Job templates and stage automation

Firm owners and admins use Job Templates to define what each workflow job contains, and Pipelines stages to set up automations that fire when a job enters a stage. If either option is hidden, see Permissions and Visibility. This work is the next step after a Pipeline Trigger is in place.

The three job template types

Open Settings > WorkFlow Setting > Job Templates. The page has three tabs:

• Service Templates: Templates fired by a Pipeline Trigger. Each one defines the recurring work created when a client service is saved. This is the only template tab a Pipeline Trigger can select.
• One Time Templates: Templates for jobs not tied to a recurring service, such as onboarding, ad-hoc requests, or internal projects.
• Recurring Templates: Templates for recurring jobs not tied to a service — for example, an internal monthly review your firm runs on its own schedule.

The Service Templates tab here defines the service-recurring job template — the workflow job generated for each filing period. It is distinct from Service templates under Settings > Templates, which defines client service structures.

What a job template defines

When you add or edit a template, the form holds:

• Template Name: The title shown in template selection dropdowns.
• Job Name: The title each generated job uses. Supports shortcodes (such as fiscal period tokens) so each generated job includes its period name.
• Priority: The default priority level assigned to generated jobs.
• Note: Description or instructions copied onto each generated job.
• Job Start Date (Variable Type) and Job End Date (Variable Type): Date tokens that anchor the job to a period (such as period start or fiscal-year start).
• Job Start On (Days) and Job Due On (Days): Day offsets from anchor dates that calculate when the job opens and when it is due.

For recurring or service-recurring templates, the page includes a Recurring Job section to toggle Repeat this Job and set its Status.

Attach tasks and invoices to the template

The lower portion of the template form allows attaching items copied onto every generated job:

• Task: Select a task template from Recurring tasks and task templates. Each generated job receives a copy of the task with dates derived from the job’s schedule.
• Invoice: Select an invoice template from Recurring invoices and invoice templates. Each generated job receives a copy of the invoice.

Email actions are configured on pipeline stages rather than on the job template itself.

Stages, automove, and stage automation

Pipelines and stages are configured under Settings > WorkFlow Setting > Pipelines. Open a pipeline to view its stages arranged in sequence.

New tenants start with an HST Filing Workflow pipeline already set up, with stages and task templates for monthly, quarterly, and annual HST filing periods. Use it as-is, edit it, or build your own pipeline alongside it.

Each stage provides three configurable controls:

• Stage Condition: Tag filters applied at the stage level. A job enters or processes through the stage only if its client record possesses matching tags. The first stage serves as the entry point for all jobs and cannot have stage conditions.

• Automation: Actions that execute when a job enters the stage. Stage automation supports three action types:

  • Task: Generates a task from a task template.
  • Invoice: Generates an invoice from an invoice template. Choose an Invoice Type of Draft, Save, or Save & Send to control how the generated invoice is created.
  • Email: Sends an automated email to the client based on an email template.

  The chosen Invoice Type appears next to the invoice template name wherever the stage’s automations are listed.

  Use the up and down arrows next to an automation to change the order it runs in.

  Each automation also has a Match Job Tags field. Set it to limit that automation to jobs whose service carries one of the selected tags; leave it empty to run the automation for every job that enters the stage. This is separate from the Client Tags condition described below, which matches the client instead of the job’s service.

• Execution: Set a stage to Parallel (all matching automations run together when a job enters the stage) or Serial (automations run one at a time, in order). Parallel is the default.

• Auto-move: A toggle switch. When enabled, a job automatically advances to the next stage once all tasks in the current stage are complete.

Use client tags for custom workflows on the same pipeline

Firms do not need to create separate pipelines for different client segments (such as VIP clients, E-Commerce clients, or Audit Risk accounts). You can maintain one single pipeline and use Client Tags to create tailored workflows:

1. Stage-Level Conditions: Restrict an entire stage to specific client groups. For example, add a stage Partner Quality Approval with a Stage Condition Tag set to VIP-Client or Audit-Risk. Standard client jobs bypass this stage automatically, while tagged client jobs enter it for partner signoff.
2. Action-Level Condition Tags: Inside a single stage, assign condition tags to individual automation actions. For example, on a Records Request stage:
   • Action 1 (Standard Request Email): Tagged Standard-Client. Sends standard record request emails.
   • Action 2 (Priority Concierge Email): Tagged VIP-Client. Sends priority concierge email templates.
   • Action 3 (Digital Sales Tax Task): Tagged E-Commerce. Auto-creates extra e-commerce reconciliation tasks.

To manage daily work on the pipeline board, see Jobs and pipelines.

What does not propagate after editing

• Editing a service template does not update existing client services. Templates are read once when a service is added to a client.
• Editing a job template does not retroactively update jobs already created on a pipeline.
• Editing a pipeline layout does take effect on active jobs. Stage renaming applies immediately, and new stage automations fire when a job enters that stage.

To update existing work, edit individual services, jobs, or items directly.