Task assignment example
In the next example we'll show how you can assign a task to a user. Because of the separation between the jBPM workflow engine and the organisational model, an expression language for calculating actors would always be too limited. Therefore, you have to specify an implementation of AssignmentHandler for including the calculation of actors for tasks.
8 Ways to Use Task Assignments in Process Street
Running a business is complex, especially when it’s unclear who is responsible for what.
To move your business from an informal organization to a well oiled machine, you need processes. There’s no getting around them.
We built Process Street to solve that problem, and have just launched a new feature that lets you assign tasks to specific members of your organization…
This makes processes way more useful because you can add accountability to your business systems.
In this post, I’m going to go through some use cases you might want to try based on real processes we’ve put together at Process Street .
Task assignments are the best way to break up processes and make your team responsible for their specific duties, like this:
Task assignments can either be done per template (assign the same people to tasks in every checklist) or on the fly (assign people to tasks as needed).
Check the gif below to see it in action:
As with any new feature, there are tons of ways to use it. Need some ideas to get you started?
Add the head of department into your employee onboarding process
It’s rare that processes can be run through from start to finish without any kind of hand off, especially if they’re complex like employee onboarding .
With task assignments, you can now add mentors, department heads, HR staff and other key players to the process to make sure everyone knows what they’re responsible for.
Bring in an audio editor for your podcast publishing process
When you’re putting out regular episodes of a podcast, you need to have your processes in order. In my experience with the Business Systems Explored podcast and my own efforts, everybody needs to be 100% responsive, ready, and assigned to their duties… or everything’s going to go wrong.
The different stages of our podcast publishing checklist can be broken up and assigned to assistants, editors, or marketers. Use task assignments to make sure everybody’s on the same page.
Assign content repurposing to an assistant in your content promotion process
It’s proven that repurposing is an effective strategy that can give your content more visibility across different platforms. For example, you can turn a blog post into a video, slideshow, PDF file, or even a string of tweets.
Using our content promotion checklist, you can assign assistants or designers to repurpose your content and get more exposure.
Add new team members to the Process Street user guide to train them
Are your team struggling with a particular Process Street feature? It’s a great idea to run a checklist from the Process Street User Guide and assign your team to tasks to make them accountable.
You could even make our user guide part of your employee onboarding process to ensure everybody gets up to speed with the tools you use as quickly as possible.
Hand off the client onboarding process
Onboarding a new client is delicate work. You want to make sure the stage is set for a valuable relationship, and so using a checklist is the most foolproof way to do it.
Add account managers to tasks like the kick-off call, assign reports to assistants, or even add in your office cleaner to come and tidy up reception to prepare for the client’s arrival.
Add your QC team to your software testing process
As we’ve looked at before on the Process Street blog, testing is a vital part of development and accountability plays a huge part .
Build that accountability into your process by assigning tasks to testers and asking them to report back inside Process Street.
Assign an editor to check your content before you launch your website
Launching a website? There’s more to it than making sure the code itself doesn’t break. Assign your content writer or copy editor to the checklist below to make them responsible for checking your site’s copy before making embarrassing mistakes when you decide to launch.
You could also do the same thing for the whole team working on the launch; a designer to make the favicon, marketers to approve the SEO, and data wizards to set up proper analytics.
Task your family with specific duties in your house cleaning checklist
Task assignments aren’t just relevant in the business world. You can assign your children and significant other tasks to do around the house, too. Use the cleaning checklist below to divide up the weekly cleaning duties and make everything a little more manageable.
Assign property listing in your real estate sales process
With the pressure of viewings, staging, and negotiating, realtors should delegate tasks to avoid burnout.
Listing a property is basically filling out a form on a web page, so can be easily delegated to a junior staff member. Use the real estate sales process checklist below to take the data entry out of your job, and focus on making the sale.
Need more help with your business processes?
Here are some resources you should check out that will help you get started:
- What is a Process? A Non-Boring Guide for Regular People
- How Processes Protect Your Business from Crashing and Burning
- How to Create a Process People Won’t Hate Using
Now you’ve got the inspiration, it’s time you learned to implement it. If you’re stuck, go check out our help article on task assignments , or shoot an email over to [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!
