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Managing Tasks

Tasks are the building blocks of your POC. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating, organizing, and managing tasks effectively.

Understanding Tasks

What is a Task?

A task represents a specific activity or deliverable in your POC:

  • A technical evaluation
  • A feature demonstration
  • A documentation review
  • A test scenario
  • A training session
  • A milestone checkpoint

Task Properties

Each task has:

  • Name: Clear, concise title
  • Description: Detailed explanation
  • Status: Current state (Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Blocked)
  • Assignee: Who is responsible (you or customer)
  • Due Date: Target completion date (optional)
  • Resources: Attached documentation, links, files
  • Comments: Internal and external discussions
  • Success Criteria: Link to overall POC goals

Creating Tasks

From Scratch

  1. Navigate to your POC
  2. Click Add Task
  3. Fill in task details: 
    Name: "Setup Development Environment"
Description: "Install and configure the development tools needed for the POC"
Status: Not Started
Assignee: Customer
Due Date: [Select date]
  4. Click Save

From Templates

If your Administrator has created task templates:

  1. Click Add from Template
  2. Browse or search for relevant templates
  3. Select the template to add
  4. Customize the task as needed
  5. Click Save

Task Templates

Task templates save time by providing pre-configured tasks with resources already attached.

Task Status

Status Types

Status Meaning When to Use
Not Started Task hasn't begun Initial state for new tasks
In Progress Work is underway Someone is actively working on it
Completed Task is finished All requirements met
Blocked Cannot proceed Waiting on dependency or resolution

Updating Status

  1. Click on the task
  2. Select new status from dropdown
  3. Add a comment explaining the change (optional but recommended)
  4. Click Update

Status Change with Comment

Status: In Progress → Blocked
Comment: "Waiting for API credentials from customer"

Organizing Tasks

Task Groups

Group related tasks together for better organization:

  1. Click Create Task Group
  2. Name the group (e.g., "Phase 1: Setup", "Technical Evaluation")
  3. Drag and drop tasks into the group
  4. Collapse/expand groups as needed

Task Order

Arrange tasks in logical order:

  • Sequential tasks (one after another)
  • Parallel tasks (can be done simultaneously)
  • Milestone markers
  • Phase groupings

Using Templates Groups

Task group templates provide pre-structured sets of tasks:

  1. Click Add Task Group from Template
  2. Select a template (e.g., "API Integration", "Security Review")
  3. All tasks in the group are added at once
  4. Customize as needed

Adding Resources to Tasks

Resources provide context and documentation for tasks.

Resource Types

  • Links: URLs to documentation, tools, or resources
  • Code Snippets: Sample code or configurations
  • Text Notes: Instructions or explanations
  • Files: Uploaded documents (if enabled)

Adding a Resource

  1. Open the task
  2. Click Add Resource
  3. Select resource type
  4. Fill in details: 
    Type: Link
Title: "API Documentation"
URL: https://docs.example.com/api
Description: "Reference guide for API integration"
  5. Click Save

Learn more about adding resources →

Task Assignment

Assigning to Yourself

Use when: - You need to complete the task - You're demonstrating a feature - You're preparing materials

Assigning to Customer

Use when: - Customer needs to review something - Customer needs to provide information - Customer needs to test functionality - Customer needs to complete an action

Customer Visibility

Tasks assigned to customers are highlighted for them in their view.

Task Comments

Internal Comments

For team communication:

  • Not visible to customers
  • Use for notes, questions, coordination
  • Tagged with 🔒 lock icon

External Comments

For customer communication:

  • Visible to customers
  • Use for updates, questions, feedback
  • Professional and clear

Adding Comments

  1. Open the task
  2. Type your comment
  3. Select Internal or External
  4. Click Post

Comment Best Practices

  • Keep external comments professional
  • Use internal comments for team coordination
  • Reference specific points in task description
  • Tag progress updates in comments

Tracking Task Progress

Individual Task View

Monitor each task: - Current status - Comments and activity - Resources attached - Time to completion

POC-Level View

See all tasks: - Tasks by status (Kanban view) - Tasks by assignee - Overdue tasks - Completion percentage

Dashboard Metrics

Track overall progress: - Total tasks vs completed tasks - Tasks by status breakdown - Average completion time - Blocked tasks requiring attention

Learn more about tracking →

Task Dependencies

While not explicitly modeled, you can manage dependencies:

Documenting Dependencies

In task descriptions, note: 

Prerequisites:
- Task #3 must be completed first
- Requires API credentials from customer

Dependencies:
- This task blocks Task #7 and #8

Managing Blocked Tasks

When a task is blocked:

  1. Change status to Blocked
  2. Add comment explaining the blocker
  3. Note which task or resource is needed
  4. Follow up regularly on resolution

Bulk Operations

Moving Multiple Tasks

  1. Select multiple tasks (checkbox)
  2. Choose action:
  3. Move to different group
  4. Change status
  5. Assign to different person
  6. Confirm changes

Task Templates for Bulk Adding

Use task group templates to add multiple tasks at once.

Best Practices

Task Creation

✅ Do: - Write clear, action-oriented task names - Include detailed descriptions - Add relevant resources upfront - Set realistic due dates - Break large tasks into smaller ones

❌ Don't: - Create vague or ambiguous tasks - Overload tasks with too many objectives - Forget to add necessary resources - Set unrealistic timelines

Task Management

✅ Do: - Update status promptly - Add comments when changing status - Review tasks regularly - Respond to customer questions quickly - Keep resources up-to-date

❌ Don't: - Leave tasks stale without updates - Ignore blocked tasks - Forget to communicate changes - Neglect customer feedback

Task Organization

✅ Do: - Group related tasks - Order tasks logically - Use consistent naming conventions - Create clear task groups - Balance task granularity

❌ Don't: - Create too many small tasks - Mix unrelated tasks in groups - Use confusing names - Duplicate tasks unnecessarily

Common Scenarios

Setup Phase

Task Group: "Environment Setup"
├── Task 1: Review Prerequisites
├── Task 2: Install Required Software
├── Task 3: Configure Development Environment
└── Task 4: Verify Setup

Evaluation Phase

Task Group: "Feature Evaluation"
├── Task 1: Demo Core Features
├── Task 2: Test Integration Points
├── Task 3: Review Security Controls
└── Task 4: Assess Performance

Completion Phase

Task Group: "Wrap-up"
├── Task 1: Review Success Criteria
├── Task 2: Gather Customer Feedback
├── Task 3: Generate Final Report
└── Task 4: Schedule Follow-up

Troubleshooting

Task Not Saving

  • Check required fields are filled
  • Verify you have permission to edit
  • Refresh page and try again
  • Contact support if issue persists

Can't Change Status

  • Ensure you have necessary permissions
  • Check if task is locked
  • Verify POC is still active

Resources Not Showing

  • Check resource was saved correctly
  • Verify permissions on shared resources
  • Refresh the page

FAQs

Q: How many tasks should a POC have?
A: It depends on complexity, but typically 10-30 tasks is manageable.

Q: Can customers create tasks?
A: No, only Sales Engineers and above can create tasks.

Q: Can I reorder tasks after creating them?
A: Yes, you can drag and drop tasks to reorder them.

Q: What happens to completed tasks?
A: They remain visible but are typically collapsed or filtered in views.

Q: Can I delete tasks?
A: Yes, but deleted tasks cannot be recovered. Consider marking them as "Not Applicable" instead.

Next Steps: