Edit steps

Editing steps in templates

Add new steps or edit existing ones directly in Tallyfy templates.

Who can edit steps?

Members with a “Light” role can’t edit templates or steps. Only “Standard” members (if allowed by an Admin) or “Administrator” members can.

Adding new steps

Open your template in Edit mode, scroll to the bottom, click Add Step, type a name, and press Enter. That’s it.

Modifying existing steps

To modify a step:

• Go to the Templates library
• Find your template and click the Edit icon (pencil symbol)

In edit mode, click any step to open its details panel on the right. Here’s what you can change:

Step description

Write instructions for the task. You can add text, formatting, images, files, links, tables, videos, variables, and snippets.

1. Click the step you want to edit.
2. Click the Description area in the details panel.
3. Use the toolbar to format text, add links, images, etc. See Insert Media for details.
4. Tallyfy saves changes automatically.

Use videos for clear instructions

A short screen recording often explains a step better than paragraphs of text. Embed videos for complex tasks.

Assignment

1. Click the step you want to assign.
2. Go to the Assign tab in the details panel.
3. Pick an assignment method:
   • Specific Person/Group: Pick members or groups from the list.
   • Job Title: Assign by role (e.g., “Account Manager”).
   • Guest: Assign to someone outside your company via email.
   • Nobody right now: Leave unassigned initially (see note below).

• “Nobody right now”: What happens at runtime depends on the Assign launcher automatically setting (in the Advanced tab). It’s ON by default - the person starting the process gets assigned. If OFF, the task stays unassigned.
• Assigning Groups: Create the group first in Tallyfy before assigning a task to it.

Step type

Different step types have different behaviors and buttons (e.g., Approve/Reject steps). See Step Types Explained for details.

1. Click the step you want to change.
2. Click the Type dropdown in the details panel and pick the new type.

Prevent task debt with expiring tasks

Use the “Expiring” type for FYI items or optional info. These tasks auto-complete at deadline if not done manually, preventing task debt from non-critical items piling up. Great for weekly updates or informational announcements.

Email branding options

Email step types (Email Draft and Email Auto-Send) include a “Send Chromeless” option that removes Tallyfy branding from sent emails. Use this when emails should look like standard messages. See Step Types for details.

Form fields

1. Click the step.
2. Go to the Form fields tab in the details panel.
3. Click Add field to create a new one, or click an existing field to edit it.

See Types of Form Fields for details.

Checklist field saving issue

If you see a “Capture ID field is required” error when saving a step with checklist fields, it usually means:

• You added checklist options but didn’t save the field configuration first
• The checklist field validation rules are incomplete

To fix:

1. Click the checklist field to open its settings
2. Confirm all checklist items are properly added
3. Set the validation rules (e.g., “at least one” or “all items”)
4. Click outside the field settings to save
5. The template should now save without errors

If the error persists, refresh the page and re-enter the checklist field configuration.

Deadlines and timings

1. Click the step.
2. Go to the Timings tab.
3. Set the deadline (when work should be complete) relative to:
   • Process Launch: Due X time after the process starts (default).
   • Another Step: Due X time after another specific step is completed.
   • Future Step Completion: Due X time before a later step’s due date. Useful for working backward from a final deadline (e.g., “Draft due 3 weeks before Publish Date”).
4. Choose Start On-Time or Start Anytime:
   • Start On-Time: Suggests when work should begin. Guidance only - not enforced.
   • Start Anytime: No suggested start time (default).

Start time vs deadline

• Start time: When work should begin. Helps with planning but isn’t enforced.
• Deadline: When work must be complete. This is the due date that determines overdue status.

Both can be set for process tasks (via the template editor) and one-off tasks. Example: start time of “Monday 9 AM” and deadline of “Wednesday 5 PM”.

Overall process deadlines

Your process’s overall deadline depends on which task has the latest due date from launch. Here’s the catch - if you set a deadline based on another step’s completion (like “3 days after Step 2 finishes”), the timeline becomes flexible since you can’t predict exactly when that step finishes.

Bulk deadline management

The template editor doesn’t support bulk editing of deadlines across multiple steps. Each step’s deadline must be set individually.

Alternatives:

1. Power Builder - Bulk step creation and deadline tool (contact support for access)
2. Professional Services - Tallyfy’s team can help with large-scale template setup
3. Template duplication - Create a master template with standard deadlines, then duplicate and adjust

Contact support@tallyfy.com for Power Builder access or professional services help.

Advanced settings

• Launch another process when complete: “Yes” auto-starts another process (from a different template) when this task finishes. You can inject tasks into the current process or start a separate one. See Launch another process guide.
• All assignees must complete this task: “Yes” means the task isn’t done until every assignee marks it complete. Doesn’t apply to Administrators.
• Assign launcher automatically: ON by default. If a step has no assignees, the person who launches the process gets assigned. Turn OFF to leave it unassigned.
• Task is mandatory: “Yes” means this step can’t be removed when someone launches the process.
• Only assigned members can complete or edit: “Yes” restricts the task to assigned people only (Administrators always have access).
• Emit outbound webhook when completed: “Yes” sends a notification to another web service via a webhook when this task finishes.
• Prevent guests from making or seeing comments: “Yes” hides comments from any guests assigned to this task.
• Unique Step Alias: An internal ID for this step, used for webhook and API integrations.
• Tags: Add tags to this step for filtering and organization.

Webhooks and integrations

For more on Webhooks and connecting Tallyfy to other tools, see the Integrations section.

Related articles

Edit Templates > Assign steps in the Tallyfy template builder

Tallyfy lets you assign template steps to specific members or groups or job titles or guests through the Assign tab and also supports unassigned steps with dynamic automation rules that route tasks based on form answers or conditions like dollar amounts or priority levels.

Tasks > Advanced tab

Tallyfy’s advanced task options in template steps let you control behaviors like auto-launching linked processes and requiring all assignees to sign off and restricting who can complete tasks and firing webhooks to external systems and managing guest permissions and tagging steps for filtering.

Templates > Template tools

Tallyfy’s Template Tools let you bulk-create steps by pasting a list and bulk-assign people or adjust deadlines across many steps at once instead of editing each one individually — and Administrators can also push templates into other users’ favorites for quick access.

Edit Task > Assign members or guests after launching

Tallyfy lets you assign people to tasks at three stages — inside a template as defaults or during process launch or while a process is already running — and includes settings to auto-assign the launcher and restrict task completion to only assigned members.

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