Actions

How is this app different to the built in tasks capability of Podio? Just out of interest.

This is helpful for larger tasks - and gives you the option to create filters and reports based on the tasks. Learn more here: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201038678-Using-a-tasks-app

Here's how you create filter and reports:
https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201019638-Filters-and-reports
http://blog.podio.com/2013/01/16/views-reports/

I like the Task App but when I generate a Task using a task app, it doesn't show up as a task when I click on the checkmark box at the top of my browser. The only place I will see the task is if I go to the Task App and click on it.

Is there a way to get Tasks generated in a Task App to show up in My Tasks?

Here are some screen shots of what I mean: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/4a7e605f-3eef-49ef-b080-3c9b1c3409b2/ac96451c6c604d64a91ea745c18dcffd

Hi Daniel,

Not possible I'm afraid - the app here is different from the regular task (to-do) functionality in the top blue bar.

Podio tasks in the top blue bar are designed for quick to-do's for you and your team. For anything bigger, we recommend using a tasks app like the one above. The following things are possible with a tasks app, which cannot be done with normal Podio tasks:

Adding custom fields to the task form
Assigning the same task to multiple team members
Getting an overview of what tasks your team is working on

You can use the workspace tile to push a view from the task app to your Home page in Podio: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201019078-Home-Workspace-Tiles

Thank you for your response!

I noticed that it is possible to add a task from either the top blue bar or from a workspace's general tasks to multiple contacts.

However, if I create an app and have a contact field, and in that contact field, I have more than one contact, and then I try to use that contact field in a 'Workflow', then the task is only assigned to the first person listed in the contact field.

Here is using the blue bar task for multiple users:
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s4/sh/bfff261f-d0f6-4e20-8a87-2a33985ae2b2/f9c0b52d471be672f947b16ed65fee25

But when placed in a workflow, doesn't work the same.

The workflow option is a bit different, you should then create multiple contact fields if you want to trigger a task to each contact :)

Hmmmm... Okay!

Is it possible that will change in the future?

Also, does Podio work with Globiflow in any way? Just wondering if that's a company I can trust if I want to do further automation ^^

Might be, we hope to add more advanced options in the future. GlobiFlow is one of our partners :)

Is it possible to bulk upload tasks and reference to contacts & leads. E.g. I have say 50 leads that I want to add a follow up task to (because they're part of the same campaign). Using Excel, how do I add the task and link it to each lead? I can't work it out. Thanks.

Hi Alex

Have you linked the Task app to the Contact & Leads app? If not, you first need to link the two apps using the relationship field: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201019288-Relationships

Then you can import tasks and related to a link via excel import :)

Let us know in Support if you need assistance: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/requests/new or via support@podio.com

Life would be much easier if tasks could be associated with multiple items, workspaces, apps, etc. or keeping the current "Attach this task to any item or workspace...." field and adding a secondary one for additional associations. Any plans on doing that and if no, why not?

For example: an air quality permit for an existing piece of equipment. That permit is associated with a location, a compliance program, and a finding identified during a regulatory inspection. The location is identified in a workspace called (wait for it...) "Locations." The compliance program is one of many located in a workspace called "Environmental Compliance." Apps in that space cover a number of regulatory programs and have budgets, manager info, regulations referenced, etc. If I assign a task to someone, I am limited in choosing where that task should best reside; however, it is equally important to us that the task be associated not only with the compliance program, but the location affected.

I'm struggling to see how the structure I've described would benefit from creating yet another app in each workspace (or its own for that matter) for tasks. To expand on that, we have 15 or so other (workspaces) related to safety, sustainability, health, and environmental compliance and within each of those, we'd have to create a "Task" app using your model. You've also said that the task function on the blue bar is for "quick-to-dos." That really minimizes the pervasiveness the "T" key has throughout Podio.

Definitely open to suggestions, but can't help seeing the efficiency of tasks with multiple associations.

I definitely see your point. We don't have a perfect solution to this. My best suggestion would be to relate the tasks to the item that gives the best context to the task - or to add the additional links needed in the description of the task instead of the reference field.

Thanks for your feedback.

Hi there, if we have deliverables with the same name, but under different titles - for example, 'secure location', one for 'event 1' and one for 'event 2' - there is no way to tell the difference between the two deliverables when trying to assign a task to a deliverable. How do we get around this?

Hi Xi Xi, Good question. You should be able to copy paste the url of the deliverable to the task reference to make sure you reference the correct deliverable.

You could also consider to have a calculation field as the first field of your deliverable app, then automatically calculate a unique deliverable name (referring to the event 1 or 2). The unique title will make it easier :)

More about using calculations here: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201019358-Calculations

Hello Morgan,

for recurring events I would suggest you to create a workflow. Once the new item is created you can assign task to it :)
Let meek now if you have any questions!

/Dominik - Podio

Hello! I see that I can create Tasks from inside a Deliverable. Am I able to relate a Deliverable to a Task when creating from Tasks? I didn't see if there was a way to add that field to the New Task page

Yep - just search for a reference (name of deliverable) to relate the deliverable.

