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How Does This Feature Work?
The assign tasks feature is right on the border between time tracking and project management and is included in both types of software. It allows managers to create and assign tasks and later review the time entries to see how things are going.
A manager can assign tasks manually, creating a manual entry for a team member based on a template or a pre-made sheet, however, a time tracking and project management software automates this for them. Manually assigning tasks requires plenty of time for the tasks to be created and processed, while the software allows for instant task creation and employee notifications when a task is assigned.
When the manager assigns tasks to team members, they can name the tasks by type, e.g., “Back-End Programming,” “Content Writing”, “Designing”, etc.
Why Use the Assign Tasks Feature?
Here are some of the most notable features that these tasks allow managers to perform:
- Allocate work properly.
With the assign tasks feature, managers allocate the work equally among employees and get an insight into which employee has worked on which tasks and how many hours it took them to complete those tasks.
- Monitor specific tasks easily.
While a manager can be monitoring hundreds of tasks simultaneously, some more specific tasks might require a bit more attention. By using the assign task feature, the manager can keep a watchful eye on specific projects, such as new projects or projects that are prioritized by the clients.
- Organize the workspace more efficiently.
When using assigned tasks, the manager knows what each employee is working on at the moment, and they can shift between task difficulties if there is a bottleneck in the workflow.
For instance, some employees tend to be most productive before their lunch break and vice versa. By knowing the work dynamic of their employees, the manager can dispense assign tasks appropriately to the workforce and make sure the workspace functions as a well-oiled machine.
- Use it as an advanced feature for planning future projects.
When a manager knows the number of hours the employees need to complete assigned tasks with different levels of difficulties, they can use this insight to plan future project progress and create estimates for project profitability. This can be done manually by examining the timesheet data or via time tracking software.
Assigning Tasks With a Time Tracking Software
Most time tracking software apps have their own unique user interfaces and terminology, but the basics are pretty similar. Let us walk you through them by using our software, My Hours, as an example. This can give you a good idea of the level of customization that a software like this can provide:
- The manager picks a project from the user interface and creates tasks they would later assign to their employees.
- The software notifies the employees immediately and shows them what they need to work on. Once they receive a notification, they can start working on the task by pressing the play/pause or stop/go counter to start tracking the work hours spent on that particular task.
- The manager can reassign the tasks to other employees or teams in case the initial employee needs absence leave.
- The manager can monitor the assigned tasks' progress through task reports.
- Once the employee or team completes the assigned task, the manager will be notified, and they can later assign new tasks to their employee teams.
- The manager can change the name and prolong the dates of any task if they receive a prior report that additional hours will be needed for its completion.
- The manager can also select individual employees for specific tasks and track their progress.
