Workflow states
Every Task in todo.vu is organised according to its workflow state: either ‘Snoozed’, ‘To do’, or ‘Done’.
As with traditional Kanban project management, each of these workflow states make up their own column in todo.vu’s Task Dashboard, to which you can add or move tasks, and update to suit a specific context, like a client- or project- specific view, without a clunky transition process.
This makes it easier for you to visualise your workflow, manage your urgent and non-urgent tasks, and quickly view relevant tasks.
Here’s everything you need to know about workflow states in todo.vu.
Snoozed, To Do and Done
todo.vu’s Task Dashboard, where your tasks (and workflow states) are listed, follows the same structure and function as a ‘Kanban board’ project management tool.
Simply, that means your tasks are listed on the dashboard in three distinct columns according to their workflow state, and can be easily added to and moved between workflow states.
These workflow states are:
Snoozed:
Tasks ‘in the pipeline’, or non-urgent tasks
To do:
Your manageable Task list of more urgent tasks
Done:
Your completed tasks.
Tasks will always have a workflow state. In fact, you will usually create a Task by adding it to one of the workflow state’s Task lists, where it will automatically adopt that workflow state.
Let’s explore each of the workflow states in more detail.
Snoozed
The ‘Snoozed’ state helps you to capture tasks that do not require immediate attention. This way, you can keep them out of your ‘To do’ Task list, so it remains clear and manageable, and you can still store tasks for future work.
For instance, you might choose to add tasks to the ‘Snoozed’ state that relate to future projects, or if you come up with a great idea that you want to come back to later.
When you add a Task to ‘Snoozed’, you can leave your Task in ‘Snoozed’ until you choose to revisit it. Or, you can decide to set up your Task to move automatically from ‘Snoozed’ to ‘To Do’ after a certain date or action has been taken.
Here’s how:
- Open (or create) a Task in your Snoozed column. (You can create a Task in any column, and then hit the Status checkbox to select the ‘Snooze’ state.)
- In the top left-hand corner of your Task, hit the Status checkbox and select ‘Unsnooze’.
3. You’ll notice your Task’s Status is now ‘To Do’. Hit that same Status checkbox again. This time, follow the drop-down menu and hover your mouse over the ‘Snooze’ option.
You will see three options:
- Until someday
If you choose this option, the Task will remain Snoozed until you decide to revisit it.
- Until another Task is done
If you choose this option, you will then be prompted to select another Task that, once its workflow state is ‘Done’, will automatically move your ‘Snoozed’ Task to the ‘To do’ workflow state.
- Until a given date
If you choose this option, you will then be prompted to select a date at which your Snoozed Task will automatically move from ‘Snoozed’ to ‘To Do’.
To do
Typically, your ‘To do’ workflow state will include priority tasks — tasks which are either in, or soon to be in, progress.
Your ‘To do’ list helps you stay on top of your workflow, as you have a clear view of what needs to be done, and by when, without distractions. It helps you to prioritise, break down and complete your tasks in a more manageable and productive way.
TIP!
You can use todo.vu’s advanced context filter to find and track which tasks are‘ To do’ for a specific Client, Project, team member(User), Task Label or keyword, or a combination of any of these.
In fact, you can see all tasks – ‘Snoozed’, ‘To do’ or ‘Done’ – related to your chosen context, or search, in seconds.
Done
Once a Task is marked as ‘Done’, this will move the Task into the Done workflow state of todo.vu’s Kanban-style Task Dashboard. Check that you have tracked all of your hours before you create a time billing report for this Task, as you may need to log some time manually.
You can mark a Task as Done from within that Task, or you can drag it from ‘To do’ to ‘Done’ with the drag n’ drop function.
Updating workflow states
As explained above, you can set up ‘Snoozed’ tasks to automatically change workflow states at a specified date, and you can update a Task’s workflow state, for example from ‘To do’ to ‘Done’, by moving it between your workflow state columns with the drag n’ drop function.
You can also manually change a Task’s workflow state by changing the Task’s status while the Task is open.
If you’d like to change multiple tasks’ workflow states at once, use the bulk edit function. While on todo.vu’s Kanban-style Task Dashboard page, click the avatar on your selected tasks in your Task listing, and use the options on the drop-down panel at the top of your dashboard to change these tasks’ workflow states.
Draft, Archived and Deleted tasks
Draft tasks:
Draft tasks can only be kept as drafts in the ‘To do’ column. You will see Draft tasks titled as such in this Task list.
Draft tasks allow you to create complicated tasks over longer time frames while keeping them private, as the Task assignee and followers will only be notified once the Task is no longer in Draft mode. You can even start the task timer on a draft Task to track the time it takes you to create it.
As you create a new Task, unless you have used the Quick-add function, your Task will remain in Draft mode until you click, ‘Create task’.
Archived tasks:
Your Archived tasks are found within the ‘Done’ tasks column and hidden by default. You can see archived tasks by clicking on ‘Archived tasks’ in the ‘Done’ column header.
Archived tasks enable you to safely hide, rather than delete, your information. This way, you can keep your workspace clear and tidy without having to risk any loss of data or critical information.
Clients, projects and tasks can all be archived.
Deleted tasks:
You can only delete a Task if you were the Task creator, and no time has been logged to that Task. Deletion is permanent and there is no way to search for and recover deleted tasks.
We introduced the Archive feature so that you do not have to delete tasks.
Workflow state notifications
Any time a Task is added to or moved between the three Workflow states — ‘Snoozed’, ‘To do’, or ‘Done’ — each follower of that Task will receive a notification.
Task creators can override Workflow state changes; for example, if you had assigned a Task to a team member who marked it as ‘Done’, you can revert the Task back to ‘To do’ and add a note with further instruction.
Use Task Labels for custom workflows
You can personalise your workflows in todo.vu even further by using Task Labels. See Finding Tasks for more information on searching by Label.
For instance, a software company may create Task Labels to signify certain states such as “In testing” or “Deployed”. Consultants may create a Label like “Awaiting client response”.
You can create custom Labels to use on your tasks as necessary and reap the benefits of an even more organised workflow.
Emailed In a Task?
When you use todo.vu’s email integration feature, which automatically converts an email sent to a unique address to a Task in todo.vu, your new task will appear as Unread in the ‘To-do’ Workflow state.