11. Track tasks

Practice files

No practice files are necessary to complete the practice tasks in this chapter.

Many people keep one or more task lists going at all times, listing things to do, things to buy, people to call, and other tasks. You might write these task lists on pieces of paper, use a smartphone app to keep the list on your phone, or have a cool device such as an Amazon Echo that keeps a list of the things you tell it you need to buy, and makes the list available through an app.

But paper lists can get lost, and apps have to be kept up to date. You might find it easier to use the built-in task-tracking functionality in Outlook 2016. You can add tasks, flag messages for follow-up, assign due dates, receive reminders, and mark tasks as complete when you finish them. You can even assign tasks to other people, and if those people use Outlook, you can view their progress on assigned tasks as they track progress milestones.

You can display your tasks and flagged items in several locations within Outlook, so you stay aware of them. You can keep multiple task lists, or categorize tasks so you can filter the list for tasks that are related to a specific topic.

This chapter guides you through procedures related to creating tasks, managing tasks, managing task assignments, and displaying different views of tasks.

Although you probably won’t need to use any of these features, you can attach files to task items, and you can include text, tables, charts, illustrations, hyperlinks, and other content in the task window content pane by using the same commands you use in other Outlook item windows and in other Microsoft Office apps, such as Word. You can also set standard Outlook item options such as recurrence, color categories, reminders, and privacy.

To create a task item, the only information you need is the subject, which in the case of a task would be the thing you need to get done, such as “Write this chapter” or “Process payroll.” As with many other types of Outlook items, you can set several options for tasks to make it easier to organize and identify them:

Start date and due date You can display tasks on the various Outlook task lists on either the start date or the due date. The color of the task flag indicates the due date.

Status You can track the status of a task to remind yourself of your progress. Specific status options include Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting On Someone Else, or Deferred. You also have the option of indicating what percentage of the task is complete. Setting the percentage complete to 25%, 50%, or 75% sets the task status to In Progress. Setting it to 100% sets the task status to Complete.

Priority You can set the priority to add a visual indicator of a task’s importance. Unless you indicate otherwise, a task is created with a Normal priority level. Low priority displays a blue downward-pointing arrow, and High priority displays a red exclamation point. You can sort and filter tasks based on their priority.

Recurrence Many tasks need to be done every week or month. Instead of creating a unique task for each occurrence, you can set a task to recur on a regular basis; for example, you might create a Process payroll task that recurs every month. Only the current instance of a recurring task appears in your task list. When you mark the current task as complete, Outlook creates the next instance of the task.

Category Tasks use the same category list as other Outlook items. You can assign a task to a category to associate it with related items such as messages and appointments.

Reminder You can set a reminder for a task in the same way you do for an appointment. The reminder appears until you dismiss it or mark the task as complete.

Privacy Marking a task as private ensures that other Outlook users to whom you delegate account access can’t see the task details.

From any view of the task list, you can assign the task to a category, change the due date, add a reminder, mark the task as complete, or delete the task entirely. To access these commands, right-click the task name, category, or flag, and then click the option you want. None of the options are required, but they can be helpful to you when sorting, filtering, and prioritizing your tasks.

To create a simple task that is due today

1. Do either of the following to activate the task entry box:

• On the Navigation Bar, point to the Tasks button. At the top of the Tasks peek, click Type a new task.

• On the To-Do Bar, at the top of the Tasks peek, click Type a new task.

2. Enter the task title, and then press Enter to create the task with a due date of Today.

To create a simple task without a due date

1. In the Tasks module, near the top of the content pane, click Type a new Task or Click here to add a new Task (depending on the current view).

2. Enter the task title, and then press Enter to create the task with a due date of None.

To create a detailed task

1. Do any of the following to open a new task window:

• In the Tasks module with the ribbon open, on the Home tab, in the New group, click the New Task button.

• In the Tasks module with the ribbon hidden, at the top of the Folder Pane, click the New Task button.

• In any module, on the Home tab, in the New group, in the New Items list, click Task.

• In any module, press Ctrl+Shift+K.

2. In the task header, in the Subject box, enter a name for the task. This is the only information that is required.

3. Do any of the following in the task header:

• To assign a start date or due date, select or enter dates in the Start date and Due date boxes.

• To set the task priority, in the Priority list, click Low, Normal, or High.

4. To add notes, click in the text pane, and then enter text or use the commands on the Insert tab to insert images and other content.

5. If you want to hide details of the task from co-workers, on the Task tab, in the Tags group, click the Private button.

6. On the Home tab, in the Actions group, click the Save & Close button to add the task to your task list.

To create a recurring task

1. Create a task item by using any method, and then open the task in a task window.

2. On the Task tab, in the Recurrence group, click the Recurrence button to open the Task Recurrence dialog box.

3. In the Recurrence pattern section, do any of the following to set the recurrence:

• Click Daily, and then enter the number of days between occurrences or click Every weekday.

• Click Weekly, and then enter the number of weeks between occurrences and select the check boxes of the days on which the task is due in those weeks.

• Click Monthly, and then specify the day of the month and the number of months between occurrences.

• Click Yearly, and then specify the date or the day of the month on which the task is due.

4. In the Range of recurrence section, do the following:

• If the first occurrence of the task isn’t immediate, enter or select a date in the Start box.

• If the task occurs a specific number of times, click End after, and then enter the number of occurrences.

• If the task has a specific end date, click End by and then enter or select a date in the adjacent box.

5. Click OK to save the recurrence configuration.

To flag a task for follow-up or another action

1. Do either of the following:

• Open the task in a task window. On the Task tab, in the Tags group, click the Follow Up button.

• Display any view of the task list. Right-click the task name, and then click Follow Up.

