About Tasks, Task Lists, and Subtasks

A task is a single unit of work done by one user; a task defines:

• The work to be done
• The user to do the work
• The start and due dates

Tasks and subtasks are usually assigned to someone on the project team. However, tasks can be created without any assignment. These unassigned tasks can be claimed Assign an unassigned task to yourself. by project users.

For step-by-step instructions on how to create tasks, see Creating Tasks. For step-by-step instructions on how to create task lists, see Creating Task Lists.

This topic also discusses:

Task Status
Task Lists
Subtasks
History
Task Notification
Attaching Discussions and Documents

Task Status

Users assigned to a task can change its completion status, provided that they have Write permission or higher. When a task is first created, its status is usually 0%, meaning that work has not yet started. When work on a task is underway, the assigned user should change the completion status to indicate how much work is completed (between 0% and 100%.). When the work is done, the task status should be changed to complete (100%).

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Task Lists

A task list contains a set of tasks A single unit of work done by one person. and subtasks Just as task lists contain tasks, individual tasks can contain subtasks. There can be four levels of subtask for any task. When a task has subtasks, the task start and due dates are calculated based on the start and due dates of its subtasks. to be completed for a project or a phase of a project.  It can serve as a to-do list. Its start and end dates are calculated based on the dates of tasks contained in the list.

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Subtasks

Just as task lists contain tasks, individual tasks can contain subtasks. When a task has subtasks, its start and due dates are calculated based on the dates of its subtasks.

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Collaboration maintains a history of actions performed on tasks. Actions that are recorded in the history include:

• Date of creation
• Change in task name
• Change in user assignment
• Change in start date or due date
• Change in status (percent complete or risk indicator)
• Change in status notes

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Task Notification

A task can be set to automatically notify the user assigned to it. Optionally, the user assigned to a task will receive e-mail notification when:

• The task is assigned
• Work on the task should be started
• The task due date has arrived

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Attaching Discussions and Documents

You can attach discussions and documents to a task list. This is useful for exchanging information and ideas about completing the work in the task list. Project users can participate in the discussion while viewing the details of the task list. They can also view documents and files that are relevant to the task.

You can also attach documents to tasks and subtasks.

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• Creating Tasks

• Creating Task Lists

• Tasks Portlet

• Tasks Application View