How to work with tasks

In Stackfield, tasks are the basic unit of work. They break down your workload into manageable steps and help you keep track of your workload. Plan your day in tasks and represent to-dos, ideas, reminders, and more.

Content of the article:
• Creating a task
• Task card structure
• Due Date / Recurrence / Reminder
• Processing status
• Display options: List / Kanban / Swimlanes / Calendar / Gantt
• Further functions: Dependencies, Milestones, Subtasks, Labels and more
• Options for admins

Creating a task

In the module Tasks you can create a task by clicking on the blue plus button in the upper right corner.

To avoid duplicates, use the module search (icon: magnifying glass, top left). Edit the found task or, if it does not exist yet, create it automatically using the Enter key.

At the end of each column / status a task can be added by entering the title in the text field "Add task..." and clicking the Enter key. Additionally, you can directly add an assignment (by @-mention) and a due date (format e. g. DD.MM.YYYY).

Alternatively, you can create tasks using the following modules and areas:

• Module Communication: You can find all activities of the room here, e. g. changes to tasks, as well as all communication
• Module Timeline: In the timeline module, a Gantt chart displays all dated tasks in their chronological progression
• Module Calendar: The calendar maps all events and dated tasks
• Sidebar: By clicking the button "+ Create New" at the top of the sidebar you can create module entries via shortcuts ("New Task")*
• Global Search: Through the Control Center of the global search you can navigate through Stackfield, create module entries and much more
• Email integration: Email integration converts email content into module entries
• API / WebHook: Using the Stackfield API you can send information to Stackfield and create it as module entries

*The plus symbol at the top of the sidebar and the option "New Task" allow you to create a task centrally at any time. Attention: An additional field appears in the task card, in which you can specify the room where the task is to be stored. By default, it will be the last room you visited.

Task card structure

Each task consists of different elements and can be extended by further features. However, only the title of the task is a mandatory field. You can simply leave the remaining fields blank and fill them in later. We do recommend that you enter all available information in the task card right away.

You create clear responsibilities by assigning the task to someone (yourself or another person) and giving it a due date. On the top left you will find the status of the task and on the top right you can make further adjustments, such as creating subtasks, time entries or labels. In the room settings, you can create additional fields ("Custom fields") for all tasks in the room, e.g. to store different topics, job numbers or priorities.

Due Date / Recurrence / Reminder

To avoid missing a task, always agree on a time by which the task should be completed. If there is no fixed deadline, you can also enter an estimate. The due date can be set for a specific time ("Date & Time") or a period ("From - Until"), and can be entered once or as a recurrence. You can also set a reminder for the task and its deadline.

As soon as you assign a due date to a task and save or create it, it will be added to the schedule and calendar modules (if enabled). Visibility can only be restricted by a filter and / or right groups.

On the due date, the task appears in the My Week dashboard of all assigned users. If a time period is stored, the task will remain open in My Week from the beginning of the period until it is marked as "Done".

Recurring task

The following successively selected buttons can be used to set a recurrence, as well as the rhythm:

1. "Due"
2. "Date & Time" or "From - Until"
3. "Recurring"

For recurring tasks, only the next due task is created in the first processing status (by default "Todo"). As soon as this task is marked as completed (status "Done"), the next task is created automatically.

In the calendar, all individual tasks of the recurring task are entered according to their due date and marked with a recurrence sign.

Reminder

In the task card, you can activate a reminder for the task or the start of the due date via the "From - Until" or "Date & Time" fields. All people assigned to the task will then receive a notification in My Week.

Note: Once the task status is set to "Done", notifications and reminders about the task will no longer be sent.

Rescheduling / Change of due date

If only the due date is changed, it will be applied directly. With activated reminders and / or recurring tasks, a query appears once the due date is changed (via "Due" in the task or via "Reschedule" for expired tasks in My Week). You can then specify whether the settings should be adjusted to the new date or if you want to reset them completely.

Due date: Special case: List view

In the list view of the module Tasks, the due date of each task is displayed as a column. For tasks with a time period as the due date, the "Due by" column represents the beginning of the period. To show the end date, click on "MORE" in the upper right corner and select the option "Due end". You can use the filter to save the view if necessary. You can also change the order of the individual criteria or columns in the drop-down list using drag & drop.