Haven’t got a Process Street account yet? Sign up here .
Get our posts & product updates earlier by simply subscribing
Benjamin Brandall
Benjamin Brandall is a content marketer at Process Street , and runs Secret Cave on the side. Find him on Twitter here .
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- Task Assignment Form
The task assignment form is a form template that is used for management to assign tasks to employees. This is commonly used by project managers to delegate tasks to team members. A task assignment form is an easy way to assign a task to someone and keep track of the progress, in one place. You can assign a task to one or more individuals, typically employees of a company or cooperative. With our free Task Assignment Form template, you can assign tasks to multiple people, keeping your project organized — just customize the fields, collect the information you need, and easily share it in a secure way.
Using Jotform's free and powerful Form Builder app, you can design your forms to match your business needs. You want a professional look? Add your company logo to your form easily. You need your brand colors on your form? Just change the form and page colors of your form with no coding at all! Also, Jotform has more than 100 integrations for you to automatically sync form submissions with your favorite storage service accounts. Go online and start organizing task management at your company using our free Task Assignment Form..
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How to give assignments to team members
Last updated on: March 1, 2023
The project has been divided into milestones, goals and objectives broken into tasks, and now it’s time to assign them. But as you open the project management platform, you’re faced with the unflattering process of wording the tasks, and choosing whom to assign them to.
Well, in this article, we offer advice on how to make that jumbled first moment a little clearer. There are actionable tips, learning the difference between allocating and delegating tasks, and suggested criteria on how to choose the best person for the job.
For a more precise overview, here’s a table of contents:
Table of Contents
How do you assign employees tasks?
We normally think that assigning tasks is a time-consuming process that focuses on clearing out task lists to keep the project going. However, task assignment should actually be a more employee-oriented process that requires additional dedication and effort, which yields incredible results. But what do we mean by that?
Properly assigned tasks push your employees, projects, and the overall company forward. Here’s how.
- They strengthen accountability and trust between managers and employees;
- They help teach new skills and perfect old ones;
- They allow employees to get familiar with other teams and avenues of work;
- It becomes easier to make project estimates;
- Makes for great bases for performance reviews, etc.
The list could go on, but we’ll stop there for now.
Of course, such long-term benefits don’t come without some proverbial blood and sweat in the planning stage. Let’s take a look at the general ideas on assigning employee tasks, and specific steps you can take.
Motivation comes from knowing the bigger picture
When we talk about the bigger picture in project management, we talk about each team member’s task affecting their peer’s down the line. Since all tasks are usually small pieces of the puzzle, it helps to remind employees how their work contributes. For example:
- A high-quality draft can make a great foundation for the final version, and it can be completed more quickly.
- A well-prepared presentation can shave time off unnecessary questions and additional email inquiries.
It comes as no surprise that people work better and are more productive, when they know that their work has an impact on the company level.
And so, when you assign tasks, try to emphasize how they fit in the bigger picture. Simply saying: “ You doing X will help with Y and Z ” and how it reflects on the project as a whole will let an employee know that the task they were assigned is important.
Get your employees excited to commit
Telling people about the bigger picture and showing them what’s possible can only get them so far. It’s enough to ignite the initial spark, but for them to fully commit to the task, you need to define what that task entails.
They should be able to picture how to go about the work, what skills to use, and how to reach the desired result. The clearer the instructions, the more motivated they will be to work.
Simply put, give directions on how the task should be done, and make sure they understand. You can’t read each other’s minds, so it’s important everyone is on the same page.
Ask for task transparency
One of the best practices a company can employ is transparency among coworkers.
This is achieved by having everyone input their tasks for the day in a timesheet. The purpose of timesheets is to get an accurate idea of what everyone is working on at any given time.
When people know who works on what tasks, it’s easier for them to know if a person is available or busy, how far along they are with a task, etc.
So, when you give assignments to employees, label them with deadlines. Alternatively, you can ask for employees’ assessments on how long the work would take them, and use those timeframes.
