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closes odoo/documentation#8864
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Signed-off-by: Jessica Rogers (jero) <jero@odoo.com>
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==================================
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Utilize activities for sales teams
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==================================
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*Activities* are follow-up tasks tied to a record in an *Odoo* database. Activities can be scheduled
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on any page of the database that contains a chatter thread, Kanban view, list view, or activities
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view of an application.
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.. figure:: utilize_activities/activities-view.png
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:align: center
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:alt: The summary view of activities for leads and opportunities in an Odoo database.
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Planned Activities for Leads and Opportunities.
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Activity types
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==============
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A set of preconfigured activity types is available in the *CRM* app. To view the list of available
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activity types, navigate to the :menuselection:`CRM app --> Configuration --> Activity Types`.
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.. note::
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Additional activity types are available within the database, and can be utilized through
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different applications. To access the complete list of activity types, go to the
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:menuselection:`Settings app`, then scroll to the :guilabel:`Discuss` section, and click
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:guilabel:`Activity Types`.
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The preconfigured activity types for the *CRM* app are as follows:
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- :guilabel:`Email`: adds a reminder to the chatter that prompts the salesperson to send an email.
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- :guilabel:`Call`: opens a calendar link where the salesperson can schedule time to call the
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contact.
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- :guilabel:`Meeting`: opens a calendar link where the salesperson can schedule time to have a
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meeting with the contact.
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- :guilabel:`To Do`: adds a general reminder task to the chatter.
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- :guilabel:`Upload Document`: adds a link on the activity where an external document can be
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uploaded. Note that the *Documents* app is **not** required to utilize this activity type.
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.. note::
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If other applications are installed, such as *Sales* or *Accounting*, other activity types are
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made available in the *CRM* app.
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.. _crm/create-new-activity-type:
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Create a new activity type
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--------------------------
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To create a new activity type, click :guilabel:`New` at the top-left of the page to open a blank
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form.
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At the top of the form, start by choosing a :guilabel:`Name` for the new activity type.
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Activity settings
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Action
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******
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The *Action* field specifies the intent of the activity. Some actions trigger specific behaviors
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after an activity is scheduled.
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- If :guilabel:`Upload Document` is selected, a link to upload a document is added directly to the
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planned activity in the chatter.
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- If either :guilabel:`Phonecall` or :guilabel:`Meeting` are selected, users have the option to open
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their calendar to schedule a time for this activity.
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- If :guilabel:`Request Signature` is selected, a link is added to the planned activity in the
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chatter that opens a signature request pop-up window.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/action-field.png
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:align: center
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:alt: The Activity settings on a new activity type with emphasis on the Action field.
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.. note::
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The actions available to select on an activity type vary, depending on the applications currently
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installed in the database.
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Default user
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************
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To automatically assign this activity to a specific user when this activity type is scheduled,
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choose a name from the :guilabel:`Default User` drop-down menu. If this field is left blank, the
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activity is assigned to the user who creates the activity.
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Default summary
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***************
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To include notes whenever this activity type is created, enter them into the :guilabel:`Default
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Summary` field.
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.. note::
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The information in the :guilabel:`Default User` and :guilabel:`Default Summary` fields are
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included when an activity is created. However, they can be altered before the activity is
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scheduled or saved.
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Next activity
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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To automatically suggest, or trigger, a new activity after an activity has been marked complete, the
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:guilabel:`Chaining Type` must be set.
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Suggest next activity
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*********************
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In the :guilabel:`Chaining Type` field, select :guilabel:`Suggest Next Activity`. Upon doing so, the
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field underneath changes to: :guilabel:`Suggest`. Click the :guilabel:`Suggest` field drop-down menu
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to select any activities to recommend as follow-up tasks to this activity type.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/next-activity.png
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:align: center
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:alt: The Next Activity section on a new activity type form.
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In the :guilabel:`Schedule` field, choose a default deadline for these activities. To do so,
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configure a desired number of :guilabel:`Days`, :guilabel:`Weeks`, or :guilabel:`Months`. Then,
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decide if it should occur :guilabel:`after completion date` or :guilabel:`after previous activity
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deadline`.
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This :guilabel:`Schedule` field information can be altered before the activity is scheduled.
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When all configurations are complete, click :guilabel:`Save`.
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.. note::
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If an activity has the :guilabel:`Chaining Type` set to :guilabel:`Suggest Next Activity`, and
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has activities listed in the :guilabel:`Suggest` field, users are presented with recommendations
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for activities as next steps.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/suggest-next-activity.png
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:align: center
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:alt: A schedule activity pop-up with emphasis on the recommended activities.
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Trigger next activity
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*********************
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Setting the :guilabel:`Chaining Type` to :guilabel:`Trigger Next Activity` immediately launches the
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next activity once the previous one is completed.
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If :guilabel:`Trigger Next Activity` is selected in the :guilabel:`Chaining Type` field, the field
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beneath changes to: :guilabel:`Trigger`. From the :guilabel:`Trigger` field drop-down menu, select
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the activity that should be launched once this activity is completed.
