About Tasks and Backlogs
A task is one unit of work. There is one task model. Placement decides where that task lives.
A task can sit in three places:
- the master backlog of the workspace
- the backlog of a project
- a subsection of a deliverable
The same task is the record in every view. You do not copy it into a calendar or a plan. Other views read it.
Placement
The master backlog holds tasks that are not tied to a project. From there you place a task onto a project, onto a deliverable, or onto a subsection.
A project backlog holds tasks that belong to the project but are not yet in a deliverable. From a deliverable you move a backlog task into a subsection. That move commits the task to delivery work.
When a task sits in a subsection, it is in-flight work. Completing the tasks in a subsection is what completes that subsection. See About Deliverables.
You can move a task between subsections. You can also move a subsection to another deliverable. The closer has a special rule. It must keep at least one task.
Folders
Every backlog has folders. Two system folders always exist. They are Main and Queue. You cannot rename or delete them.
You can add your own folders. You can rename them. You can reorder them. You can delete a custom folder.
Inside a folder, tasks sort by priority, then by order. Priority is optional. The ladder is urgent, high, medium, no priority, then low. A move from a backlog into a subsection clears priority. Other moves keep it.
Task state
A task is to do, doing, or done. A person can own a task. A task can have a body of notes.
Comments live on the task. Mentions and comments can notify the people who take part. Activity records those changes.
When you assign a task, the assignee can get a notification. When a task of yours moves, you can get a notification. You can turn those categories off in settings.
What other views do with tasks
The map shows tasks inside subsection rows.
A plan step can link to a task. The step then follows the task state.
A deadline can attach to a task. The date lives on the deadline.
Search finds tasks in the active workspace. You can include completed tasks when you need them.
Strikes are not tasks. A strike is a personal target. Keep shared delivery work on tasks. Use strikes for your own day. See Run Your Day with Strikes.
Why one model
If backlog items and delivery items were two kinds of record, you would copy work as it became real. Copies drift.
One model means a capture in the master backlog can become project work, then subsection work, without a new record. The graph changes. The task stays.