Daily work
Tasks, subtasks and weightage
Raise a task, break it into weighted subtasks, find it on My Workspace and work it to done.
A task is one piece of work with an owner and a due date. Tasks fill your board, drive Capacity and carry the time you log. Most tasks are created for you when an engagement is activated; this article shows you how to raise one yourself, break it into subtasks, and work it to done.
Before you start
- You need permission to create tasks to raise one or save a draft.
- Your tasks are on My Workspace, in the Tasks tab. There is no separate Tasks menu item.
Steps at a glance
Step 01
Start a new task
Select New in the top bar, then Task. The keyboard shortcut does the same from any screen.
The New menu. 1: Task. Step 02
Choose the kind of task
Pick a kind under Or create manually: Task, Checklist, Client form, Query, Sign-off, Collect document, Reminder or Meeting. Or choose Create with Aiden, describe the work, and check the form Aiden fills in. Nothing is created until you check it.
Choose what kind of work you are raising. Step 03
Fill in the task
On The task, choose the Task type and the Task Owner, and give it a Title. Add a Description, a Client if the work is for one, and an Estimated effort per occurrence (hrs) if you want it counted in Capacity. Select Continue.
The first step. 1: Save as draft keeps a half-written task to finish later. A task has one owner, so there is never a question of whose plate it is on.
Step 04
Add subtasks and weights
Each subtask is one piece of the work. Use Add sub task in the rail for more, and drag them to reorder.
On Weights, decide how much of the job each subtask is. Weighting is off until you turn it on; turning it on splits the job evenly, and you adjust from there. The weights always add up to 100%. A subtask can be untimed: it must be done, but takes no share of the hours or the progress.
Weights are why a task can be 70% done when three of five subtasks are finished: the finished ones were the big ones. Without weights, progress counts steps rather than work.
Check everything on Review, then create the task.
Step 05
Find your tasks
Open My Workspace and select Tasks. Filter by client, task type, service, status and due date, or tick Only tasks I own. If you saved a draft, a Drafts notice at the top offers Open, which lists your Draft tasks with Continue and a bin to discard each.
Your tasks. 1: Open lists your saved drafts. The tasks for one engagement are also reached with View tasks on the engagement.
Step 06
Work the task
Select a task to open it. Each subtask has its own owner and can wait on another; tick Mark this subtask done as each is finished. Progress rolls up from the subtasks, weighted, and the task is done when they are.
On the right, Deputise a colleague hands the task to someone else for this occurrence only, or this and all future ones. People on this job shows how much room each of them has.
A task's page, with its subtasks on the left and its owner and progress on the right. A task marked Needs approval offers Submit for review when the work is done. Cancel task stops a task that is no longer needed.
What success looks like
The task appears in the owner's Tasks tab and on their board, and counts in Capacity if it has an estimate.
Next steps
- My Workspace: your board and calendar.
- Placing work with Capacity: check who has room before you assign.
- Logging time: record time against a task.
Common questions
Does logging the estimated hours close a task? No. Time logged and progress are separate. A task is done when its subtasks are done, and you can still log time after.
Can two people own one task? No. Give each person a subtask instead; subtasks have their own owners.
Can I drag a task to Done on the Kanban board? No. The only move the board allows is dragging a card from To do to In progress, which starts the task. Done follows from the subtasks.
Why are weights percentages? They share out the job between timed subtasks, so they add up to 100%. If one subtask is twice the work of another, give it twice the share.