In Productive, bookings are usually created for services in budgets and deals to plan work and allocate people’s time. This works well for centralized planning.
Bookings on tasks offer another way to plan: directly from a task. Instead of creating tasks and service bookings separately, you can now link the two.
Task bookings don’t replace regular bookings: they follow the same rules, appear in the Resource Planner, and remain tied to services in budgets and deals.
📌 The difference is where the planning starts, and that's from a specific task rather than from a service.
This option is designed for teams who plan work in detail using tasks and want their scheduling to reflect that structure. It’s not required for every team or every project.
👉 If you decide task bookings are right for your team, check out the article on Creating and Managing Bookings on Tasks next.
Creating bookings on tasks is available on the Professional and Ultimate subscription plans.
How Bookings on Tasks Relate to Regular Bookings
Bookings on tasks use the same foundation as regular bookings.
What stays the same:
Bookings are created for services in budgets and deals
Availability rules still apply
Bookings appear in the Resource Planner
What’s new:
Bookings can be created directly from a task (and stay linked to the task)
Services must belong to the same project as the task (meaning the budget or a deal must be linked to the project)
One task can have multiple bookings
Bookings remain visibly linked to the task across the app
Task and booking dates stay in sync
Why task bookings help:
Letting you plan time as you define work
Showing clearly who is booked on a task
Keeping tasks and bookings aligned when plans change
Who Bookings on Tasks Are For
A good fit if:
Tasks represent real, scheduled work
Multiple people work on the same task
A single task may include work billed under different services
Work is planned ahead, not just logged after
May be unnecessary if:
Tasks are simple checklists
Booking is handled entirely by a central planner
Task dates aren’t used for scheduling decisions
Which Approach Should You Use?
First, ensure a budget or deal exists with the services you’ll deliver. Then decide:
Service-based bookings: Plan work at a high level in the Planner; no task-level granularity needed.
Task bookings: Plan in detail, link bookings to tasks, or schedule multiple people on the same task.
Mix approaches: Some services can use high-level Planner bookings, while others use tasks for more granular planning.
📌 Tip: If unsure, start with high-level Planner bookings. Use task bookings for tasks that involve multiple people, multiple services, or require detailed scheduling.