Tasks and activities
Two related things. A task is what you intend to do; an activity is the record of what you did. They are joined by the act of completing the task.
The tasks index
CRM → Tasks. Shows the tasks you have permission to see — normally your own — sorted by due date and grouped into tabs by time period: Overdue, Today, Next Week, and so on, followed by Completed Tasks and All Tasks.
New Task
Assigns to you by default; you can delegate it to another user. A due date can be given as a general time span or a specific date.
Completing a task creates an activity
Ticking the checkbox beside a task opens an activity form, and logging the activity is required.
Important
You cannot complete a task without recording what you did. This is why activities on an account are stamped via task '⟨name⟩' — they were logged by completing a task rather than off someone's own initiative. It is also what keeps the account history honest: a task marked done with no activity would be a claim with no evidence.
Writing a task that is worth having
A task exists to answer one question the next morning: what do I do next? Two fields carry that.
| Field | Should say |
|---|---|
| Description | The very next action, starting with a verb |
| Date | When you will do it |
Compare:
| Weak | Useful |
|---|---|
| Demo | Demo scheduled for 26/9 — dated the 26th |
| Send proposal | Send proposal. Review meeting with their boss on 2/10 — dated the 2nd |
| Follow up | FU to see if the raise is close to closing — dated |
Starting with a verb forces the next step to be decided rather than deferred. If a next step is already booked, write that instead.