Handling and completing tasks

Doing a task in Tidal means working in its conversation: discussing it, attaching evidence to a comment, and then closing it. That conversation is also the audit trail, which is why the evidence goes there rather than somewhere separate.

Working on tasks

A task opens in a panel built around its conversation, which doubles as its audit trail.

Opening a task

1. Click on a task name in the overview
2. The details panel opens on the right side of your screen
3. Select the "Conversation" tab for collaboration
4. The panel shows all communication and progress

Understanding the conversation interface

The task panel is built around its own conversation: instructions at the top, then a running thread of updates.

What you see in the conversation:

• Description section - Description and instructions of the task
• Comments thread - Chronological communication between team members
• Comment field - Here you can post updates, ask questions and upload evidence

Collaborating via comments

Comments are the record of how the task was done, and @mentions pull the right people in.

Adding comments

A comment is how you log progress, and Markdown lets you structure a longer update.

Writing new comment:

1. Scroll down to "Add your comment" section
2. Type your message in the text field
3. Use Markdown for structure (headings, lists, links)
4. Click "Submit" to post comment

Comment best practices:

• Progress updates - What have you done and what is the result?
• Questions and challenges - What are you running into and what do you need?
• Milestone notifications - Important steps that have been completed
• Evidence references - Refer to uploaded files

Using @Mentions

An @mention notifies someone directly, so use it when you actually need their attention rather than just logging progress.

Notifying people:

1. Type @ followed by name or initials
2. Select person from dropdown list
3. Person receives automatic notification
4. Use for questions, escalations, or status updates

Effective @mentions:

@john Can you check the new configuration? See attached screenshots.

@sarah Training is completed. See attached certificates for evidence.

@team Management review completed. See summary note below.

Collecting evidence

Evidence is attached through a comment, so every file arrives with context about why it was added.

Uploading files

Drop a file into the comment field and it attaches itself to that comment automatically.

Adding documents:

1. Scroll to comment section
2. Click "Drop, or click to add files" or drag files to the comment field
3. Files are uploaded and linked to comment
4. Link appears automatically in your comment

What is good evidence?

For an execution task, evidence should prove the change actually happened, not just describe it.

For Execution tasks:

• Before/after screenshots - Show configuration changes
• Installation evidence - System configurations and settings
• Test results - Proof that implementation works
• Certificates - Training completion or system certificates
• Documentation - New procedures or manuals

For Assessment tasks:

• Audit checklists - Completed evaluation forms
• Findings reports - Structured assessment results
• Interview notes - Conversations with stakeholders
• Compliance evidence - Proof of regulatory compliance
• Recommendations - Improvement points and next steps

For both types:

• Timeline documentation - When what was executed
• Communication logs - Emails, meeting notes
• Photo evidence - Physical implementations or configurations

Completing tasks

Close a task once the work is done and the evidence is attached. A closed task can be reviewed, and reopened if it was closed too early.

When to complete

A task is ready to close once the instructions are done, the evidence is in, and any required approval has been given.

Task is ready to close when:

• All instructions have been executed according to description
• Acceptance criteria have been met
• Evidence has been collected and validated
• Stakeholders have given approval (if required)
• Documentation has been updated where needed

Closing tasks

Direct closing

1. Select the three-dots menu in the top right of the Task details panel
2. Select "Close task" from the dropdown menu

Closing with a comment

1. Write the final comment as a new comment
2. Select "Submit and Close" instead of just "Submit"

Reviewing tasks

Through task review you can record that the task has been completed in the right way. A 'reviewed' label is added to the task.

Task review vs. Assessment tasks

• Task review is simpler to perform than creating a new Assessment task
• Task reviews are 1:1 linked to the task they apply to. Assessments can be linked to multiple Controls and Assets.
• Assessment tasks can be scheduled in a Plans workflow, task reviews cannot
• Task reviews are often used by direct line management or quality assurance function. Assessments by compliance and audit functions.

Viewing a closed task

1. Navigate to 'closed' tasks from the Tasks overview page
2. Select the task you want to review

Direct reviewing

1. Select the three-dots menu in the top right of the Task details panel
2. Select "Review" from the dropdown menu
3. The "Reviewed" label appears immediately in the detail panel

Reviewing with a comment

1. Write the review comment as a new comment
2. a. Select "Submit and Review" instead of just "Submit" or;
3. b. Select "Submit and Reopen" to reopen the task (in case the review shows that additional work is needed)

Reopening tasks

Direct reopening

1. Select the three-dots menu in the top right of the Task details panel
2. Select "Reopen" from the dropdown menu

Reopening with a comment

1. Write the reason for reopening as a new comment
2. Select "Submit and Reopen" instead of just "Submit"

Next steps

After learning task handling, you can:

• Work systematically on compliance activities
• Collaborate effectively via conversation features
• Collect complete documentation for audit purposes
• Apply continuous improvement to task processes