# Handling and completing tasks

> Doing a task means working in its conversation. Discuss it, attach evidence to a comment, and then close it. That conversation doubles as your audit trail.

Source: https://tidalcontrol.com/docs/tasks/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

![Task conversation panel](/images/help/tasks_conversation.png)

### 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

> **tip:**

**A good task description contains:**
- **Goal of the work** - What needs to be achieved?
- **Step-by-step instructions** - How do you execute the task?
- **Required resources** - What tools, access or information do you need?
- **Acceptance criteria** - When is the task successfully completed?
- **Deadline context** - Why is timing important?

## 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"

> **tip:**

After closing a task, it is only visible under 'closed' Tasks, and no longer in other overviews. 

Therefore, make sure a Task is completely resolved before closing it or create a new Task or Issue for tracking any remaining (long-term) actions.

### 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;
2. b. **Select "Submit and Reopen"** to reopen the task (in case the review shows that additional work is needed)

> **tip:**

After reviewing a task, the "Review" and "Submit and Review" buttons change to "Undo Review" and "Submit and Undo Review" respectively. This allows the review to be undone.

### 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

> **tip:**

**Complete on time**: Close tasks as soon as they are actually completed. Postponing completion leads to backlogs and loss of momentum in compliance cycles.