Tasks

Tasks are shared to-do lists for your team. Each location has its own list, and there is one more list for company-wide work that does not belong to a single location. Everyone sees what needs to be done, who is doing it, and what is finished. Think of it as the note on the fridge, but one the whole team always has with them.

What this is for

• Create tasks with a title, description, due date and time, and one assignee.
• Put a task on a location's list or on the company-wide list.
• Break a task into sub-tasks, up to 50 per task.
• Attach up to 10 files per task: images and PDFs, each up to 20 MB.
• Require a photo as proof before a task can be marked done.
• Make a task repeat daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Mark tasks as completed, could not complete (with a reason), or cancelled, and reopen them if needed.
• Search, sort, group, and filter the task board. Spensa remembers your view settings.
• Choose who sees a task: everyone, managers only, or only you.
• Get a notice when someone assigns a task to you or updates one of your tasks.
• Follow everything that happened to a task in its activity timeline.

Where to open it

On the web, click Tasks in the left sidebar to open the task board. When you are working inside a location, that location's home page is its task board. The app may say "establishment" in some places - that is the same thing as a location.

The company home page also shows a small Tasks box with the first five open company-wide tasks. You can check tasks off right there, click View all to open the full board, or click New Task to add one.

On the phone app, open Tasks from the menu. More on the phone app below.

The Tasks entries in the sidebar and the phone menu show a small number: how many open tasks are assigned to you.

Access and permissions

Owners and admins can always see and manage all tasks. Managers can too. Regular team members can as well. Team members with a viewer role can only look.

At a location, both managers and staff members can create, edit, and complete that location's tasks. Location viewers can only look.

The company-wide list is a little stricter. Creating and editing tasks there needs company-level permission to manage tasks. Staff members can still see its shared tasks, and staff members who manage tasks at any location can check company-wide tasks off.

You can fine-tune all of this with custom roles. See Team and permissions.

Creating a task

1. Click New task on the task board. On the web you can also press Cmd+N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (Windows) while you are not typing in a field.
2. Type what needs to be done, up to 200 characters.
3. Fill in any of the details below. Everything except the title is optional.
4. Save the task.

Every new task gets its own number, like #42, so the team can refer to it easily.

Description

Add notes about the task, up to 5,000 characters. Good for details like "the spare key is behind the bar".

Location

If your company has more than one location, a Location picker appears. Choose which location's list the task goes on, or choose No location to put it on the company-wide list. On the phone the picker is called Establishment, and the company-wide choice is called All Establishments. With a single location there is no picker - tasks simply go on your list.

If you change the location while creating a task, the assignee is cleared, because each list has different people.

Due date and time

Pick the day the task should be done by, and a time if you want one. If you set a time without a date, Spensa fills in today for you. Tasks without a date show No deadline. On the board, the due date turns red once a task is overdue.

Assignee

Choose one person to be responsible. A task can have one assignee or none. You can pick any team member or any staff member of the task's location. For company-wide tasks you can pick staff from any of your locations. The person gets a notice that the task was assigned to them.

Who can see the task

The Visibility picker (called Sharing on the phone) has three choices:

• No limit - everyone who can see this list. This is the default.
• Managers - only managers, not location staff. Managers of that location and company managers see it. Managers of other locations do not.
• Me - only you can see it. A private note to yourself.

Tasks that are not visible to everyone show a small pill on the board: a lock for Me, a shield for Managers. The row menu also has a quick Make private / Make visible to team switch.

Photo required

Turn on Photo required when the person completing the task must attach a photo as proof, for example a photo of the cleaned grease trap. The setting reads "Staff must attach a photo before marking this done." How completion works then is described under "Completing with photo proof" below. When the switch is off it reads No photo required.

Update notices

Get notified for updates to this task is on for new tasks. Leave it on to get a notice when the task's status, assignee, or due date changes. Turn it off if you do not want those notices. On the phone the create screen does not show this switch - notices are simply on, and you can turn them off later from the task page.

