Tasks

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Overview

You can add tasks to tickets to break complex tickets into smaller, actionable steps. Each task has the same properties as a standard ticket, but maintains a parent-child relationship with its parent ticket.

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Creating tasks

You can create tasks in 3 ways:

1. Add a task to an existing ticket
2. Convert a ticket to a task
3. Automate task creation from workflows

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Option 1: Add a task to an existing ticket

Open any ticket and create a new task directly within it. Navigate to Tickets → Select Ticket → Click the ”+” sign next to Tasks → Add all the same information you would to a ticket (e.g., name, description, assignee)

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Option 2: Convert a ticket to a task

You can convert any existing ticket into a task by assigning it a parent ticket. This is useful when you realize a ticket is actually part of a larger piece of work. Navigate to Tickets → Select Ticket → Click the three dots on the right corner → Select “Set parent ticket” → Search for parent ticket

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Option 3: Automate task creation

Use workflows to automatically generate tasks. When creating a workflow, instruct Serval to create the subtasks you need. When the workflow is triggered, the tasks will automatically be created, and viewable in the ticket in app.serval.com.

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How tasks work

Tasks operate like regular tickets with a few key differences:

1. Tasks have parent tickets: A task has a “child” relationship to a “parent” ticket. Tasks use a two-layer hierarchy — tasks cannot have their own sub-tasks.
2. Manual or automated: Each task can trigger its own workflows or be completed manually. Tasks don’t need to follow the same workflow as their parent ticket.
3. Cross-team assignment: Assign tasks to any team member, regardless of your role in their team. This makes it easy to coordinate work across multiple teams.
4. Parallel execution: Multiple tasks can be active simultaneously. There’s no limit to how many tasks a ticket can have.
5. Visible on parent ticket: All child tickets (tasks) are visible at the top of the parent ticket, including tasks created by workflows. This gives you a clear overview of all related work.

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Filtering tickets and tasks

Use relation filters to find specific ticket types. Navigate to Tickets → Filter → Relations → Choose between:

• Parent tickets: Tickets that have at least one task
• Child tickets: All tasks (tickets with a parent)

You can also use the Type filter to narrow by ticket type:

• Requests: Root-level tickets (no parent)
• Tasks: Tickets that are children of a parent request

Ticket badges display full type names — “Request” and “Task” — for clarity.