Track Sustainability Program metric tasks

From Sustainability Program, you can create and send tasks for workspace members to collect and verify metric values for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) or sustainability reporting. You can then track the status of these tasks from the Program and its topics and metrics.

Tip: To learn more about how to create and manage a metric's tasks, view Manage metric tasks in Sustainability Program.

Send metric tasks

After you set up the metric, you can send tasks to its values' assignees from the metric or its topic.

From metric
From topic

Note: When you send tasks from a metric, you send tasks for all values that are set up for data collection in the selected period.

Tip: To notify assignees of multiple metrics' values at once, send tasks from the topic instead.

To send tasks to only a specific metric's values' assignees:

Select the year and reporting period to collect values for.
In Tasks, select the tasks to send, then click Manage tasks, and choose whether to send notifications to the tasks' assignees to inform:

Note: When you send tasks from a topic, you send tasks for all values that are set up for data collection in the selected program year and reporting period.

To start to collect values for multiple metrics, send tasks from the metrics' topic:

In Program year, select the year of the metrics to collect values for.
To further narrow the focus, in Reporting period, select the range — in months — of the values to collect.
- To send tasks for all metrics' values within the period, click Send tasks for the overall topic.
- To send tasks for values within the period based on their data collection frequency, click Send tasks for the applicable frequency.
  To begin data collection, send tasks to assignees for metrics within the year and period:

Tip: If you're the value's assignee, you can complete your task directly from the metric.

When you send tasks, Sustainability Program automatically emails notifications to the assignees. When assignees complete their tasks, their approvers automatically receive tasks to verify the data.

Tip: To send tasks but not email notifications, such as for members assigned many values, select Send without notifications from Send tasks. If you edit a value's assignment or connected source file, you can also choose whether to notify the assignee and approvers of the change.

Assignees and approvers can access their tasks through their email notifications, Workiva Tasks, or from Tasks in Home .

For metric values with connected source files, the assignee and approver complete their tasks in the source spreadsheet or document.
For metric values with no connected source, the assignee and approver complete their tasks from Workiva Tasks for streamlined data collection.

Track data collection

You can track the status of a metric's data collection task from the metric or its topic.

Tip: To track the data collection of values within a specific time frame, select the reporting period — as a range of months — from the topic.

Tip: You can manage your assigned data collection tasks from Home .

Status	Description
pause_circle_outline Not sent	The task was created but not yet sent to the assignee. To start data collection, send the task to its assignee. Note: In Query, a Not sent task appears as Not started.
loop In progress	The task was sent to the assignee and is still open. Note: An In progress task appears as Not started in Workiva Tasks portal or Sent in Home.
send Sent for approval	The assignee prepared a value and its supporting material, and submitted it to the assigned approvers to verify. Note: In Home, a Sent for approval task appears as Awaiting approval.
warning_amber Returned	The approver sent the prepared value back to the assignee to make corrections or adjustments.
check_circle_outline Complete	The value is collected and — if applicable — approved.

Tip: On a metric, values that have no task assigned and are not Complete show a status of Pending hourglass_empty.

From the Task status pie_chart panel of a topic or metric, you can view a pie chart of how many metric values are at each status, as a percentage.

Send reminders for In progress tasks

To help keep data collection flowing, Sustainability Program automatically sends reminders to assignees or approvers with incomplete metric tasks:

Three days before their due date
On their due date
Every day after the due date, up to three days

From Sustainability Program, you can also send task reminders for a specific metric or topic, such as to follow up on tasks still incomplete after their automatic reminders.

From metric
From topic

To send reminders for a specific metric's tasks:

From the metric, select the program year and collection period of the tasks to send reminders for.
In Tasks, select the tasks to send reminders for.
From Manage tasks, select Remind.

From a topic, you can send reminders for multiple metrics' tasks:

Select the year and reporting period of the values to send reminders for.
Select which tasks to send reminders for:
- To send reminders for all applicable tasks in the period, click Remind on the overall topic.
- To send reminders based on monthly, quarterly, or yearly data collection within the period, click Remind for the applicable frequency.
Select whether to send reminders for all incomplete tasks, or only those with a specific status.

Reset metric tasks

To stop a metric's data collection, such as if the tasks were sent too soon or are no longer needed, you can reset its values' tasks. When you reset a metric's tasks:

The tasks return to Not started.
The assignee and approver receive a notification that their tasks were reset.
The metric retains any values, attachments, or notes already collected.

You can reset tasks from the metric or its topic.

From metric
From topic

From a metric, you can reset tasks for values collected for the Program year or a specific collection period.

To reset a metric's tasks:

Select the Program year and collection period of the tasks to reset.
Reset tasks for the year or period:
- To reset tasks for the year, select Reset metric's tasks from the metric's menu, and choose which tasks to reset.
  - To reset all tasks, including those already Complete, select Reset all tasks.
  - To reset only tasks not yet Complete, select Reset open tasks.
- To reset tasks for the period, select the tasks to reset in Tasks, then click Manage tasks and select Reset.

From a topic, you can reset tasks for values collected for the selected reporting period or a specific metric.

Reset tasks for reporting period

To reset tasks for the topic's reporting period:

Select the program year and reporting period of the tasks to reset.
From the topic's menu, select which tasks to reset:
- To reset all tasks, including those already Complete, select Reset tasks for reporting period, Reset all tasks.
- To reset only tasks not yet Complete, select Reset tasks for reporting period, Reset only open tasks.
Select whether to notify the tasks' assignees and approvers of the reset, and click OK.

Reset tasks for specific metric

To reset tasks for a specific metric from its topic:

Select the program year and reporting period of the tasks to reset.
From the metric's menu, select which tasks to reset:
- To reset only tasks not yet Complete, select Reset metric's tasks, Reset open tasks.
- To reset all tasks, including those already Complete, select Reset metric's tasks, Reset all tasks.
Select whether to notify the tasks' assignees and approvers of the reset, and click OK.

Complete metric task on behalf of assignee

If an assignee is unavailable or unable to complete their task, the Task Owner can prepare the value and submit it on the assignee's behalf.

Tip: You can also skip an approval step if an approver is unable to complete their task.

To open the task, click its name from Tasks in Home.
From the task, prepare the value as necessary, then submit the assignee's step:
- From the Workiva Tasks portal, open the Task steps panel, select Submit from the step.

- From a connected source file, open the Tasks panel, and select Submit from the step in Task steps.

Support

Community

Workiva Support Center