Source: Clockify team timesheet
Timesheets are a great way to keep an eye on tasks and the people doing them. You get to:
- see who struggles with what (helps assess people’s skill sets);
- who burns through their workload and is available for additional tasks;
- whether your time estimates need correction;
- identify any wasted time.
💡 If your employees are insecure about keeping public records of their tasks, here are a few resources that can help:
- How to create order in your daily work tasks
- How to be more efficient with your tasks
Keep a crystal clear timeframe
While we’re discussing timesheets and deadline transparency, it’s important to mention that the times you set for task completions need to be clear-cut.
As we’ve mentioned, the safest way to assign deadlines is to consult the employees. They are better at assessing how long it will take them due to the tasks’ difficulty, overall deadlines, the standards that need to be met, and the skill required to complete it.
When they get a say in how long they should be doing an assignment, people tend to feel more accountable for the whole process. They will do their best to finish in time, since they actively participated in setting the deadline.
Set very clear expectations
Assigning a task should always include your (the supervisor’s) expectations pointed out. For example:
- Does a logo pitch need as many drafts as possible, or just a few finished pieces?
If you ask a designer to make some drafts for a logo pitch, you must specify the kind of quality you’re looking for. Explain whether you are looking for some sketches and drafts for a brainstorming meeting, or if you want clean, presentable pieces to show.
Additionally:
- How many pieces should the designer do?
- Is there a specific color palette they need to follow?
- How important is the task? Is this the day they finally decide on a logo, or is it still in the brainstorming stage? (decides on the quality of the work itself)
Assigning the task using the above questions, you help the designer understand how much effort precisely they need to invest. They become more motivated with clear instructions, as they know what is expected of them. There’s no fear of having their work criticized for something that wasn’t communicated in the beginning. And on your end, it prevents breached deadlines or subpar results.
Avoid creating dependency by being less involved
It’s not unusual for employees to ask their supervisors for their opinion on a certain task, or their performance.
The problem arises when a supervisor makes themselves too involved with the process. When they feel like the project might fall apart if they don’t have their eyes on every moving part all of the time. And when you have, say, 20 people waiting for that person’s approval, advice, or consultation, the workflow runs into a gridlock.
And wait time is wasted time.
Plus, people lose motivation, patience, and grow frustrated, as they could be doing other things.
So, learn not to jump in every time people call for your aid. Assign reliable people who can address smaller issues, while you handle the big picture. Learn how to expend your own energy where it is needed more.
For example – making a pitch presentation for potential investors keeps getting put off because one person needs you to check a client email they want to send, another wants your signature on a form, and the third wants to ask something about employee feedback that’s coming up.
In order to not be stretched thin, and have your time wasted on menial tasks, here’s where you can start:
How to mitigate the risk of being over-involved when assigning
- Remember that you match tasks to people
Which means that, by matching the right people with the right tasks, your involvement will be minimal. Take time to carefully choose who gets to do what. What is the point of assigning tasks if they can’t be done without you?
- Have a 10-point scale to judge the importance of items
How important are certain aspects of your leadership role? Are you absolutely necessary in every meeting, or during every call? Which tasks need your approval, and which ones can be approved by someone under you?
Rank these items on a scale of 0 to 10, based on their importance to you and the project. Top priority tasks should get your undivided attention. And what can be delegated, should be.
- Analyze your schedule
Your energy and time are needed on a much broader scale. The best way to spot if you’re wasting time being too involved is to look at your schedule. Identify how much time you’ve spent on low-priority items, and assess which issues could’ve been solved without you.
- Take into account priorities and deadlines
Step in only when absolutely necessary. You are in charge of things getting done on time, by people most qualified for assigned tasks. Determine what your priorities are for each project, and concern yourself only with those issues, unless there is a risk of breaching a deadline.
- Formulate a list of dependable people
If you know your employees (or team members) well enough, then you should be able to single out those who are more dependable and ready to take on a little more responsibilities. Write out the reasons how they could help by getting involved on low-priority items instead of you. When the time comes, rally them and present them with the idea, keeping in mind that this solution helps push the project forward. When authority is delegated to several people, there’s fewer chances of a hold-up in the workflow.