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In the :guilabel:`Schedule` field, choose a default deadline for these activities. To do so,
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configure a desired number of :guilabel:`Days`, :guilabel:`Weeks`, or :guilabel:`Months`. Then,
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decide if it should occur :guilabel:`after completion date` or :guilabel:`after previous activity
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deadline`.
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This :guilabel:`Schedule` field information can be altered before the activity is scheduled.
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When all configurations are complete, click :guilabel:`Save`.
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.. note::
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When an activity has the :guilabel:`Chaining Type` set to :guilabel:`Trigger Next Activity`,
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marking the activity as *Done* immediately launches the next activity listed in the
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:guilabel:`Trigger` field.
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Activity tracking
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=================
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To keep the pipeline up to date with the most accurate view of the status of activities, as soon as
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a lead is interacted with, the associated activity should be marked as *Done*. This ensures the next
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activity can be scheduled as needed. It also prevents the pipeline from becoming cluttered with
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past due activities.
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The pipeline is most effective when it is kept up-to-date and accurate to the interactions it is
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tracking.
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.. _crm/activity-plans:
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Activity plans
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==============
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*Activity plans* are preconfigured sequences of activities. When an activity plan is launched, every
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activity in the sequence is scheduled automatically.
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To create a new plan, navigate to :menuselection:`CRM app --> Configuration --> Activity Plan`.
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Click :guilabel:`New` at the top-left of the page to open a blank :guilabel:`Lead Plans` form.
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Enter a name for the new plan in the :guilabel:`Plan Name` field. On the :guilabel:`Activities to
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Create` tab, click :guilabel:`Add a line` to add a new activity.
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Select an :guilabel:`Activity Type` from the drop-down menu. Click :guilabel:`Search More` to see a
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complete list of available activity types, or to create a :ref:`new one
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<crm/create-new-activity-type>`.
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Next, in the :guilabel:`Summary` field, enter any details to describe the specifics of the activity,
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including instructions for the salesperson or information due upon the completion of the activity.
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The contents of this field are included with the scheduled activity, and can be edited later.
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In the :guilabel:`Assignment` field, select one of the following options:
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- :guilabel:`Ask at launch`: activities are assigned to a user when the plan is scheduled.
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- :guilabel:`Default user`: activities are always assigned to a specific user.
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If :guilabel:`Default user` is selected in the :guilabel:`Assignment` field, choose a user in the
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:guilabel:`Assigned to` field.
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.. tip::
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Activity plans can feature activities that are assigned to default users and users assigned at
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the plan launch.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/create-activity-plan.png
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:align: center
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:alt: A Lead Plan form with scheduled activities.
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Next, configure the timeline for the activity. Activities can be scheduled to occur either before
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the plan date or after. Use the :guilabel:`Interval` and :guilabel:`Units` fields to set the
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deadline for this activity. Lastly, in the :guilabel:`Trigger` field, select whether the activity
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should occur before or after the plan date.
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.. example::
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An activity plan is created to handle high priority leads. Specifically, these leads should be
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contacted quickly, with a meeting scheduled within two days of the initial contact. The plan is
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configured with the following activities:
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- Email two days **before** plan date
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- Meeting zero days **before** plan date
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- Make quote three days **after** plan date
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- Upload document three days **after** plan date
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- Follow-up five days **after** plan date
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This sets the *plan date* as the meeting deadline, which is the objective of the plan. Before
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that date, there is lead time to contact the customer and prepare for the meeting. After that
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date, the salesperson has time to create a quote, upload the document, and follow-up.
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Repeat these steps for each activity included in the plan.
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Launch an activity plan
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-----------------------
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To launch an activity plan on a *CRM* opportunity, navigate to :menuselection:`CRM app` and click on
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the Kanban card of an opportunity to open it.
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At the top-right of the chatter, click :guilabel:`Activities` to open the :guilabel:`Schedule
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Activity` pop-up window.
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In the :guilabel:`Plan` field, select the desired activity plan to launch. This generates a
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:guilabel:`Plan summary`, listing out the activities included in the plan. Select a :guilabel:`Plan
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Date` using the calendar popover. This updates the :guilabel:`Plan summary` with deadlines based on
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the intervals configured on the :ref:`activity plan <crm/activity-plans>`.
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Select a user in the :guilabel:`Assigned To` field. This user is assigned to any of the activities
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on the plan were configured with :guilabel:`Ask at launch` in the :guilabel:`Assignment` field.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/schedule-activity-plan.png
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:align: center
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:alt: The schedule activity pop-up window with an Activity plan selected.
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Click :guilabel:`Schedule`.
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The details of the plan are added to the chatter, in addition to each of the activities.
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.. image:: utilize_activities/activity-plan-chatter.png
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:align: center
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:alt: The chatter thread of a CRM opportunity with a launched activity plan.
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.. seealso::
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- :doc:`Activities </applications/essentials/activities>`
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