Hi Sara, i added the action app, but i wanted to see the actions back in my tasks. Is that possible?

You can relate smaller tasks to actions to reference them, is this what you mean?
https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201019558-Overview-of-tasks

Simply click "t" when viewing the action item to create a sub-task to it and it will be linked.

Hi Sara, My team is looking for a way for tasks to be triggered by a specific date instead of automatically populating after a status change via our workflows. Do you know if this is possible within a workflow or if this app (or another) would work for that? Thanks!

This is not possible out of the box, but the GlobiFlow extension to Podio here can trigger based on dates: https://podio.com/extensions/2

Hi Sara, you may have already answered this. But is there a way for the tasks created throughout Podio --> in a specific item --> in a different app be auto-created as an item in this app as well so that it is easier to keep track? We do have globiflow but have not found it to be possible by our analysis.

You should be able to create this flow using the API: https://developers.podio.com/ but not via the in-built workflows. You can currently trigger on "task completion" in GlobiFlow.

Thank you sara!

We're testing out the functionality of using either the Actions App to replace the native tasks that have so many limitations (mass delete and import, mainly). I have two really big challenges, that seem so basic, but they're really deal-breakers for our team.
1. I can attach the action to a project, and I can even adjust the badge settings so that I can customize what you see about the action from within the project, with one big exception: tasks. You can select every other field in the action, but not tasks. If we can't choose to see the tasks (really subtasks at this point) from within the project, then we're having to jump back and forth between the project and each of the subtasks. That's not realistic for the flow of work and those overseeing it.
2. Really an overall issue. I don't understand why the entire platform is built on the concept of customizing to each organization's unique needs, but the native tasks or to-dos are built in everywhere, without even the option to turn it off when modifying the app or template, even though it's known that they have limited functionality. If I move forward with an app, people are going to enter tasks in the wrong place, because there's even a keyboard shortcut to help them do so. To enter a subtask within an action, they'd have to leave the project and go to the action, rather than just clicking "T".

Appreciate your comments Darby. No good solution yet but hopefully we will have a better architecture for sub-tasks in the future.

I'm finding myself frustrated by the same thing. I tried using an app, but my team grew confused about what was a task in the app vs the native task functionality. As Darby pointed out, the task functionality is EVERYWHERE in Podio. Once you stand up a deliverable there are tasks the list on it. Tasks list on the activity page - and the task function is build into the top navigation. It makes 100% sense to me that tasks would be what integrates with deliverables from within the native functionality. I can also use the Global Task List extension to see a list of tasks and sort by person and workspace. I just don't understand why the tasks function is such a robust part of Podio when I now am being told to build an app for it. BTW, I got to this page because I'm trying to figure out how to bulk upload tasks or make them automatic. The answer really is - you can't. So, essentially one of the most flexible and customizable systems is very rigidly defining for me and my team what a task really is. Super irritated.

Sorry to hear that, Michelle. I understand your points here. Though global/inbuilt Podio tasks were designed as a sort of quick way of creating a reminder or 'to do' list. Therefore, in comparison to other apps, they are much simpler and you can't modify them like items created via other apps. Thanks for you feedback though! Greatly appreciated.

So, I somehow landed on this page after trying to search for a solution to the tasks problem. And lo and behold I have already been here and commented. Your users have been asking for a solution to utilize tasks with an import for at least four years. Your users are telling you that your suggestion to build an app to handle tasks is not workable for them and it's non-intuitive with the way Podio pushes tasks into every nook and cranny of the interface. But the same exact advice about building an app is repeated everywhere. My conclusion is that you are pushing a solution that does not actually work onto your users instead of listening and fixing the system. So many of us have said what you are suggesting WILL NOT WORK for us. When are you going to listen?

We appreciate the feedback Michelle. Unfortunately we don't have any news to share around changing the architecture for tasks and apps at this point - it would be a huge effort and we have other projects we are prioritizing at this point (that our customers are also asking for). Please let me know via sara@podio.com if you have more details to share. Will be happy to hear more!

/Sara - Product Manager, Podio

I think one of the MAIN issues I have seen with my team, people on the internet, and other conversations with people is that if the sorting for the TASKS could be DESCENDING (rather than ascending), it would help with many of the issues I have seen. It should be a VERY simple fix/addition to the code, and I have seen requests online for several years now (and I have added my own request a couple of times). It would literally save me almost an hour a day to reorder the tasks by descending time as it takes just over a minute for the tasks to fully populate each time I list them.

Great feedback Brian, thanks for sharing!

I think I have a new question around this. We use the native tasks for several reasons mentioned above, primarily that it's what's visible in an individuals task list for convenient to-do checks and also because they're hardwired into deliverables already.

One thing our team struggles with is the volume of tasks for each deliverable and the necessary edits that come along with them from time to time. We have automated tasks that people can enter but if anything changes, we then have to edit each task individually. So, if a deliverable gets pushed out a month, our timeline needs to be handled task-by-task as opposed to "If I change date A, subsequent dates adjust accordingly," which is the way they're auto-populated in the first place through the workflow.