This also falls into the realm of task delegation , which we’ll get into later.
How do you decide what tasks to assign to which employees?
1. assign based on priority.
Naturally, some tasks will be more important than others. When you break down a project into tasks , spend some time assessing their priority level.
High-priority tasks should be the first on your list to allocate. Whether it’s because they’re time-sensitive, or require more effort and dedication.
Low priority tasks can be allocated as fillers to the first available person.
2. Assign based on employee availability
Another factor to consider when assigning tasks is who is available at the moment.
As the project moves along, new tasks will be added. You will have to allocate new work, but odds are you won’t always be able to pick who you want. Especially if a deadline is approaching, the person with the smallest workload should be your first choice.
Overloading an already busy individual just because they’re more skilled or you have faith in them the most puts an unnecessary strain on them. It’s cause for frustration, poorer results, and decreased productivity.
And as we’ve mentioned, if you have a timesheet with an overview of all the tasks and employees working on them, it’ll be much easier to spot who is free and who isn’t.
3. Assign based on employee skill level
High-priority tasks should go to employees with more experience in a given field or skill. However, you should occasionally give such tasks to other employees as well, to help them grow and become just as dependable. Giving people challenging tasks that can boost their experience is essential to productivity and morale.
Not to mention you get to have multiple high-skilled employees.
Low-priority tasks can be assigned to anyone, despite their experience level. They’re a good opportunity to practice, pick up new skills, or get smaller tasks out of the way to make room for more important ones.
4. Assign based on preference
Last, but not the least, preference can also play a big part in how you assign tasks.
It’s a given that some employees will prefer certain tasks over others. So it could be good to assign tasks at a meeting with the team. As you discuss priorities, deadlines, and availability, ask them which tasks they would like to work on.
If someone shows interest in a specific type of work, they should (with some consideration), be allowed to take it. After all, people are more productive when they’re assigned to something they find new or exciting.
Note: Apply this rule with caution. Letting people do only the tasks they want can stunt their career growth. Getting out of our comfort zones and occasionally doing tasks that we don’t like is how we develop and learn. So, don’t forget to document assignments as you hand them out, to spot these potential issues early on.
Allocating vs delegating tasks
While semantically similar words, delegation and allocation in terms of tasks are two different things.
When you allocate tasks , you are assigning tasks without giving the employees much authority, challenge, or room to grow. It includes you keeping all of the responsibility – writing out the tasks, making deadlines, providing resources, tools, etc. These are usually recurring tasks that can become repetitive.
When you delegate tasks , you allow for some of that responsibility to fizzle out from your fingers. All you think about are the objectives, while letting the employees figure out the details and means to get there.
However, that doesn’t mean delegation is right and the allocation is wrong.
Task allocation has its own place. It is just as important, as a lot of tasks come down to repeated processes that are still vital to the project progress. Task delegation is just a good opportunity for employees to learn, challenge themselves, and assess their skills and performance.
When should you allocate tasks?
Management and BizDev consultant Artem Albul shared his concept on task assignment, which he dubbed an “algorithm”. He emphasized how these criteria are useful only and only when you wish that employees perform the tasks based on your guidelines and instructions (aka allocation).
Here is how Albul broke down the algorithm:
Source: Artem Albul, TWA Consulting
As we can see, task allocation, while the more “controlling” of the two, also gives in-depth instructions and asks for confirmation on task clarity. A lot of it comes down to everyone being on the same page, leaving little to no room for misinterpretation (but also creative freedom).
How should you allocate tasks?
With all that we’ve mentioned in the previous section, here’s how your task allotment could look like, step by step.
- Break down your project
Detail out the goals, objectives, and some individual tasks (not all, be careful not to start micromanaging). Place the most important deadlines.
- Prioritize tasks and sort them
It’s important to know what tasks need to be done faster/better, to properly allocate your resources and manpower from the start.
- Make a list of teams and team members
Assign team leaders (if you don’t have them), and alternatively, ask for their input on individual employees skills, for a more informed decision on who gets what.
