Edit steps

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Editing steps in templates

Section titled “Editing steps in templates”

In a Tallyfy template, you can add steps and change any step’s description, assignees, type, form fields, deadline and advanced settings.

Who can edit steps?

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

Adding new steps

Section titled “Adding new steps”

Open your template in Edit mode, scroll to the bottom, click Add Step, type a name, and press Enter.

Modifying existing steps

Section titled “Modifying existing steps”

To modify a step:

• Go to the Templates library
• Find your template and click the Edit icon (pencil symbol)

In edit mode, click any step to open its details panel on the right. Here’s what you can change:

Step description

Section titled “Step description”

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

1. Click the step you want to edit.
2. Click 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

For complex tasks, embed a short screen recording in the description. Pick Video from the Insert menu, then upload a file or paste a YouTube or Vimeo link.

Assignment

Section titled “Assignment”

1. Click the step you want to assign.
2. Go to the Assign tab in the details panel.
3. Pick an assignment method:
   • Specific Person/Group: Pick members or groups from the list.
   • Job Title: Assign by role (e.g., “Account Manager”).
   • Guest: Assign to someone outside your company via email.
   • Nobody right now: Leave unassigned initially (see note below).

• “Nobody right now”: What happens at runtime depends on the Assign launcher automatically setting (in the Advanced tab). It’s ON by default - the person starting the process gets assigned. If OFF, the task stays unassigned.
• Assigning Groups: Create the group first in Tallyfy before assigning a task to it.

Step type

Section titled “Step type”

The type sets the buttons on the task. A Task step shows COMPLETE, an Approve/Reject step shows APPROVE and REJECT, and an Expiring step shows ACKNOWLEDGE. The two email types send an email. See Step Types Explained for details.

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

Prevent task debt with expiring tasks

Use the “Expiring” type for FYI items or optional info. These tasks auto-complete at deadline if not done manually, so non-critical items don’t pile up as task debt. Weekly updates and informational announcements are typical uses.

Email branding options

Email step types (Email Draft and Email Auto-Send) include a “Send Chromeless” option that removes Tallyfy branding from sent emails. Use this when emails should look like standard messages. See Step Types for details.

Form fields

Section titled “Form fields”

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

See Types of Form Fields for details.

Deadlines and timings

Section titled “Deadlines and timings”

1. Click the step.

2. On the Basics tab, click the Timings row to expand it.

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. That counts from the other step’s due date while it’s still open, then from its actual completion time once it’s done.
   • Future Step Completion: Due X time before a later step’s due date. Useful for working backward from a final deadline (e.g., “Draft due 3 weeks before Publish Date”).

   The gap has to be at least 1, and it can’t reach further than 1000 weeks. Full detail on how a deadline is worked out, including where your work week applies, is in how a step deadline is worked out.

4. Choose Start On-Time or Start Anytime:

   • Start On-Time: Suggests when work should begin. Guidance only - not enforced.
   • Start Anytime: No suggested start time (default).

Start time vs deadline

• Start time: When work should begin. Helps with planning but isn’t enforced.
• Deadline: When work must be complete. This is the due date that determines overdue status.

Both can be set for process tasks (via the template editor) and one-off tasks. Example: start time of “Monday 9 AM” and deadline of “Wednesday 5 PM”.

Overall process deadlines

Your process’s overall deadline depends on which task has the latest due date from launch. A deadline based on another step’s completion, like “3 days after Step 2 finishes,” shifts whenever that step’s completion date shifts.

Changing a lot of deadlines at once

Click Tools in the template editor toolbar and use the Deadlines tab to change deadlines across many steps in one go. Anyone who can edit the template can use it. See template tools.

The Deadlines tab only sets deadlines that count from process launch, not from another step. Two other approaches:

1. Template duplication - build a master template with your standard deadlines, then duplicate it and adjust
2. Professional services - Tallyfy’s team can help with large-scale template setup, at support@tallyfy.com

Advanced settings

Section titled “Advanced settings”

• Launch another process when complete: “Yes” auto-starts another process (from a different template) when this task finishes. You can inject tasks into the current process or start a separate one. See Launch another process guide.
• All assignees must complete this task: “Yes” means the task isn’t done until every assignee marks it complete. An Administrator who isn’t assigned can still click Complete, but each click completes it on behalf of one assignee who hasn’t finished, so the task stays open until everyone’s part is done.
• Assign launcher automatically: ON by default. If a step has no assignees, the person who launches the process gets assigned. Turn OFF to leave it unassigned.
• Task is mandatory and cannot be removed at launch: “Yes” means this step can’t be removed when someone launches the process.
• Only assigned members can complete or edit: “Yes” restricts the task to assigned people only (Administrators always have access).
• Emit a webhook when this task is completed?: “Yes” sends the whole process as JSON to the URL you enter, via a webhook, when this task is completed.
• Prevent guests from making or seeing comments: “Yes” hides comments from any guests assigned to this task.
• Unique Step Alias: An internal ID for this step, used for webhook and API integrations.
• Tags: Add tags to this step for filtering and organization.

Webhooks and integrations

For more on Webhooks and connecting Tallyfy to other tools, see the Integrations section.

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Section titled “Related articles”

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