Combine the power of sub-items and checklists
Y
Yuriy yuriy@otomakeit.com
The ideal solution for managing subtasks would be to combine the features of the checklist and sub-item into one field. Checklists work well for subtasks because they can be assigned to a person, which allows them to appear in "My Work." However, they lack the necessary functionality that effective subtasks require. For example, checklists are not flexible—they don't allow for the addition of extra fields or the assignment of specific times of day, which means they can't trigger reminders at a particular time (a feature that, with proper automation, could address the current lack of due reminders in SmartSuite). Additionally, checklists cannot be opened in a new window for adding more detailed information, making them too simplistic.
On the other hand, sub-items are far more powerful in this regard. They allow for the inclusion of almost any type of field, which enables the capture of detailed information related to a specific subtask. You can even add a due time to the date, which is a great feature. However, the major drawback of sub-items is that they cannot be assigned to a person, meaning they won't show up in "My Work." This limitation negates the benefit of having a due time, as it reduces the overall usefulness of sub-items.
I can accept the idea that subtasks should not be assigned to someone other than the person responsible for the main task, as it makes sense for the task owner to handle all associated subtasks. However, the subtask should at least be automatically assigned to the task owner, ensuring that notifications appear in "My Work." Otherwise, the potential of sub-items is wasted.
In summary, merging the capabilities of checklists and sub-items would create the perfect solution for managing subtasks.
Jon Darbyshire
Hey Yuriy yuriy@otomakeit.com, thanks for your feedback! I have a few more questions for you:
- Can you provide examples of the types of additional fields you would find useful in a combined checklist and sub-item feature?
- Could you elaborate on the types of reminders and notifications you would find most useful for managing subtasks?
- Would you find it useful to have the ability to assign sub-items to other team members, or should they always be assigned to the task owner?
J
James Guitard
Jon Darbyshire Not OP, but I can chime in on my preferences/experience:
- In general, Sub-items can mirror the fields at the parent item level. Basics like due date, priority, assignee, description are essential.
It would be nice to have additional customization of sub-item fields, or even sub-item templates based on an "item type".
For example, I may have a parent item, "Holiday Marketing Campaign". Sub-items could include: Email, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, etc. Each of those Sub-items will have requirements unique to that type/category. All Email items/sub-items need criteria to define "Audience". Social needs to define the post type: Text, Image, Video, Reels, etc.
- The same notifications and reminders for parent items should apply to sub-items. The person assigned the subtask should be notified when the due date arrives, when it's overdue, when new comments are added, etc.
- The biggest limitation of Sub-items at the moment is the inability to assign them to other team members. This is an absolute necessity. I want to break down the parent item into all required deliverables and pre-requisites that have different people responsible for them.
- Not a question you asked, but an important subtask requirement: The duration of the Parent Item should inherit the aggregate duration of all sub-items. The earliest start date of any sub-task should be the Parent task start date. the latest end/due date of any sub-task should be the Parent task end/due date. This ensures that timeline adjustments to sub-items are reflected in the parent item, and that the parent item is defined as the sum of its parts. This may potentially be an optional function, some PMs may prefer a different approach, but I would use this exclusively.
- Sub-tasks should have blocking dependencies and automated date adjustments within the parent item. If a sub-task blocks a dependency, changes to the due date should be applied relativley to all dependencies.
That's my wishlist. This would fill the biggest gap in SmartSuite's functionality for our organization's Project Management needs.