# Tasks overview

### What is a task?

A task represents a single action someone needs to complete, with a clear owner, priority, task duration, deadline, and status.

Tasks live inside a project under a milestone or stand alone for independent work. Create them individually, generate them on a recurring schedule, or start from a template. Reassign, reschedule, or update status at any point.

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#### Why accountability starts with a Wonderly task

1. **You centralize all of your action items**

Action items get created everywhere: email, Slack, meetings, phone calls. Without a single place to capture them, work has no assignee, no deadline, and no status.

Tasks gives every action item a home. Your team knows what to work on next, how long it will take, and when it's due, without asking their manager or checking three different tools:

* **Assignee:** who is responsible
* **Priority:** what matters most
* **Duration:** how long it will take
* **Dates:** when it needs to be started and finished
* **Status:** where it stands right now

When priorities shift, update the task and the queue adjusts automatically.

2. **You control the order of work**

Some tasks need to wait for others to finish first. Add a **blocker** to define what task must be completed before another task can begin. Your team sees what they are waiting on. When the blocker is resolved, the next task is ready to go.

3. **You automate repetitive work**

Some tasks happen every week, month, or quarter. Client check-ins. Monthly reports. Quarterly reviews. Set a recurring task, and the next occurrence is created automatically when the current one is completed. No one has to remember to create it.

4. **Managers stop asking and start acting**

When every task has an assignee, status, dates, and/or blockers, the manager doesn't need to ask where things stand. They open the project and see what is on track, what is overdue, what is blocked, and who is working on what.

You spend less time gathering information and more time removing obstacles.

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### Anatomy of a task

<table><thead><tr><th width="167.19921875">Field</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Task name</strong></td><td>The primary title. Keep it specific and action-oriented.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Description</strong></td><td>Instructions, context, or notes. Supports formatting and inline text commands.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Attachments</strong></td><td>Upload files directly to the task.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Workspace</strong></td><td>The workspace the task belongs to.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Project</strong></td><td>The project the task sits under. Tasks can also exist without a project.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Milestone</strong></td><td>Connects the task to a specific phase in a project. A standalone task can live without an assigned milestone.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Status</strong></td><td>Current state (for example, Todo, In Progress, Done).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Priority</strong></td><td>Importance level (for example, Low, Medium, High).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Assignee</strong></td><td>Who is responsible for the task.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Dates</strong></td><td>When work begins and is due.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Duration</strong></td><td>How long the task takes (for example, 30 minutes).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Blocker</strong></td><td>Defines what must be completed before this task can start.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Labels</strong></td><td>Tags for categorization and filtering.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Custom fields</strong></td><td>Structured metadata tailored to how your team organizes work.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Sales record</strong></td><td>Links the task to a CRM deal, contact, or company.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Recurring</strong></td><td>Converts the task into a repeating item (daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly).</td></tr></tbody></table>

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#### 4 ways to create a task

Tasks can be created from four different entry points depending on where you are in Wonderly and how much context you need.

1. **Global create button.** Use the "Create new" button from anywhere in Wonderly. This starts with minimal context. You select the workspace, project, and assignee manually. This is the fastest path when you need to capture something quickly regardless of where you are.
2. **Inside a project.** Open a project, navigate to the Tasks tab, and create a task directly under a milestone. You can also create a standalone task without a milestone. The task is automatically tied to the project and inherits the milestone association. This is the most common path when you are actively planning or managing delivery.
3. **Inside a deal.** Open a deal in your CRM and create a task from the sales record. The workspace is auto-filled and the sales context is attached to the task. A project is optional. This is useful when an action item comes out of a sales conversation and needs to be tracked before a project exists.
4. **Inside a document.** Use the `/task` command within a Wonderly doc to create a task inline. The task inherits the workspace and project that the document belongs to. If the document is not tied to a project, the task is created without a project.