This article is a quick guide on how to create your first task and a few extra pointers we thought would be helpful for you to get the most out of the tasks module.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Getting the basics
Creating a new task
Getting the Basics
What are tasks
Tasks is a relatively simple module that allows you to assign to-do items for each project to ensure that todos big or small don’t fall through the cracks.
Who or What can tasks be used for
Tasks can be used for a variety of things. You can assign them to yourself to help keep your project to-do's in order or as alerts to remind yourself to schedule a window delivery. Tasks can also be assigned to members of your internal team, clients, contractor or anyone involved in the project.
How do users stay informed
When you assign a task, the appointed party(s) will receive an email with the details, and when they log in, they will see the task alert on their dashboard. When the item(s) are marked as complete or updated all assigned persons will receive a notification that the task is updated.
Now that we've got the basic covered let's create a task.
Creating a new task: It takes just 4 steps.
Navigate to the task module. To do so all you need to do is click on Tasks on the left menu
Now that you're in the tasks module you'll have two options to create your first task. If there are no current tasks created you'll be able to click the green Add New button.
Note: If there are existing tasks you'll just click on the green + to create a new task.
The form will open and now you'll be able to add in the details for your task.
Lets take take a quick look and at a few key fields in the form and define what they are
Status
The status field is an indicator of the progress or stage in which you task is in. There are three possible statuses for task.
Open: Is the system default. When a task is set to open its as you would guess its has yet to be started or completed.
Running: This status could also be called "in progress" it simply indicates or gives you the user the ability to say you're working on tackling the task. It also is beneficial for the rest of you team members to know its being handled.
Completed: No explanation needed here, but sure does feel good to knock those tasks of your list of things to do. Plus its great for letting your team know as well!
Note: You can filter your task list by using the filter tabs at the top of the list.
Assigned To
This field allows you to assign the task to anyone on your project team. You can assign it to internal users, subcontractors, or even yourself. Once you assign a user to a task and click Add the system will send an email to the assigned user(s) with all the relevant information so you can be assured they're getting the info they need even without logging in.
Due Date
When adding the due date for the task we have a few options that are worth reviewing, let's take a look at the options below.
Fixed Date: This is the default and probably most widely used option. It allows you to add a specific or fixed date in which you need the tasked completed by.
Link to phase: You can use this options if you want the due date of your task to be linked to a scheduled phase. If you choose this option the due date will change dynamically when you update your schedule. You can read more about this in our linking items to schedule phase article.
Pro Tip: Linking tasks to schedules phases is a great feature we take advantage of a lot. An excellent example of how we use this feature is to create tasks that are reminders for our PM's. For instance, we might have a tile that we know is special order and has a 6 week lead time. We'll create a task to remind us to order the tile, and we'll link that task to the "Tile Install" phase and create a 6 week lead time with the due date. As the schedules changes the due date for that task will remain 6 weeks ahead of "Tile Install." The result of this has been fewer errors and products delivered to sites on time.
Recurring: Choosing this option will allow you setup a recurring task. An example of this might be if you want to set up a weekly task to clean up the job site.
The last step to creating creating the task is to hit the Add button. Again, once you hit add the system will send out a notification with all the tasks details to the assigner users.
Need additional help?
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