you encounter a “Capture ID field is required” error when saving a step with checklist fields, this typically happens when:

• You’ve added checklist options but haven’t saved the field configuration first
• The checklist field validation rules are incomplete

To fix this error:

1. Click on the checklist field to open its settings
2. Ensure all checklist items have been properly added
3. Set the validation rules (e.g., “at least one” or “all items”)
4. Click outside the field settings to save the field configuration
5. The template should now save without errors

If the error persists, try refreshing the page and re-entering the checklist field configuration.

Deadlines and timings

1. Click on the step.
2. Go to the Timings tab.
3. Set the deadline (when work should be complete) relative to:
   • Process Launch: Due X time after the process starts (default).
   • Another Step: Due X time after another specific step is completed.
   • Future Step Completion: Due X time before a later step in the process is due to be completed. This is useful for working backward from a final deadline (e.g., “Draft due 3 weeks before Publish Date”).
4. Choose Start On-Time or Start Anytime to control when work should begin:
   • Start On-Time: Suggests a specific start time when work should begin on the task. This provides guidance about when to start working, but doesn’t force it.
   • Start Anytime: No suggested start time - work can begin at any time (default).

Understanding start time vs deadline

Start time and deadline serve different purposes in task management:

• Start time: When work should begin on the task. This helps with planning and scheduling but is not enforced.
• Deadline: When work should be complete on the task. This is the due date that determines if a task becomes overdue.

Both start times and deadlines can be set for tasks within processes (using the template editor) and for one-off tasks (when creating them directly).

Example: A task might have a start time of “Monday 9 AM” (when you should begin working) and a deadline of “Wednesday 5 PM” (when it must be finished).

Understanding overall process deadlines

Your process’s overall deadline depends on which task has the latest due date from launch. But here’s the catch - if you set a deadline based on another step’s completion (like “3 days after Step 2 finishes”), the timeline becomes flexible since you can’t predict exactly when that other step will be done.

Bulk deadline management

Current limitation: The template editor doesn’t support bulk editing of deadlines across multiple steps simultaneously. Each step’s deadline must be set individually.

Alternative solutions for managing many deadlines:

1. Power Builder Tool - Advanced template creation tool with bulk deadline capabilities (contact support for access)
2. Professional Services - Tallyfy’s team can assist with large-scale template setup using complimentary service hours
3. Template duplication - Create a master template with standard deadlines, then duplicate and adjust

When to use each approach:

• Power Builder: For complex templates with 20+ steps requiring varied deadlines
• Professional Services: For migrating existing processes or implementing complex deadline patterns
• Template duplication: When you have similar processes with minor deadline variations

Contact support@tallyfy.com to discuss Power Builder access or professional services assistance.

Advanced settings

• Launch another process when this task is complete: Set to “Yes” to automatically start another process (from a different template) when this task finishes. You can choose to add the new tasks into the current process or start a completely separate one. See Launch another process guide.
• All assignees must complete this task: If “Yes”, the task isn’t done until everyone assigned has marked it complete.
• Assign launcher automatically: If a step has no assignees set, turning this ON means the person who starts the process will automatically be assigned. If OFF, it remains unassigned.
• Task is mandatory…: If “Yes”, this step cannot be removed when someone starts the process.
• Only assigned members can complete or edit…: If “Yes”, only people directly assigned can work on or complete the task (except Administrators, who can always access it).
• Emit webhook when completed: If “Yes”, Tallyfy sends an automatic notification to another web service (via a webhook) when this task is done.
• Prevent guests from making or seeing comments: If “Yes”, any guests assigned won’t see or be able to add comments on this task.
• Unique Step Alias: An internal ID for this specific step, mostly used for technical integrations via webhooks or the API.
• Tags: Add organizational tags to this step.

Outbound Webhooks & Incoming Webhooks

If you’re looking to know more about Webhooks and integrating Tallyfy, check out the [INTEGRATIONS](/products/pro/integrations/) section. You’ll find multiple articles explaining in full detail how to integrate Tallyfy.

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