Pathway step types define the work involved in each stage of a participant’s pathway and how that work is completed. Choose from Manual, Task, Form, and Assessment to organize services, track action items, and connect required responses to participant progress.
How it works
Each step has a Step Type. Manual steps track a service or milestone, while Task, Form, and Assessment steps track specific work. These work steps can stand on their own or sit under a Manual parent step.
A step’s type is different from its progress status. The type describes what the step is for; its status describes where the participant is in that step.
Manual steps
Use a Manual step for a service, phase, or milestone whose progress your team records, such as intake, job preparation, or ongoing support. A Manual step does not automatically create a task or require a particular form or assessment response simply because of its type.
Record the participant’s start and end dates as the service progresses.
Use a Manual step as a parent for related Task, Form, or Assessment steps.
Enable Auto Complete when you want a started parent step to receive an end date once its required child work is resolved. Optional child work does not hold up completion.
Manual top-level steps can be configured as billable when pathway billing is available.
Task steps
Use a Task step for an action someone needs to finish, such as scheduling an intake meeting or reviewing supporting documents.
Equip creates a to-do when the step’s work becomes available.
The to-do is assigned to the step’s supporter, or to the parent step’s supporter if the child step has no supporter. If neither is assigned, the work is shown as unassigned.
An authorized user selects Mark Complete to finish the task. Equip then records the step’s end date from that completion.
Reopening the task removes its work-based completion.
Form steps
Use a Form step when progress depends on completing a specific form for the participant, such as an intake questionnaire or consent form.
Select the form in Required Form when configuring the step. Available choices are account-level forms.
Complete the form through the step’s form action or its associated request so the response counts toward that step.
If the form requires approval, the step waits for the response to be approved. A response awaiting approval or returned for correction does not satisfy the requirement.
Equip records the step’s end date when the qualifying response is complete. You do not complete this step by manually checking off its to-do.
Assessment steps
Use an Assessment step when progress depends on completing a specific assessment for the participant, such as a skills or readiness assessment.
Select the assessment in Required Assessment. Available choices are account-level assessments.
Complete the assessment through the step’s assessment action or its associated request.
A completed assessment response fulfills the step and supplies its end date. A response still in progress does not.
Benefits
Make it clear whether each stage represents a service, an action, a form, or an assessment.
Keep required work connected to the participant’s pathway progress.
Reduce manual date entry for work-based steps.
Group related work beneath a service without making optional items block progress.
Customization and options
Step Type: Choose Manual, Task, Form, or Assessment when creating or editing a step.
Parent Step: For a Task, Form, or Assessment step, select a Manual parent or leave it as None (top-level step).
Required: For child steps, choose whether the work must be resolved before the parent counts as complete.
Auto Complete: Available on Manual steps. For a started parent with required child work, Equip can record its end date when all required child work is resolved. A Manual step with no required child work does not complete merely because this option is enabled.
A Manual step with child steps must remain a top-level Manual step; its type and parent controls are locked.
Important: Skipping or closing required child work can resolve its requirement for parent completion, but does not mean the child’s work was performed. Any open work cancelled by these actions is cancelled, not completed.
Best practices
Use Manual steps for services or major phases, and Task, Form, or Assessment steps for the work supporting them.
Assign a supporter so released work has a clear owner.
Choose required forms and assessments before enrolling participants in the workflow.
Complete responses through the step rather than filling out an unrelated copy elsewhere.
Mark only essential child work as required. Keep helpful but nonessential items optional.
FAQs
Does linking a form or assessment to a pathway complete a step?
No. A link alone does not fulfill a Form or Assessment step. The required response must be completed through that step’s associated request for the participant.
Can an older response satisfy a new enrollment?
A response from an earlier enrollment does not automatically fulfill the new enrollment’s step. Complete the request associated with the current step.
Why has a Task, Form, or Assessment step not created work yet?
Work is created when the step becomes available. In a sequential pathway, earlier steps may need to be resolved first. A child step also waits for its parent to start. If the row shows Work not created, correct the stated configuration issue and select Retry.
Can I manually enter an end date for a Task, Form, or Assessment step?
No. These step types derive their end dates from completed work. Use the task completion action, submit the required form and obtain approval if needed, or complete the assessment.
Does a Manual step always require manual completion?
No. A Manual parent can use Auto Complete to record an end date when its required child work is resolved. Otherwise, your team records its completion.