The other primary issue for us is cloning tasks. We can clone entire deliverables, down to the text fields for description, specs, and so on, but tasks don't enjoy that luxury.

Those two things would save our account managers close to half a day per week.

So...the question is: Does Actions come close to accomplishing those things for us, or separately, is there some Globiflow feature that could do the same?

Colin, we have adapted to using Actions because you can clone and import them. I have not yet sorted out the date forward and date tracking as part of a more Gantt approach, but Actions are working better for us in this regard. However, my team still struggles with the difference between an Action and a Task and I'm still unhappy with this hybrid solution as Actions are a pull (you have to go find them) vs a push (the integrated task list). If this makes sense. It's a half-measure at best.

It's really quite SAD that PODIO is not HEARING this rather ubiquitous request.

PODIO ... if you're getting this ... please listen to your customers!!!

Hi Tony, we are certainly listening but we don't believe we have found the right solution to solve this problem in current Podio architecture. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

We just updated the card layout this week based on a lot of user feedback and believe we managed to create a better experience. This topic however, we do not have a good solution for yet.

/Sara - Product Manager

Thanks, Sara. We saw the new card layout, and that's certainly a welcome update, but the limited task functionality in Podio is becoming an ever-increasing pain point for us.

We are now looking to use the Hubstaff-Podio integration to track time on tasks assigned to "freelancers" and as you may know, this integration can only track time for Podio's native tasks - NOT items in a "Task App" - so this is yet another example of the shortcomings of the workaround suggested by Podio of setting up a Task App to manage tasks.

I've been searching your blog, support site and App marketplace in an attempt to find a solution, and have found find many user posts about this very subject going back FOUR years, and find it puzzling that Podio has not been able to find a solution to this very basic functionality.

Very disappointed :(

Tony, it's been a consistent issue for us since 2014. Now we're trying out Globiflow and SmartGantt to see if they make the internal process any easier, but that adds so much complexity (not to mention time and money) to solve a problem that, as you say, should be an off-the-shelf fix.

Our work typically involves somewhere around 15-20 tasks per deliverable, which have been set up to automate based on the deliverable type. What happens very often is that an external review comes back late, throws off the timeline, and then we have to manually adjust every task from that point forward as opposed to Podio knowing that if a task moves out, all the others adjust. And while cloning deliverables is fine, most of the activity is still on tasks, which can't be cloned. We're a team of around 20 and we have ~800 deliverables a year, so a lot of our time is spent on these two issues. It's just wasted effort. Fixing it seems to be left up to the customer -- by trying different apps that completely alter our workflow or third-party add-ons like Globiflow -- and it's frankly not doing Podio any favors, especially because it's been a well-known problem for so long.

As much as I still like and defend Podio, our account team is looking at other options. They're spending a whole lot of their time managing the project management system. That's not what we signed up for.

Agree with Colin. As my team has grown this issue is expanding and causing all manner of problems for us. The failure to solve this, combined with the pretty sharp recent increase in pricing, has us scratching our heads about what comes next. We love Podio and just want a solution.

It's clear that the way tasks are handled in Podio isn't intuitive. It's hard to believe that after 4 years that no one at Podio has found a solution to this problem when your competitors have been able to accomplish this. Below is a possible solution:

In the App Builder, create a new Field called "Task List." On the frontend, users should be able to add an unlimited number of "master tasks" to the list (similar to how it's done on the backend for Category), but with some additional functionality, like adding dates, assignments, etc.

Once the master tasks are set on the front end, each master task should have an option to add a subtask using the native task functionality.

Important Features:
- Save as a template: Ability to save the master task list and subtasks as a template to use later. On the front end, there should be an option to start a new list or using an existing one.
- Event Notification: In addition to adding a task, there should be an option to add events, like meetings to the sublist.
- Shift: The ability to update a date item on either the master or subtask and the other dates within the list auto-adjust based on the set intervals already established as part of the timeline. This feature should be a customizable option that people can choose to use. It should also give the option to include or exclude weekends. FunctionFox does this really well. That's one of the features I really liked about them but decided to try Podio out because they were missing some important functionality.
- SmartGantt App Integration: Ability for the dates in this task list to easily populate a Gantt Chart

Sounds like a plan @madiabrown

@podio this is an absolute fundamental flaw in Podio which renders the software near useless for us. From something that would have been near perfect! Please please please integrate the native tasks into tasks apps, or at least allow creation of template items which includes copying the tasks that sit inside them

Hi Shahbaz, for copying tasks you can create automatic workflows to create tasks when a new item is created: https://help.podio.com/hc/en-us/articles/201194467-Automating-workflows

We've been waiting to see if there are better task options too... Another frustration I haven't seen above: I manage a team and can't easily see their tasks... only tasks I've delegated to them. There isn't an easy way to get an overview of the teams workload.