Task Guides – The Best Feature in Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations?

Now, you may disagree with me, but I think that Task Guides are the best new(ish) feature in Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (D365FO). Before I tell you why, let us start with an introduction to Task Guides, if you are not familiar with them.

Task Recordings

Firstly, to use a Task Guide you need to record it using the Task Recorder in D365FO. As the following picture shows, the Task Recorder is found under Settings: in the ribbon:

Once in the Task Recorder, you have the options to create a new recording, play back a recording or edit an existing recording as the following picture shows:

Let us start by recording a new Task. In this example I would like to create a guide on how to create new customers.

Give the guide a descriptive name and press the Start button.

The task recorder is now in recording mode. You can stop the recording by clicking on the Stop button in the ribbon.

I would like to structure my Task Guide in sections, so I start my creating a sub-task:

I subsequently go to Accounts receivable / All customers and as you can see from the following screen, my actions are recorded in the sub-task:

I end sub-task 1 and create a new sub-task (2).

Now, I start creating a new customer in the user interface and again my actions are recorded. I continue to go through the steps required to create a new customer record and end by clicking the Save button. Once done, I end the sub-task (2) and stop the task recorder. I can now save my recording:

In this case, I save it to my PC.

Annotations

So far, the Task Recorder has used standard annotations to describe each step in the task guide. In the following picture, I have created a new simple customer creation guide and I would like to change the standard text for entering a value in the Customer account field. By default the text says: “In the Customer account field, type a value.”.

By clicking on the icon next to the text, the system brings up the annotation dialogue:

In this case I enter my own bespoke description including a more detailed instruction in the Title field. Now when I use the Task Guide, the user gets a comprehensive instruction on how to enter the correct value in the field as shown in the following picture:

Pretty much all steps in the recording can be annotated to produce very specific instruction.

Creating Documentation

Another important feature of the Task Recorder is the ability to create a Word document directly from the recording. The following picture shows an example of a document created from the previous recording:

The document can now be augmented with more detailed instructions and links to other documents, diagram etc. In the above example I have also used the inbuilt Microsoft Translator to translate the original English instructions into German. With a few simple clicks I have created multi-lingual work instructions and training materials.

Running the Task Guide

Now that we have created a Task Guide using the Task Recorder, it is time to use it.

If you open the help dialogue from the ribbon and you have saved your recording to Lifecycle Services (LCS), the task guide will automatically appear, if you are in the All customers screen because they have been associated. In my example I have saved the recording locally, so I need to invoke it from the Task Recorder by selecting the Playback recording as guide menu point.

As the following picture shows, the task guide now takes the user through each step one-by-one providing useful instructions on the way. In the ribbon, an icon indicates whether the guide is locked or not:

When the guide is locked, the user can not “jump” out of the guide, but must follow all steps.

So, Why do I Think This is so Great?

Firstly, this is the tool the Task Recorder should have always been, but here are some of the reasons, why I think this is such as big improvement:

• The tool allows us to provided guide data entry.
• It is central to being able to develop user-centric training materials at a reasonable price.
• It is linked with the Business Process Modeler in LCS providing a comprehensive solution for process documentation on activity level.
• The tool can provide the basis for automated testing of the user interface.

Yes, the tool still has room for improvement, but in my view it is extremely useful as it stands.

Further Reading

If you want to read more about the Task Recorder and the Task Guide, please visit the Docs documentation.