Action Items Quick Reference Guide

This topic provides a reference for action items.

Click here to download a PDF of the reference guide.

Purpose

Newforma action items allow the project team to maintain a task list specific to the project which can be easily accessed from inside and outside the office.

Audience

Internal and external project team members.

Key Features

●        Internal team members can access project action items from a central list and contribute updates or generate reports from the activity center or remotely through the Info Exchange web site.

●        External team members receive email notifications for action items they are involved in and access the items via Info Exchange.

●        Any email correspondence, markup or supporting document associated with the action item can be electronically linked to it, providing a permanent connection and audit trail of all related information.

Tasks covered

●        Create a new action item from the activity center

●        Create a new action item from Outlook

●        Modify/update action item

●        Run an action items report

●        View action items on Info Exchange

 

To create a new action item from the activity center

1.     In the Action Items activity center, click Identify Action Item from the Tasks panel.

2.     In the Identify Action Item dialog box, fill in the subject.

3.     Click Assigned To to open the Choose a Project Team Member dialog box and assign the item.

4.     Check the box next to Send Change Notification Email to notify team members that they are assigned to the action item.

5.     Click Create to create the action item.

If the Send Change Notification Email box is checked, Newforma creates a notification email for you to review and send. Look for the Microsoft Outlook icon flashing in the Windows toolbar indicating the email is ready to send. Click Send and File in Action Item to send the email and file it on the Email Log tab.

 

To create a new action item from Outlook

You can create action items directly from an email message.

This topic covers creating action items using the legacy Project Center Add-in for Microsoft Outlook. Click here to learn about creating action items using the next generation Outlook Add-in.

1.     In Outlook, highlight the email you want to file as an action item, then click the dropdown arrow for the File in Project button in the legacy Project Center Add-In for Microsoft Outlook toolbar. Select File As from the drop-down menu.

2.     In the Select Project dialog box, double-click on the corresponding project to select it.

3.     In the File As dialog box, select the New Item radio button and Action Item from the Project Item Type list. Click OK.

4.     The Identify Action Item dialog box appears. Note that the information from the email has been pulled in, saving data entry time. The email is logged with the action item and any files attached to the email appear on the Supporting Documents tab. Modify any information as needed following the instructions above and click Create to save.

 

Modify/update action item

1.     Select an action item in the Action Items activity center and click Modify in the Tasks panel.

2.     Update any information in the Modify Action Item dialog box as needed. For example, change the Status or add information on the Description tab. Select the Send Change Notification Email checkbox to notify the person who assigned the action item of any changes. Click OK to save.

 

To run an action items report

To run a report of action items from the activity center, follow these steps.

1.     Filter the Action Items activity center log in whatever way is needed to only see the action items you want in the report. For example, if you want to find action items that are not started, click the filter icon in the Status column and check Not Started, then click Filter.

2.     Next, if you want to add or remove columns, right click over the column headings. Check the columns you want to display and deselect the columns you want to remove from the grid.

3.     You can also drag columns to rearrange them, or click a column header to sort.

4.     Once you have filtered and arranged columns as needed, click Create Report in the Tasks panel.

5.     In the Create Report dialog box, review the options on the Report Type tab and modify anything as needed. Select the type of output you want. Click on the Formatting tab to select other options as desired, then click OK to generate the report.

 

To view action items on Info Exchange

Both internal and external project team members can add and/or update action items from the Info Exchange website.

1.     Log into the Info Exchange website and select the project. In the Project Home page Shortcuts View section, click Action Items (you can also select View > Project Information > Action Items from the menu bar).

2.     To update or modify an action item, click the button to the left of the action item. Add or change any information as needed. Any changes are updated automatically in Project Center.

3.     To add a new action item, click Add Action Item in the Action Items log. Fill out the information in the Add Action Item dialog box as desired.

4.     If you assigned the action item to someone, select the Send Change Notification Email checkbox to notify the team members assigned. Click Save and Close to create the action item.

5.     At the Send Email dialog box, fill out any additional information and click Send.