Task

A task is defined by:

• a name,
• a priority [normal, high, urgent],
• an optional description,
• an optional, generic, application defined ID string,
• an application defined context.

Name

The name is used to identify the type of task to be performed, such as “Form Review”, or “Signature Required”. Between the name and the description a worker should be able to determine what is being requested of them.

Record ID

The record ID is used to associate data with the task. For example, the form review task would use the ID of the form intake data, so the application can display the data to be reviewed. Of course, the record ID is just a string without any a-priori meaning associated with it. You can use it for anything, really.

Context

The context is used to provide any extra information that is needed for the worker to complete the task; things such as:

• its difficulty,
• its time frame,
• constraints,
• resource references,
• etc.

In the end, the context depends entirely on what sort of task is being defined. Therefore the context is simply defined as a generic JSON object that gets associated with the task, and it is up to the application to define and interpret its data.

Developers should try to keep the concept of context separate from that of data (the record ID). Data is the specific information or material that the task processes or analyzes, while context is the set of conditions, constraints, and circumstances that affect how the task is performed.

APIs

There are several API endpoints that provide the basic operations needed to manage tasks within a queue. These operations include:

• assigning workers to tasks
• setting task priority
• managing task status

as well as the basic CRU operations for adding, updating, and retrieving the data. Note: tasks cannot be deleted, then can only be cancelled or completed.