Sub-tasks

You can add checklist items right away while creating the task. See "Sub-tasks" below for how they work.

Files

Attach up to 10 files: images (JPEG, PNG, WebP) and PDFs, each up to 20 MB. On the phone, choose Photo library or Add file. You can also add and remove files later on the task page.

The task board

The board shows one combined list of the tasks you can see, with tabs, search, filters, and grouping. Both the company-wide board and each location's board work the same way.

When a list is still empty, the board greets you with "Keep the team on the same page." Click See how it works for a short demo of adding a task, assigning work, and organizing the list.

Status tabs

Along the top: All, To-do, Completed, Could not complete, Cancelled. All shows every open task plus everything closed in the last 30 days.

Search

Type in the search field to narrow the list by title.

Sorting and grouping

Open the display menu to change how the board looks:

• Sort by Manual, Due date, Created, Updated, Status, or Title, in either direction (A-Z or Z-A). The direction switch is not available for Manual. Tasks without a due date always go to the bottom when sorting by due date.
• Group by Status, Assignee, Location, or No grouping. Grouping by location only appears when you have more than one location.

Spensa remembers your choices, so the board looks the same next time you open it.

Filters

Open the filter menu to narrow the list:

• Assigned to - one or more people, with yourself pinned at the top.
• Location - one or more locations, including No location for the company-wide list.
• Due - Overdue, Today, This week, or No date.
• Created - Today, This week, or This month.
• Sharing - No limit, Managers, or Me.

Active filters show as small chips above the list, for example "Due: Overdue". Click a chip to remove that filter, or click Clear all filters. If nothing matches, the board says "No tasks match these filters."

What a task row shows

The title, a repeat icon if the task comes from a repeating schedule, the assignee's picture, the location (when you are looking across locations), a paperclip with the number of attached files, sub-task progress like "2/5", a visibility pill, and the due date.

Quick actions on a row

• Check the box to mark the task done.
• Click the faint circle where the assignee's picture would be to assign someone.
• The row menu offers Assign to me, Unassign, Make private or Make visible to team, Mark as to change the status, and Delete task.

The board loads 100 tasks at a time. Click Load more at the bottom to see the rest.

Completing tasks and other statuses

A task is always in one of four statuses:

• To-do - open and waiting. Every new task starts here.
• Completed - done, shown with a green check.
• Could not complete - someone tried but was blocked, shown with an amber triangle.
• Cancelled - no longer needed, kept for the record.

Closed tasks leave the To-do view and appear under their own status tab for 30 days. After that they drop off the board.

Marking a task done

1. Open the task and press Done, or check the box on the board.
2. Confirm when asked "Mark as done?".

If the task still has open sub-tasks, Spensa will not let you complete it. It says "Resolve all sub-tasks before completing this task." Finish or close the sub-tasks first.

Completing with photo proof

When Photo required is on, the Done button becomes Take photo.

1. Press Take photo and take a picture with your camera.
2. Spensa attaches the picture and marks the task completed.

The picture shows on the task as the completion photo. If someone removes the completion photo later, the task goes back to To-do. The phone app confirms this first: "This removes the photo and marks the task or sub-task as to-do."

When a task cannot be done

1. Press Can't do (on the phone: Can't Do).
2. Write a short reason, up to 1,000 characters. As the app puts it: "Add the reason so the team knows what blocked the task."

The task moves to Could not complete, and the reason is shown in an amber box on the task page.

Cancelling a task

Choose Mark as in the row menu and pick Cancelled, or change the status while editing the task. Use this for tasks that are no longer needed but worth keeping for the record.

Reopening

Completed and could-not-complete tasks show a Reopen button. Reopening moves the task back to To-do. If the list already holds 200 open tasks, Spensa asks you to complete or remove some tasks first.

Who can change a task's status

Anyone who can work with tasks on that list can check its shared tasks off. Company-wide shared tasks can also be completed by staff members who manage tasks at any location. Tasks limited to Managers or Me can only be handled by the people who can see and manage them.

