About this tab
The General tab is the landing tab on the Fieldwork Task edit page. It covers the core task details, the project / site / report associations, parent task dependencies, the field technician assignment and timeline, and the workflow status. The other tabs (Field Data, Laboratory Data, Documents) each have their own article. For first-time setup of a new fieldwork task, see the Creating a Fieldwork Task article.
Key Steps
1. Navigate to the Fieldwork Task
Click Fieldwork Tasks in the left sidebar under the TASKS section.
Find the task in the list.
Click the row, or click the edit icon (pencil) in the Actions column.
You will land on the General tab by default.
2. General Information
The top of the page shows the core fieldwork task metadata:
Name - the task name. Should be unique within your organisation (e.g., Location_GME_March 2026).
Fieldwork Task Type - the task category. Read-only on Edit; cannot be changed after creation. To change type, recreate the task.
Dispatch Now? - checkbox that triggers dispatch of the task to the assigned field technician via the EnviroAutomate field app on save. Can be ticked at any time to (re)dispatch.
Description - free-text description of the task.
3. Associations
The Associations section links the task to the rest of the workflow:
Project - the project the task belongs to. Changing the Project resets which Sites and Client Reports are available.
Site - the site the work is performed at. Filtered by the selected Project.
Client Reports - the client reports this task feeds into. Filtered by the selected Project and Site.
4. Parent Task Dependencies (Read-Only)
If this task depends on one or more parent monitoring events (set when the task was created), they appear here as a read-only list with the parent task name, completed date, and assigned technician. Click the open-in-new-tab button to open a parent task in a new browser tab. Dependencies cannot be modified after creation.
5. Primary Fields source (combined reports only)
If this task participates in a combined sibling report (Soil Classification or current Groundwater Monitoring Event), a blue info banner appears at the top of the form naming the Primary task whose single-value field data (site characteristics, weather, device info) feeds the combined report. Click the link to open the Primary task in a new tab.
6. Assignment & Timeline
Controls who does the work and when:
Assign to Field Technician - the user the task is dispatched to.
Start Date - when the field work is scheduled to begin.
Due Date - when the field work is expected to be complete.
Both date fields use the date picker in your locale’s date format.
7. Status
The workflow status of the task (e.g., Draft, Dispatched, In Progress, Completed). Only available on Edit, not on Create. Available status options are filtered to those allowed from the current state.
8. Save Changes
Click Save to commit changes on the General tab.
The page stays on the General tab and shows a success notification.
If Dispatch Now? is ticked the task is dispatched to the assigned technician on save.
Always save before switching to a different tab - unsaved changes on the current tab will be lost.
9. View Audit Log (Optional)
The View Audit Log button at the top of the page opens the complete change history for this task.
The audit log shows who made each change and when.
Dispatch Controls
The General tab gives you three dispatch actions, depending on the task's current state.
Dispatching for the first time
For a task that has never been dispatched, the Dispatch Now? checkbox is the only control. Tick it and click Save, A "Dispatching this Fieldwork Task to the field app..." overlay appears while the task is sent to the technician's device.
Re-dispatching an already-dispatched task
If the task has already been dispatched, the checkbox label changes to Recall and Re-Dispatch. Ticking it and saving:
Pops up a warning that the existing dispatch will be cancelled, and if the field worker has already started or completed their work, their submission will be lost.
If you confirm with "Yes, re-dispatch", the existing dispatch is cancelled and the task is dispatched again.
Use this only when you genuinely need to send the task to the technician again. If the technician has already submitted, do not re-dispatch - that submission will be discarded.
Cancelling a dispatch
If the task is currently dispatched but you no longer want the technician to do the work, click the red Cancel Dispatch button at the bottom of the form. A confirmation dialog explains:
The dispatch will be cancelled and the field technician will be notified.
If the field worker has already started work, it will be lost.
The task status will be set to Cancelled.
Click "Yes, cancel dispatch" to proceed or "No, go back" to keep the task dispatched.
Live dispatch status
While a dispatch is in progress, a status indicator appears near the top of the form showing real-time progress. You do not need to refresh the page.
Cautionary Notes
Save before navigating to another tab or your changes on the current tab will be lost.
Fieldwork Task Type cannot be changed after creation. If the wrong type was chosen, recreate the task.
Changing the Project resets the available Sites and Client Reports. Re-pick them after changing Project.
Re-dispatching an already-dispatched task discards any in-progress field-worker data. Only re-dispatch when you are sure the technician has not yet submitted.
Cancelling a dispatch sets the task status to Cancelled and notifies the technician.
Status options are restricted to the transitions allowed from the current state.
Tips for Efficiency
Use the Field Data tab to review the technician's collected observations once they have submitted.
Upload laboratory results promptly via the Laboratory Data tab so reports can be drafted.
Attach supporting files (photos, notes, certificates) via the Documents tab.
Update Status as work progresses so the rest of the team can see where the task is at.
Use the Audit Log to review what changed and by whom if you are tracking down a discrepancy.