Tasks & Sub Tasks
Use a Task for the overall piece of work and Sub Tasks when that work has separate actions that should be tracked individually.
Tasks
A Task is the main work item. It can have its own due date, priority, status, instructions, people, Departments, comments, history, and one person who currently has the ball.
Sub Tasks
A Sub Task is a separate action that belongs to a Parent Task. Each Sub Task can have its own due date, priority, status, Responsible person, visibility, comments, history, and its own ball. The Sub Task page always shows which Parent Task it belongs to.
How They Work Together
Use the Parent Task to represent the overall result you are trying to finish. Use Sub Tasks for the individual pieces that can be worked, handed off, completed, or scheduled separately. Completing a Sub Task does not hide the Parent Task; the Parent can be completed when the overall work is finished.
Two Levels Only
RQ intentionally keeps task structure simple: a Parent Task may have any number of Sub Tasks, but a Sub Task cannot have children of its own. There are no grandchildren.
Open and Completed Sub Tasks
Open Sub Tasks appear on the Parent Task and are sorted by their working date. Completed Sub Tasks are kept in a separate collapsed section so the Parent stays easy to scan.
Currently With — Who Has the Ball?
A Task or Sub Task can involve several people, but one person owns the next action. RQ shows that person as Currently With. When the next action belongs to someone else, hand the ball to that person. Learn more about the RQ basketball idea.
Who Can See It?
Responsible identifies who is responsible for the work. Departments make the item visible to active members of those Departments. Additional People lets you include specific coworkers without involving an entire Department.
Due Date and Snooze
The Due Date remains the real deadline. Snooze temporarily moves the Task or Sub Task down the working list without changing that deadline. While the snooze is active, list views show a compact Snoozed - date label and sort using the snoozed-until date. Snooze details and the real Due Date remain visible in the task details and history. If someone deliberately changes the Due Date while a Snooze is active, RQ saves the new Due Date and clears the Snooze.
Status
- In Progress — the work is still open.
- Done — the work is complete.
A Sub Task can be completed directly from its Parent Task.
Comments & Attention Alerts
Comments keep notes, questions, answers, and updates with the Task. When a comment needs the immediate attention of the person who currently has the ball, check Alert [name] before posting. RQ shows that person a popup while they are using RQ, or the next time they open it. The alert does not change the Task status or who has the ball.
History & Discussion
Each Task and Sub Task keeps its own changes and team updates so you can review what happened, who changed it, and when.
Task Tracking for Managers
Managers and Administrators can use the Office Board and Management → Task Tracking to review company work by person, Department, status, priority, activity date, and search text.