Sub-tasks

Sub-tasks turn one task into a small checklist, for example "Clean the bar" with items for the counter, the taps, and the fridge. A task can have up to 50 sub-tasks, and there is one level only - sub-tasks cannot have their own sub-tasks.

1. Open the task and click Add sub-task.
2. Type the name, up to 200 characters.
3. Turn on Photo required on the item if it needs its own photo proof.
4. Click Save sub-task.

How sub-tasks behave:

• Check items off as the work gets done. Checking every item does not complete the task by itself, but the task cannot be completed while any item is still open. The phone shows the hint "Finish sub-tasks first to mark done".
• An item can also be marked with Can't do, with its own required reason. Click Show reason later to read it.
• Items with Photo required work like tasks: the app asks "Take a photo before completing this sub-task." The picture shows as a Completion photo on the item, and its menu offers Add photo and Retake photo. Removing the photo reopens the item.
• You can rename items, delete them, drag them into a different order on the web, and use Mark open to uncheck one.
• Anyone who can complete the task can check items off. Changing the checklist itself, like adding or deleting items, needs permission to manage tasks on that list.

The board and the task page show progress as a "done/total" count, like "2/5".

Repeating tasks

For work that comes back on a rhythm, like a weekly fridge temperature check, set a repeat schedule. You can only do this while creating the task.

1. Create a new task and turn on Repeat.
2. Choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
3. Set Repeat every to a number from 1 to 366, for example every 2 weeks.
4. For weekly, pick one or more weekdays under Days. For monthly, pick a day of the month from 1 to 31. In months that are shorter than the chosen day, the task falls on the last day of that month.
5. Pick the First task date and, if you want, a Time the task should be done by.

Each copy appears on its scheduled day, due that day. If the schedule starts today, the first task appears right away. Copies are normal tasks and carry the title, description, assignee, visibility, photo requirement, and sub-tasks from the schedule. Update notices are on for every copy.

• Tasks from a schedule show a repeat icon on the board and a pill on the task page, for example "Repeats weekly on Mon and Thu" or "Repeats every 2 months on day 15". Click the pill to see the full schedule, including the timezone it follows.
• The schedule follows the timezone your device was in when you created it.
• Files cannot be added to the schedule itself. As the app says: "Files can be added to generated tasks, not recurring templates." Add files to each created task instead.
• A schedule cannot be edited later. To change it, stop it and create a new repeating task.

Stopping a repeating task

Only managers can stop a schedule.

1. Open any task created by the schedule and choose Stop recurrence.
2. Confirm when asked "Stop recurring task?". As the dialog explains: "This task and previously created tasks will stay. No new tasks will be created from this recurring schedule."

Existing tasks stay on the board. Only future copies stop. Stopped schedules read "Stopped recurrence" on the task. Deleting one created task does not stop the schedule.

Editing, moving, and deleting a task

Editing

Open the task's menu and choose to edit it. On the phone the menu entry is Edit task. The edit form is the same as the create form, with two differences: a repeat schedule cannot be changed (only stopped), and to mark a task as Could not complete you use the Can't do button so a reason gets recorded.

Moving a task to another list

Change the task's location in the edit form to move it between location lists, or to and from the company-wide list. You need permission to manage tasks on both lists. The task keeps its number and its assignee.

Deleting

• On the web, choose Delete task from the row menu or the task page menu. The task disappears and an undo option appears briefly. Undo brings the task back as a fresh copy with a new number - the checklist, files, and history are not restored.
• On the phone, choose Delete task and confirm. The app warns "Delete this task?" - "This can't be undone."

Deleting removes the task together with its sub-tasks, files, and history.

The activity timeline

Every task page has an Activity section that lists what happened and who did it: created, renamed, description edited, due date changed, assigned or unassigned, moved to another list, visibility changed, photo requirement changed, completed, could not complete (with the reason), cancelled, and reopened. The timeline loads 20 entries at a time. Even if someone later leaves your company, the history stays.