- Schedule a meeting
Make a meeting with the team leads and go through the points above. Assign tasks according to each team’s availability, interest, and skill required to successfully push the project forward.
- As team leads – assign tasks further down the pipeline
- Track task completion and make necessary changes along the way
Whether it’s pushing deadlines, reassigning tasks, or shifting around resources. This is perfectly fine and expected, so long as it doesn’t happen on every task you’ve assigned. Then, it is an indicator of poor pre-planning.
- Offer feedback and write performances
Don’t forget to track the progress and make notes of important details that might help the next task allocation/delegation process. It’s also a useful piece of information for the employees on what they need to improve on.
Allocating tasks is somewhat more complicated than we want it to be. But, this kind of thorough research and preparation will make projects run more smoothly. Employees will also be more satisfied with their work, and there will be less hurdles as deadlines approach.
When should you delegate tasks?
Delegation is a great practice in trust for both the employer/supervisor and the employee. The employer learns how to give away some of their control over the process, while the employee learns how to take more accountability for their work.
This lets you focus on big-picture aspects of your job, since you deal less with assignments that are low-priority for you. You save time and energy, while helping others move up in their careers.
How do you effectively delegate tasks as a leader?
As we’ve mentioned, delegating includes more employee independence. There are some additional components which make this type of task assignment more appealing than allocation, with great opportunities for growth.
Focus on delegating objectives instead of actual tasks
When you delegate, you focus on the objective that needs to be done. You shouldn’t give employees a “color by numbers” instruction on how to complete a task.
Communicate clearly what the end result should be and what expectations you (or the higher-ups) have. Leave the means for reaching that end goal to the employees themselves. Because how you solve a task may be completely different to how they will. And that is perfectly fine, so long as the result is the one you are looking for.
Keep the objectives challenging
When the objectives you’re delegating are too easy, chances are the person will either procrastinate, or feel like you don’t trust them enough. And if they’re too difficult, they get frustrated, anxious, and begin to panic.
It’s a good idea to be aware of an employee’s skill level, so you can gauge how much challenge and responsibility they can take on. For them to be the most productive and achieve great results, they need to enter “the state of Flow”.
Source: Optimal Experience , M. Csikszentmihalyi
💡 We’ve discussed the state of Flow in more detail in an article on time organization.
Encourage discussion and feedback
Let employees voice their opinions on the topic.
They should ask anything about the task, the goals, or the overall impact their work will have on the later stages or others’ workflow. It means they are interested in the task, and getting involved.
And if they aren’t asking questions themselves, you can always nudge them into proactivity.
- Is there something you’d like me to clarify?
- Do you already have any ideas on how to go about the task?
- Is the time we agreed upon enough for you?
- Will you need other resources, tools, or support?
- Do you see any problems or risks?
Questions like these help them feel valued, their efforts acknowledged, and let them know you care about the task and how well they perform. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you’ll start to look like a micromanager.
Give employees free rein, but offer support
Speaking of micromanaging, delegation means you let people problem-solve their way out on their own. There should be no reason for a manager to step in and control or supervise any step of the process, unless absolutely necessary.
However, what you should do is let them know you’re available for any advice should they feel stuck. Just because employees get authority on a certain task, and are left to their own devices, doesn’t mean the project has to suffer until they pull themselves up.
From time to time, ask them if they need anything from you, and make sure they know you’re there for any kind of support, consultation, or mediation. ANother good practice is to also give them additional learning opportunities – such as training, conferences, courses, etc.
Delegate objectives that move people forward
Choose assignments that boost the skills and employ all of their experiences, instead of something that simply needs to be done. For example:
- Tasks that require they brush up on their team communication skills;
- Learning how to allocate smaller tasks;
- Supervising others’ work and doing quality control;
- Learning to work with a new tool;
- Holding a meeting (or more), etc.
Find out which skills your employees may want or need to develop, and then plan your delegations accordingly. You want them to complete the task while having learned something new at the same time.
How to choose who to delegate to
Paul Beesley, senior director and consultant at Beyond Theory proposed a nifty checklist for when you’re choosing an employee to delegate to. It’s meant to simplify and speed up the process.
