Task Management

Task Management lets your team create and manage tasks directly in Zello. When someone calls out work over a channel, that request can become a task anyone in the channel is able to pick up, instead of something that disappears once the message finishes playing.

Channel members can see which tasks are still open and who has claimed each one. Tasks created from a message stay linked to that message, so anyone can go back and hear the original request to gain any needed context.

This article covers how to enable Task Management, and how to use the feature once it is enabled.

Enabling Task Management

Before your team can use Task Management, it needs to be enabled by an administrator in the Management Console.

1. Sign in to the Management Console at [yournetworkname].zellowork.com.
2. Select Administration and then select Settings.
   
3. Locate the Task Tracking setting.
   
4. Enable Task Tracking using the toggle. Note that a green toggle means the feature is enabled.
   
5. Click Save and Apply.
   

Once enabled, Android and iOS users on the network can create and track tasks.

Using Task Management

When Task Management is enabled for a network, users on that network can create, claim, unclaim, complete, edit, and delete tasks. Most of that work happens in the Task Inbox, so we cover it first.

Task Inbox

Task Inbox is the main screen for managing tasks. It gathers tasks from every channel you belong to, so you don't have to open each channel to find out what needs to be done. To open the Task Inbox, tap the clipboard icon at the top of the Recents, Contacts, or Channels screen.

Tasks are split across two tabs, Open Tasks and Completed Tasks. The Open Tasks tab shows the tasks that need to be completed.

These tasks are split into four sections:

• Assigned to me. Tasks you have claimed.
• Tasks I've created. Tasks you created, whether or not anyone has claimed them.
• Unassigned. Tasks that nobody has claimed yet.
• Assigned to others. Tasks someone else has claimed, shown with their name.

Finished work moves to the Completed Tasks tab, where tasks can no longer be edited or claimed.

Tasks clear from the inbox on their own so that finished and stale work doesn't build up.

• Completed tasks clear after 48 hours.
• Tasks that have not been completed clear after 30 days, whether or not anyone has claimed them.

While the Task Inbox is the main hub for managing tasks, you can also perform some of these actions from the History screen, without leaving the conversation the task came from. The sections below cover each way of managing tasks.

Creating a task

There are three main ways to create a task.

• You can start a new message with "Create a task."
• You can turn a message already in channel history into a task.
• You can create a task from scratch in the Task Inbox.

Option 1: Start a message with "Create a task"

Start a channel message with "Create a task," then say or type what needs to be done. Zello builds the task from the rest of the message.

For example, saying or typing"Create a task, restock the register tape at checkout three" creates a task titled "Restock the register tape at checkout three."

Option 2: Turn an existing message into a task

Press and hold the message you want to turn into a task, then choose Create Task. You can edit the title and description before saving.

Option 3: Create a task from the Task Inbox

To create a task from the Task Inbox, follow these steps:

1. Open the Task Inbox and click the plus icon (+).
   
2. Enter the Task Title and Task Description, then select Save.
   

The created task will appear in the Task Inbox.

Editing a task

Once you have created a task, you can edit its title and description. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Tap the pen icon, either in the Task Inbox or on the message connected to the task you want to edit.
   
2. Enter a new title and/or description, then select Save Changes.

Only the person who created a task is able to edit it and you are no longer able to edit a task once it is completed.

Deleting a task

To delete a task that you have created, select the red trash can icon next to the task, either on the Task Inbox screen or the History screen.

Only the person who created a task can delete it.

Claiming a task

Claiming a task assigns that task to you. You can claim a task that someone else created by selecting the plus icon (+) next to it on the Task Inbox screen. 

Alternatively, you can select the plus icon (+) next to the message associated with the task on the History screen.

If someone else has already claimed a task, claiming it takes it over from them. Furthermore, you cannot claim a task you created yourself; someone else in the channel needs to claim it.

Channel members are notified when a task is created, and the notification lets the recipient claim it without needing to open the channel.

Unclaiming a task

Unclaiming a task returns it to having an Unassigned status, where people can see that the task still needs someone to claim it.

To unclaim a task, select the looping arrow icon next to the task on the Task Inbox screen. You will need to confirm that you want to unclaim the task before it goes back to being unassigned.

Completing a task

Once you have finished a task, you can mark it as complete to help show that the work is done. To do so, simply select the check mark icon next to the task on the Task Inbox screen.

Only the person who claimed a task can mark it complete.