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Creating a New Task

Create a task by adding a name, assignee, due date, and custom fields. Attach files, mention colleagues, and more for effective tracking.

Updated over a week ago

Adding tasks in Productive is a straightforward process that helps keep your projects organized.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create and manage tasks efficiently!

1) Adding a New Task

  • + Task
    To create a new task, navigate to your project and click on the "+ Task" button in the upper right.

  • Title and Description

    Enter a title for your task and add a description detailing what needs to be done. This description will also be the first comment on your task.

  • Text Formatting

    Use text formatting tools (bold, italic, code, bullet list, numbered list, headings, quotes, code snippets, links) to enhance the task description.

    You can also use Productive AI (same as in Docs for text editing) to help you draft the description.

  • Attachments

    If the task requires additional files, click the "Add attachments" button or drag and drop files into the text input section.

  • Add task dependencies, subtasks or to-dos after saving the task.

2) Mentions

Use the "@" symbol to mention team members, hyperlink other tasks, or link Docs.

Mentioned users will receive a notification, directing their attention to the task.

Use the All, Person, Task, and Docs tabs to quickly find what or whom you want to mention.
Note: The person, task, or Doc must be part of the project to be shown as an option.

3) Choose the Task Status

  • Based on the chosen task workflow, set the task status.

  • By default, you'll have two statuses available: Open and Closed.

4) Choose a Task List

Assign your task to a task list:

  • Select a task list from the dropdown menu. The list will be located within a folder (marked by the folder icon 📂).

5) Assign the Task to People

You can assign tasks to a team member directly:

  • Use the dropdown menu to select the assignee.

  • The person you assign must be a project member.

Tip: Quick Task Assignment

  • Within a project, assign tasks on the fly by @mentioning a team member directly in the task title, speeding up the process without entering the full task details.

  • Note: This is possible in the Board and List layouts only.

6) Set the Date

  • Set a due date, and the assignee will receive a notification 24 hours before the task is due. It will also appear in their "My overdue tasks" section. Setting a due date opens a new "Due time" dropdown.

  • Set a start date, making sure your task has a duration.

  • Set the task as a repeating task.

7) Add Initial Estimate

  • If tracking time on tasks is enabled, you can add the initial time-to-complete estimate in hours or minutes.

  • When creating a task, you'll enter an Initial estimate, which changes to "Time to complete" once the task is created.

8) Using Tags

Tags can help categorize and filter tasks:

  • Add Tags: Tags like "Design" or "Sprint W2" can help organize tasks.

  • Project-Specific: Tags are saved at the project level, meaning tags created in one project won't be available in another.

9) Using Custom Fields

  • Add task custom fields to your project and use them for tasks, helping you organize and categorize your tasks better.

10) Add Task Subscribers

Subscribers receive notifications about changes to the task:

  • You can add subscribers who need to stay informed about task updates.

  • Like mentions and assignees, subscribers must also be project members.

11) Finalizing Task Creation

  • Once you’ve filled in all the necessary details, don’t forget to click "Create task" to save it.

For more specific needs, like creating a private task, you can check out additional resources in the Productive Help Center.

This guide should help you efficiently create and manage tasks within Productive, keeping your projects organized and your team informed!

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