Notifications

• When someone assigns a task to you, you get a notice: for example, "Anna assigned you 'Order napkins'". It arrives as a push notification on the phone, and for team members also in the notification center. Assigning a task to yourself sends nothing.
• When a task's Get notified for updates to this task switch is on, the creator and the assignee get a notice when the task is completed, marked as not completed, cancelled, reopened, reassigned, unassigned, or when its due date changes. Edits to the title, description, or visibility do not send notices. You never get a notice about your own change.
• Turn per-task notices on or off from the task page menu with Enable notifications and Disable notifications. A short confirmation explains what changes.
• The sidebar and the phone menu always show how many open tasks are assigned to you.
• There are no automatic reminders when a due date approaches or passes. If something must happen, assign it to a person - they get the assignment notice.
• Tapping or clicking a task notice takes you to the task board.

More on how notices work in Notifications.

Tasks on the phone app

The phone app carries the full tasks feature, built for quick use during a shift.

• Team members see tasks from all locations. Staff members see the task list of their location.
• The list groups tasks by due date out of the box. The display screen lets you group by Status, Assignee, or nothing instead, and change the order - "Tap an ordering row again to reverse order." The filter screen offers the same filters as the web plus a status choice, with "You" pinned in the people list. The phone remembers your choices. Pull down to refresh, and the list loads more as you scroll.
• Creating: the Create new task screen asks "What needs to be done?" and then offers rows for description, Establishment, due date and time, Repeat, assignee, Sharing, Require photo, sub-tasks, and files from Photo library or Add file. If you leave with unsaved changes, the app asks "Discard this task?" and lets you discard, save, or keep editing.
• The task page shows the Done or Take photo button, Can't Do, Reopen, the description, sub-tasks with their photo proofs, files, and the activity timeline. If you take the completion photo while sub-tasks are still open, the phone keeps the picture ready and uses it once they are finished. Files open in your browser. The top menu holds Edit task, the notification switch, and Delete task.
• Without internet you can still read the last loaded list. The screen says "You're offline. Showing the last loaded list." You need a connection to create or change tasks.

See Mobile app for setting up the phone app.

How this connects to other parts of Spensa

• Notifications - assignment and update notices arrive in the notification center and as push notifications.
• Analytics and home - the company home page has a Tasks box you can keep in your home layout, and each location's home page is its task board.
• Assistant - ask the assistant to create, update, complete, or delete tasks, manage sub-tasks, and attach files you shared in the chat. It asks for your approval before deleting a task, and it can answer questions about your tasks.
• Team and permissions - roles and custom roles decide who can view and manage tasks.
• Mobile app - the whole tasks feature works on the phone.

Good to know

• A list can hold up to 200 open tasks. Completed, could-not-complete, and cancelled tasks do not count. When a list is full, Spensa says "This list is full. Complete or remove some tasks first." This also applies when reopening a task or moving one onto a full list.
• If a list is full on the day a repeating schedule would add its copy, that day's copy is skipped.
• A task can have up to 50 sub-tasks and up to 10 files at once, each file up to 20 MB. Supported files are images (JPEG, PNG, WebP) and PDFs. If a file does not fit, Spensa tells you: "That file type is not supported. Use an image or a PDF." or "That file is too large. Please choose one under 20 MB."
• Titles can be up to 200 characters, descriptions up to 5,000, and could-not-complete reasons up to 1,000.
• Closed tasks stay visible in their status tabs for 30 days after closing, then leave the board. There is no way to browse older closed tasks.
• Completion photos live in their own Completion photo spot, not in the file list, and the paperclip count on the board does not include them. They cannot be removed from the file list - removing one through its own remove action puts the task or sub-task back to open.
• To require a photo on a sub-task that was already checked off without one, reopen the item first. The app reminds you: "Reopen this sub-task before requiring a photo."
• The people picker shows up to 200 people. If you try to assign someone who is not part of your company, Spensa says "That person can't be assigned here."
• When a person leaves your company, tasks and their history stay in place.
• If a change cannot be saved, the board puts things back the way they were and shows "Couldn't save - please try again."
• There is no calendar view of tasks and no export.