To successfully complete the delegated task, your chosen employee needs:
S – the skill to perform and complete a task
T – the time to complete the task, and if needed, learn the required skill
A – the authority to handle everything concerning the task
R – the necessary level of responsibility
R – the recognition for successfully completing the task
This list is a set of important criteria that should be covered when you consider who to assign to a specific task. However, depending on your niche, type of service, company size and the project at hand, the criteria are likely to change. And it should accommodate your needs, not the other way around.
Common task delegation mistakes to avoid
With all being said, there are some common mistakes managers and employers make, sometimes without even realizing it.
- Being too vague concerning deadlines (using: as soon as possible, when you get to it, I need it by yesterday). It creates unnecessary pressure.
- Being unavailable for questions and concerns. While you shouldn’t micromanage, you should still be present for support if an employee feels stuck. Ignoring them or handing them over to someone else could cause distrust. However, if you are usually swamped with work, set consultation hours each day or week.
- Having unclear directions. Specifying the allotted time for task completion and expectations should be the bare minimum when delegating tasks.
- Not providing feedback. No feedback is worse than bad feedback. Employees need to be aware when they’re doing good work, as well. In one company I worked for, the mantra was: “If no one is complaining about your work, that means you’re doing good”. And while it sounds like sound logic, it actually caused a lot of frustration. We were left directionless, and simply “floating” from task to task, never knowing if any of them had a positive impact on our performance.
- Not listening to employees. Take into account how they feel about a task or the objective. Let them give you feedback and if there are potential problems from the get-go.
- Assigning other people to the same task. If you notice a person struggling, the first instinct should be to ask them how they’re faring, and if they need any help. Some managers tend to assign other employees to help them without consultation, which leaves a sore taste. The employee will feel even more incompetent and will be less likely to take on a similar task in the future.
- Assuming people will know what you mean. This is one of the biggest problems. When you’re formulating a task, be as clear as possible about the goals and expectations. Oftentimes managers think that these things are implied, but the truth is – no one is a mind reader. To avoid having information misconstrued or misunderstood, communicate clearly and directly.
There could be more mistakes, especially for every different field and industry. If at all possible, identify the most common ones, made either by you or your peers. Note down all the instances where certain tasks weren’t up to par, and see what you could have changed in your assignment process to fix it. Maybe there wasn’t enough time or resources, you were unclear, or the employee wasn’t ready for such responsibility. Use the same procedure in all future task delegations. It’s the only way to learn and make the process quicker.
To conclude
Task assignment should be a very careful, thought-out process. It’s not just about reaching milestones in time. It’s about helping employees learn new skills, feel more satisfied with their position in the company, strengthen the trust between you and them, and ultimately help you refocus on the big picture.
By following the advice we’ve gathered, you will be on the right track to make some effective, healthy long-term changes to your company.
✉️ Have you found these tips helpful? Is there something we could have covered in more detail? What are your experiences with assigning tasks?
Send your answers, suggestions, and comments to [email protected] and we may include them in this or future posts.
Marijana Stojanovic is a writer and researcher who specializes in the topics of productivity and time management.
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The Difference Between ‘Task’ and ‘Assignment’
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This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Ramiro, who is in Brazil.
Could you tell me the difference between a task and an assignment? And how do we use them in our daily life?
Ramiro, Brazil
Dear Ramiro,
As you may know, both task and assignment are nouns describing an activity that you must complete.
A task is something you have to do. An assignment is usually a task that someone gives you to do.
Ways to use ‘task’
A task describes an activity that can be done in your daily life. But you can give a task to yourself, or someone else can give you a task to complete.
Any activity you want to finish can become a task. Think about a day in your life and the responsibilities you have. What are the tasks you must do during your day?
You can have one task or many tasks. For example:
My task today is to feed the cats before leaving for school.
Tasks are often connected to a bigger goal. Here is an example:
Although learning a computer programming language is a difficult task, I will do my best to study it for my future career.
Ways to use ‘assignment’
An assignment means someone is giving you an activity or task to complete.
