Creating a New Task
To create a new task, click the New button when you are in Task view, or select Task from the New menu when in any other view. (You can also press Ctrl+Shift+K.) Outlook creates a new task and displays it as shown in Figure 30-26.
The only required entry on this form is the subject, which will be the title of the task that is displayed in Task view. The other task information on this form is explained here and in the following sections:
Start Date: If you want to specify a start date for the task, click the adjacent down arrow and select the date from the calendar.
Due Date: Click the adjacent down arrow and select the task’s due date from the calendar.
Status: By default, this is Not Started. If necessary, you can open this list and select In Progress, Completed, Waiting on Someone Else, or Deferred.
Priority: The default is Normal; you can also select Low or High.
% Complete: If the task is already partially complete, use the up and down arrows to specify the correct value in this field.
Categorize: Click this button to assign the task to an Outlook category.
Follow-up: Click this button to assign a follow-up to the task.
Private: Click this button to make the task private so that it will not be viewable by other people when you share your calendar.
Reminder: Select this option if you want to be reminded of the task; then, use the adjacent fields to specify the date and time of the reminder. Click the speaker icon to change the sound that will be played at the reminder time.
Contacts: Click this button to associate the task with one or more of your contacts.
Save & Close: Click this button on the Task tab of the Ribbon when you are finished defining the task.
Other aspects of creating a new task are explained in the following sections.
Entering task details
If you click the Details button in the Show group of the Task tab of the Ribbon, Outlook displays the Details window for the task. This window is shown in Figure 30-27.
The fields available in the Details window let you keep track of additional information related to a task. You can specify the completion date, enter information about the time spent on the task, identify a company associated with the task, track mileage, and enter billing information. Outlook does not track this information for you but just provides these detail fields for you to enter it in.
The lower section of the Details window is relevant only if the task has been assigned to someone; this window is explained in the next section.
When you have finished entering details for the task, click the Task button in the Show group of the Task tab on the Ribbon to return to the regular Task window. You can also click Save & Close if you have finished defining the task.
Assigning a task
Outlook lets you assign a task to someone else. Doing so can be useful in a variety of situations, such as when you are heading a committee and need to delegate various jobs to the committee members. By using Outlook’s Assign Task command, you can track progress and be notified when each task has been completed.
To assign a task, create the task as described earlier in this chapter. You can also open an existing task and, as long as you are the owner of the task, assign it to someone else. Here’s how:
1. | Click the Assign Task button in the Manage Task group of the Task tab of the Ribbon. Outlook displays the form shown in Figure 30-28. This is actually just the regular task form with a few extra elements. |
2. | In the To field, enter the e-mail address of the person you are assigning the task. You can also click the To button and select from your contacts. |
3. | Enter additional information about the task, such as subject and due date, if it has not already been entered. |
4. | Select or deselect the two available options (explained next). |
5. | Click the Send button. |
Two options are available when you assign a task to someone, as follows:
Keep an Updated Copy of This Task on My Task List: You receive automatic updates when the person whom you assign the task to updates its status.
Send Me a Status Report When This Task Is Complete: You receive an automatic notification when the person whom you assign the task to marks it as completed.
When you send a task assignment, the recipient receives an e-mail message containing information about the assignment and permitting the recipient to either accept or decline the assignment. You learn more about this and other aspects of task assignments later in this chapter, in the section “Working with Assigned Tasks.”
Specifying task recurrence
As do appointments, tasks can have a defined recurrence. For example, you may have to review each month’s sales figures by the end of the next month. Rather than enter a new task each month, you can define a task that recurs each month.
To define a recurring task, create the task as usual, and before saving and closing it, click the Recurrence button in the Options group of the Task tab of the Ribbon. Outlook opens the Task Recurrence dialog box, as shown in Figure 30-29.
Figure 30-29. Defining a recurring task.
Assigning Recurring TasksWhen you assign a recurring task, a copy of the task remains in your Task list but cannot be updated automatically. However, if you requested a status report when the task is complete, you receive a status report for each occurrence of the task that is completed. |
The four basic patterns of recurrence are Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly. When you choose the basic pattern in the top left of the dialog box, the remainder of the options change to reflect what’s available:
Daily: You can choose every so many days or every weekday.
Weekly: You specify how often (every week, every two weeks, and so on) and the day or days of the week.
Monthly: You specify which day of the month, either as a number (the 25th of each month, for example) or a day of the week (the first Thursday, for example).
Yearly: You specify a specific date (June 12, for example) or a day of a month (the first Monday in June, for example).
In all cases, you also specify a start date and when the recurring task ends.