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.
Availability: Step types, substeps and Sequential require Pathway Workflows to be enabled for your account. If these options are missing, contact the Equip team. Configure them on the web in Pathways, then Library, with the Pathways module at Administrator.
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 as 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 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.
With Auto Complete on, Equip records the end date when the qualifying response is complete. With it off, the step shows Ready to complete; select Mark as Complete to record its end date. Its form response cannot be replaced by checking off a 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 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 work requirement. With Auto Complete on it supplies the end date; with it off, select Mark as Complete once the step shows Ready to complete. A response still in progress does not qualify.
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.
Add Substep: Open a top-level Manual step’s menu to add Task, Form or Assessment work beneath it. A substep keeps its parent; there is no Parent Step picker.
Required: Required substeps must be resolved before the parent is complete; optional work does not hold it open.
Auto Complete: Available for Form and Assessment steps, and for a Manual step that already has required substeps. A Task always completes from its task.
Sequential: Earlier top-level steps must be resolved before later steps start. A substep also waits for its parent to start.
On a non-sequential pathway, include a top-level work step and give it a Start Date or select Mark as In Progress to create its work. Including it alone does not start it.
Marking required work Incomplete or Skipped resolves the requirement without performing the work. Skipping is offered only on sequential pathways. Open work cancelled by an outcome or pathway closure 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?
Task end dates come from the completed task. Form and Assessment steps with Auto Complete on derive their end date from the response. With Auto Complete off, complete the qualifying response first, then use Mark as Complete; the date cannot be before the response qualified.
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.