If the start date or time of a task is changed, the end date is shifted by the same interval, since the "task scope" usually remains the same. However, if the end date is edited, the start date remains the same and the task scope is assumed to be correspondingly shorter or longer than originally planned. To edit a column, left-click on the corresponding field. With a right click, you can edit some selected criteria through shortcuts.

Processing status

In the upper left corner of the opened task card, the status of a task can be viewed and edited at any time ( regardless of all other settings). For other colleagues to know what the current status is, it should be adjusted regularly.

In the overview, the status of a task can be changed with a right-click on the task and mouse-over on the "Status" option. (Tip: Within the room, you can also change the status of multiple tasks at once).

In the overview, the general visibility of the processing statuses depends on the filter settings. By default, the task view is grouped by status. Thus, the status can be seen directly in the title of the group. In the map view, the statuses are visualized in the form of columns. You can easily change the status here by drag & drop.

Notes: The processing status may have been individually designed by room admins. Changing the status can be restricted due to your assigned right group or be associated with an approval.

Special case: Approval

The sender forwards the completed task (through a status change) to the person responsible for the approval. The recipient (the person registered for approval) receives a notification in My Week and can manage the approval centrally. A task waiting for approval can no longer be edited by the sender (or other users) until it is accepted / rejected. If changes to the task are still necessary, the task must be "withdrawn" by the sender and, as soon as the changes have been completed, it must be reassigned.

Display options

Tasks can be visualized as a list or Kanban Board as well as in the calendar or through a timeline (Gantt chart) visible for all authorized members. The respective view can be modified and saved according to your requirements via the filter. If necessary, the view must be updated to view all changes (Notifications within a room). A cross-room view of the tasks is available in the reports.

List

To switch to the list view, click on the "List" button in the upper right corner (below the navigation bar, between "Filter" and the plus symbol). Afterwards, all tasks are listed one below the other (one task per line) and can be additionally grouped vertically by status (see screenshot), due date, dropdown, or user via the filter, if required. You can hide or show a group via the arrow next to the group title. With the filter or "MORE" you can show additional information, such as subtasks or labels.

Cards (Kanban Board)

To switch to the card view, click on the "Cards" button in the upper right corner. Here, the Kanban Board individually displays all tasks (incl. title, assignment, due date, and more) as cards. By default, the board is divided into columns and the tasks within are sorted by processing status. The tasks run through the columns from left to right, e.g. from "Todo" (all pending tasks) via "In progress" to "Done" (all completed tasks).

If required, the tasks can be grouped according to other (filter: "Group by") and / or additional (filter: "Swimlane by") criteria such as the due date or custom fields.

The order of tasks within a column and the associated prioritization can be changed via the filter settings ("Sort by"). You can also add the attached files of a task card as its cover image (see: Further functions).

Swimlanes

Swimlanes can be used to add a second grouping on a horizontal level in the Kanban Board of the room. This means that the tasks are not only sorted by the columns according to the first grouping criterion (by default: processing status) but are also grouped within the columns according to a second criterion.

To add swimlanes to your view, open the filter functions via the "Filter" button at the top right. At the top under "Swimlane by" you can now open a dropdown list with all available criteria. The option already grouped under "Group by" cannot be selected again and is therefore grayed out.

The following options are available to you:

• Processing status (z. B. "Todo")
• Due date (z. B. "Today" or "Overdue")
• Self-defined criteria of your custom field "Dropdown" (e. g. topics or priorities)
• Users stored through the custom field "User"

Once a swimlane category has been selected, your view will automatically be adjusted. (Tip: Save frequently used filters as a view.) If necessary, you can now hide and show individual swimlanes to get a better overview.

Calendar

Tasks are displayed in the module Calendar on the day they are due and are marked with a checkmark. Tasks without a due date are not included in the calendar. The display of the individual tasks shows the title and time as well as, if available, a hint for recurring tasks (symbol: recurrence sign) and / or for an activated reminder (symbol: bell). Instead of the calendar sheet, a member view is also possible. If necessary, you can also integrate the calendar into external calendars.

Timeline (Gantt)

In the module Timeline, tasks can be mapped per week / month / year while maintaining their dependencies on other tasks. Using drag & drop, you can easily define dependencies and extend, shorten or postpone time periods. You can also create milestones to mark important intermediate results and deadlines of certain project phases.

Further functions

Subtasks

By using lists within the task, you can create and group subtasks. This way, individual work steps and thus the remaining workload of tasks become visible. The subtasks can be assigned to different people and can be given due dates.