For example, imagine your teacher says:
Our test is on Friday, so your assignment tonight is to study everything we learned this past month.
Teachers give students assignments every day. But students need to know how to take a big assignment and separate it into smaller tasks. Students might understand this example:
My assignment is to read the whole book. But luckily, I only need to read 10 pages a day.
Ways to use ‘task’ and ‘assignment’ together
Both tasks and assignments are often related to time. For example, we make lists of tasks to better organize our time. For example:
By 12 p.m. today, I need to do the following tasks: take out the garbage, walk my dog and go shopping.
“Task ” and “Assignment” are often used in work situations too. If you ever worked in a job, the boss may say:
Your assignment is to finish all three tasks before the end of the day.
Well, Ramiro, we hope this helps to answer your question.
And to our listeners everywhere, what question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected] .
And that’s Ask a Teacher !
I’m Armen Kassabian.
Armen Kasabian wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Practice using the words ‘task’ and ‘assignment’ in the comments below
Ways to Use the Word ‘Strong’
The Difference Between Technology and Technique
The Difference between Try and Attempt
Assign a job task to one person
Dispatching jobs, or assigning tasks to certain users is a common use case for Flowfinity users. This is often used in field services , but is applicable to any industry where job tasks need to be assigned to personnel in the field. For example, the task might be to perform an inspection, repair, maintenance, approval, delivery etc.
In Flowfinity, a combination of views and a user lookup field are used to provide the dispatch functionality.
A supervisor assigns tasks to technicians. When creating a task, the supervisor specifies the responsible technician, and includes a description of the work to be completed. The technician views a list of tasks assigned to them.
Instructions
- Start with a new application
- Create a new field on the form design
- Set the field type to 'User Lookup'
- Save the form design
- In the Operations section, create a new operation for the user to create and assign a task to another user, for example, 'Create and Assign Task'
- Click 'Save Operation'
- Create a new View called 'My Assigned Tasks'
- In the Permissions tab, select the role of the users that should have access to this view. For example, if all field technicians have the user role 'Regular User', set the permissions of this view to 'Regular User' so that only field technicians will be able to see it.
- Click 'Save View'
- Publish the application
Email this article | Free Trial | Request a Demo | Contact Us Looking for inspiration to build your next app? Here are some industry examples to help.
Assign and track tasks
In addition to creating your own tasks, you can create tasks to assign to others.
Tasks help track things you need to do. You can assign tasks to other people as well.
On the navigation bar, click Tasks , and then click New Task , or open an existing task.
Keyboard shortcut To create a task, press Ctrl+Shift+K.
Click Assign Task .
In the To box, enter a name or an email address.
Enter Subject , Start date , and Due date .
If you want the task to repeat, click Recurrence , select the options you want, and then click OK .
Click Send .
Note: If you assign a recurring task, a copy of the task remains in your task list, but it never updates. If you check the Send me a status report when this task is complete box, you receive status reports for each completed occurrence of the task.
When you open a task you assigned, you can review the progress of assigned tasks with the % Complete box which either you or the recipient can update when they send you an assigned task status report.
Note: Tasks assigned from Outlook for Windows must be accepted or declined using the Outlook for Windows application. This experience is not supported in Outlook on the web.
Assigning tasks to multiple people
Outlook can track the progress of a task assigned to one person. If you want to multiple people to work on a task, it’s a good idea to divide the task into smaller pieces or assign each task individually. For example, to track a report to be written by three writers, create three separate tasks named Write Report: Anne , Write Report: Carlos , and Write Report: Michiyo , and assign each individual task to the appropriate writer.
Track tasks you've assigned to someone else
On the navigation bar, click Tasks .
Click View > Change View > Assigned .
Assigned tasks are missing
If you’re not seeing tasks you’ve assigned, Outlook might not be set up to keep copies of tasks you assign.
Click File > Options > Tasks .
Under Task options , check the Keep my task list updated with copies of tasks I assign to other people box.
Turning on this option doesn’t track the tasks you’ve already assigned, but it will track any new ones you assign.
