Feature Overview Video
Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Guests: Can change status of assigned records, Solution Creators/General Access: Can create and manage assignments depending on permissions, Administrators: Full control |
Related Reading |
SmartSuite does not have a concept of a dedicated "task." At a basic level, we interpret a "task" as any element assigned to a member, typically including a due date.
Many elements can be assigned to a Member in SmartSuite, including:
Records
Comments (does not have a due date)
Checklist field actions
Assignment Tracking Rule
Anything assigned to you appears in your My Work feed. Additionally, the Assigned to Me tab in the Notifications Center helps you stay on top of important action items.
Note: An important rule for displaying a record in My Work is that the Assigned To field must have a link to the status field.
Record Assignments
How Tasks Become Tasks
The Assigned To field designates a record to a member or team. When combined with the Status field, it transforms records into actionable tasks. This setup enables automations to create simple workflows.
Key Relationships:
Assigned To + Status → Creates a task in My Work.
Due Date + Status (Optional) → Helps track deadlines but isn't required.
Multiple Assigned To fields linked to the same Status → If one person updates the status, it applies to all assigned members.
Handling Multiple Assignments
You can have multiple pairs of Assigned To and Status in a record.
Each pair appears as a separate task in My Work, ensuring clear task ownership and progress tracking.
Example Workflow:
Scenario: Within Marketing, website content is created by team members and then reviewed for approval by managers.
Solution: Use dual Assigned To fields (e.g., Content Owner and Approver) and status fields that trigger simple automations. For instance:
When the assigned Content Owner sets the record status to "Ready for Review," the Approver is notified via the Notification Center, and the record appears in their My Work feed.
(Input new photo, old one is outdated)
Comment Assignments
Comments fuel discussion directly in the context of the work at hand, driving digital collaboration and reducing the need for stand-alone meetings.
Analog Equivalent:
The team gathers in a meeting room to discuss a new product feature.
Action items are assigned to team members.
Missing input from a sick team member is addressed post-meeting via follow-up.
In SmartSuite:
Discussions occur digitally within the product feature record.
Use
@Mentionto involve the absent member.Assign comments with actionable items to team members and mark them as resolved upon completion.
Key Benefits:
Members receive notifications in the Notification Center.
Assigned items appear in their My Work feeds.
Checklist Field Actions
Dynamic Assignment:
Create and assign actions within records using Checklist fields.
Assign items to members with due dates.
Notifications and Task Tracking:
Members receive alerts in the Notification Center.
Assigned checklist items appear as individual tasks in members' My Work feeds.
Practical Scenarios and Use Cases
1. Departmental Collaboration
Scenario: The Marketing team needs access to shared workspaces for campaigns and projects.
Solution: Create a "Marketing Team" with relevant members, ensuring they can collaborate seamlessly on tasks, SmartDocs, and comments.
2. Project-Specific Assignments
Scenario: The HR department must ensure onboarding tasks are assigned to the right team members.
Solution: Assign onboarding tasks via Checklist fields, so all stakeholders receive clear notifications and reminders.
3. Workflow Automation
Scenario: The Operations team needs a streamlined way to manage approvals for vendor contracts.
Solution: Use the Assigned To field with automated notifications to notify Approvers when contracts are ready for review.