Tip: Reminders can also be set for subtasks. Make sure to add a due date and assignment to the subtask. In this case, it is not enough to simply assign the task.

Gantt chart: Dependencies, Milestones, Automatic Scheduling, and Critical Path

Once the module Timeline is active, tasks can be assigned a dependency and / or marked as milestones. The automatic scheduling and the critical path additionally help to coordinate different tasks.

File as cover image in task cards

If a file in image file format is attached to a task in the Kanban Board, the corresponding image* will automatically appear as the cover image in the task card. The corresponding settings can be changed at any time: Simply right-click on the task and select the option "Choose Cover Image" via mouseover.

*The drop-down list offers you several options:

• "Show most recent" (Default setting): Once a new image file is attached to the task, it will be displayed as the cover image in the task map.
• "Show no image": The existing cover image, if available, will be removed from the task map and future attachments will no longer be automatically displayed as cover images.
• File title: Click on the corresponding file title to select a specific image as the cover image.

Notes: The "cover image" function has been online since September 2022. All tasks created before that have the default setting "Show most recent". However, they will not receive a cover image until a new image file is attached. (They will not be automatically updated to a cover image.) The function is enabled by default. If necessary, you can deactivate it in the "Room Settings".

Markers within images

Images uploaded to Stackfield can be annotated directly in the right place using markers. This way you ensure that any feedback remains visible. For images attached to tasks, all markers in the task are stored as subtasks in a separate list and can be easily checked off.

Labels

Labels for tasks are directly visible in the Kanban and List view as well as in My Week. They can be added within the opened task card by clicking on the label icon or in the overview through a right-click.

Further articles

• Available in: Room
• Moving / Copying / Duplicating
• Deleting
• Archiving
• Deleting / Archiving / Editing multiple tasks at once
• Working with Task templates
• Custom Fields
• Time Tracking (Clock icon in the upper right corner of an opened task card)
• Reminders of tasks
• Subscribing (-> getting a notification on any changes)
• Exporting / Printing the overview or a single task
• Comments, @-mentions and History (available soon)
• Files / Links (Paperclip icon in the upper right corner of an opened task card)
• Workflow management for statuses & approvals
• Quick assignment via keyboard shortcut
• Five rules for task management
• Views and Filters
• Module Search
• Gantt view (module: Timeline)
• Notifications within a room
• Global Search (cross-rooms)
• Complete overview: Reports function
• Automatically generated daily schedule / reminder of a task in My Week*
• Forward tasks via direct message
• Favor tasks

*Note: To receive a reminder, an assignment and a due date must be stored for the (sub-) tasks.

Options for admins

Further articles

• Right groups within a room (incl. workflows)
• (De-) Activating or editing modules

Advanced settings: Status and custom fields

In the "Room Settings" admins of the room can make separate settings for the tasks of the room. Simply, switch to the tab Modules and click on "Settings" below the module Tasks. Alternatively, you can access the settings directly from the task overview. Simply, click on the more button (symbol: three dots) in the upper right corner and select the option "Customize Fields".

Processing status

The individual processing statuses of the room can be edited and deleted here. You can change the order of the parameters by dragging and dropping them onto the small dots. By clicking on the colored dot you can change the color of the status. To apply all changes, click on "Save" at the end.

Tip: It is recommended not to rename / delete the status "Done", otherwise the tasks can no longer be stored in the system as completed (e.g. relevant for recurring tasks and task overviews as in the project details).

Some settings can be made directly in the Kanban Board. You can also change the order of the statuses by dragging and dropping the columns. Via the more button (symbol: three dots) in a column, you can change the color of the status, rename the column or delete it completely. New columns can be created on the far right of the overview via "Add List...".

Custom Fields

To structure your tasks in the way that works best for you, Stackfield provides you with different types of custom fields, such as the checkbox, the dropdown, or the textbox. This way, you can make sure that all users in the room find a suitable place to put their information. Changes to the order, name, and color of the custom fields are made in the same way as changes to the status fields.

Deactivate cover image in Kanban Board

You can disable the cover images in task cards at any time if needed. Simply, open the settings of the room. In the tab General, under Display options, you will then find the option "Show cover images of tasks in card view?". To deactivate the cover images now, click on the corresponding button (green: activated, gray: deactivated) and then on "Save Changes". The function is now deactivated. To reactivate the function, click on the button again and save your changes.