After you create a task and assign it to someone, you might have some management duties to perform in maintaining it until it is complete. For example, you might want status reports and updates on the progress of the task. Also, if the person to whom you assign the task rejects it, you might want to reassign it to someone else.
To assign a task, you first create the task, and then send it as a task request to someone. The person who receives the task request becomes the temporary owner of the task. This person can decline the task, accept the task, or assign the task to someone else. If the task is declined, it is returned to you.
Note: Even though a declined task is returned to you, the task is still owned by the recipient until you reclaim ownership by returning the task to your own task list.
Assign a task to someone
Do one of the following:
To assign a new task On the File menu, point to New , and then click Task Request .
To assign an existing task In the task list, open the task that you want to assign. On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click Assign Task .
In the To box, enter the name or e-mail address of the person to whom you want to assign the task.
To select the name from a list, click the To button.
In the Subject box, type a name for the task.
Note: For an existing task, the Subject box is already filled in.
Select the Due date and the Status options that you want.
Select or clear the Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list check box and the Send me a status report when this task is complete check box.
If you want the task to repeat, on the Task tab, in the Options group, click Recurrence , select the options that you want, and then click OK .
In the body of the recurring task, type any information that you want to include in the task.
Note: If you assign a recurring task, a copy of the task will remain in your task list, but it will not be updated. If you select the Send me a status report when this task is complete check box, you will receive a status report for each completed occurrence of the task.
Forward a task to someone else to track
Open the task that you want to send.
On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click Forward .
Keyboard shortcut to forward a task, press CTRL+F.
Enter recipient names or e-mail addresses in the To and Cc boxes.
In the body of the task, type any message that you want to include. To send more than one task, drag the additional tasks from the task list to the body of the task that you are forwarding.
Reclaim a rejected task assignment
Open the e-mail message that contains the task request. This message is usually in your Sent Items folder.
On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click Return to Task List .
You can also reclaim the task from the declined task message by clicking Return to Task List .
Track tasks you have assigned
There are three ways to track the tasks that you have assigned to other people:
Automatically keep copies of tasks that you assign, and receive automated status reports
On the Tools menu, click Options .
Click Task Options .
Select the Keep updated copies of assigned tasks on my task list check box.
Select the Send status reports when assigned tasks are completed check box.
View tasks that you have assigned to others
Click Tasks .
On the View menu, point to Current View , and then click Assignment .
View the list of people who receive updated copies of an assigned task
Open the assigned task for which you want to view the list.
On the Details tab, view the names in the Update list box.
Accept or decline a task assignment
Open the task or task request.
On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click Accept or Decline .
Click Edit the response before sending , type your comment in the message, and then click Send .
Click Send the response now .
Send a status report or a comment about a task assignment
Open the task for which you want to send a status report or comment.
On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click either Send Status Report , Reply , or Reply to All .
If the task is assigned to you, then the names of people to be updated are added automatically.
In the body of the message, type any information that you want to include in the status report.
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Task Assignment. Each type of process in a warehouse typically requires workers who possess a specific set of characteristics that correspond with the task
Task assignment example · // The process shown below is based on the hello world process. · // The state node is replaced by a task-node. · // is a node in JPDL
Task assignments can either be done per template (assign the same people to tasks in every checklist) or on the fly (assign people to tasks as
This is commonly used by project managers to delegate tasks to team members. A task assignment form is an easy way to assign a task to someone and keep track of
We normally think that assigning tasks is a time-consuming process that focuses on clearing out task lists to keep the project going. However
Task Assignment. Task assignment is a mapping of participants to targets in a task shown by a matrix x where xi,j = 1 if target j 2 M is assigned
What is Task Assignment? Definition of Task Assignment: The assignment of a task to an agent responsible for it, made by the WfMS.
An assignment means someone is giving you an activity or task to complete. For example, imagine your teacher says: Our test is on Friday, so
This is often used in field services, but is applicable to any industry where job tasks need to be assigned to personnel in the field. For example, the task
On the navigation bar, click Tasks, and then click New Task, or open an existing task. · Click Assign Task. · In the To box, enter a name or an email address.