2. To flag the task for follow up, in the Follow Up list, click Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week, or No Date.

3. To flag the task for a different action, do the following:

a. In the Follow Up list, click Custom to open the Custom dialog box.

b. In the Custom dialog box, click the Flag to arrow, and then click Call, For Your Information, or Review.

c. Click OK to save the flag.

To set a reminder for a task

1. Do either of the following:

• In the task header, select the Reminder check box to set a reminder for the default time on the task due date.

• On the Task tab, in the Tags group, click the Follow Up button, and then click Add Reminder to open the Custom dialog box.

2. To customize the reminder, in the task header or Custom dialog box, select or enter a date and time for the reminder.

Depending on the method you use, you can either create a new task from an existing item or add the existing item to your To-Do List by flagging it. Flagging a message (or other Outlook item) for follow-up adds the item to the default To-Do List view of your task list. However, it does not create a separate task item, so to retain the task, you must retain the message; you can move the message between mail folders, but deleting the message also deletes it from the task list.

To add a message to your To-Do List by flagging it

1. In the Mail module, do any of the following:

• Point to the message in the message list, and then click the flag icon that appears.

• Point to the message in the message list, right-click the flag icon that appears, and then click a specific due date: Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week, No Date, or Custom (which you can use to set specific start and end dates).

• Drag the message to the Tasks peek on the To-Do Bar and drop it under the heading for the due date you want to assign to it. (If the due date you want doesn’t already have a heading in the task list, drop the message under another heading and then assign the due date you want.)

The flag remains visible in the message list, follow-up information appears below the message header in the Reading Pane, and the subject of the message appears in the Today category in the Tasks peek.

To create a new task from an existing Outlook item

1. Display the module that contains the item you want to create the new task from.

2. Do either of the following:

• Drag the item to the Tasks button on the Navigation Bar, and when a plus sign appears next to the cursor, release the mouse button.

This method opens a task window that already has information filled in from the original item. You can change settings, add information and attachments, assign the task to other people, and make other changes.

• Drag the item to the Tasks peek on the To-Do Bar, and release the mouse button when the red horizontal insertion line indicates that the item will be inserted in the position you want. If the item is an email message, the flag icon is now visible on the message in the message list.

To display the Reading Pane in the Tasks module

1. In the Tasks module, on the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Reading Pane button.

2. In the Reading Pane list, click Right or Bottom to display the Reading Pane.

To display a task in the Reading Pane

1. In the task list, click the task to display the task’s contents in the Reading Pane.

To preview task details in the Tasks peek

1. In any module, display the Tasks peek on the Navigation Bar or the To-Do Bar.

2. In the Tasks peek, point to a task or flagged message to display a ScreenTip that contains the start date, the reminder time, the due date, the folder in which the message appears, any categories assigned to the message, and other information.

To open a task in a task window

1. In any view of the task list, double-click the task.

To open a flagged message from the Tasks peek

1. In any module, display the Tasks peek on the Navigation Bar or the To-Do Bar.

2. In the Tasks peek, double-click the message to open it in a message window.

To change the follow-up date of a flagged message

1. In the message list or Tasks peek, right-click (don’t click) the flag to display the list of due date options.

2. In the list, click the date you want.

To rename a task

1. Display any view of the task list.

2. Right-click the task name, and then click Rename Task to activate the task subject for editing.

3. Enter the new task subject, and then press Enter to save your changes.

To update the status of a task

1. Open the task window.

2. In the task header, do either of the following:

• In the Status list, click Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting On Someone Else, or Deferred.

• In the % Complete list, enter or select (by clicking the arrows) the percentage of the project you estimate as complete to change the status to reflect your selection.

Tasks that are 0% complete are Not Started, tasks that are from 1% to 99% complete are In Progress, and tasks that are 100% complete are Completed.

Marking a task or flagged item as complete retains a record of the item on your task list. Completed tasks are visible only in certain task list views.

There are several ways to mark a task or flagged item as complete. Whichever method you use, when you display an unfiltered view of your task list, the completed task is crossed through, the Complete check box is selected, and the flag is changed to a check mark. In the task window for the completed task, Status is set to Completed and % Complete is set to 100%. (In other words, doing any one thing accomplishes all the others.)

After you mark an instance of a recurring task as complete, Outlook generates a new instance of the task at whatever interval you specified when creating the task.

Removing the flag from a flagged item such as a message or contact record retains the item in its original location but removes it from your task list entirely.

Deleting a task or flagged item moves the task or the original item to the Deleted Items folder; it is permanently deleted when you empty that folder. No record of it remains on your task list or in its original location (such as your Inbox).

To mark a task or flagged item as complete

1. Do any of the following:

• Display any view of the task list, right-click the task, and then click Mark Complete.

• In the Tasks peek, point to the flag at the right end of the item, and when the flag turns bright red, click it to mark the task as complete.

• In the Tasks module, click the task or item to make it active, and then on the Home tab, in the Manage Task group, click the Mark Complete button.

• In the task window, change the Status to Completed or the % Complete setting to 100%.

• In views that include a check box preceding the task subject (most list views), select the check box.

• In views that include a colored flag, click the flag once.

To remove the flag from a flagged message or other item

1. Do any of the following:

• In the Tasks peek, right-click the flag at the right end of the item, and then click Clear Flag.

• In the Tasks module, click the flagged item to select it, and on the Home tab, in the Manage Task group, click the Remove from List button.

• In any module, right-click the flagged item, click Follow-up, and then click Clear Flag.

To delete a task item

1. Do either of the following:

• In the Tasks module, click the task to make it active, and then on the Home tab, in the Delete group, click the Delete button.

• In any view, right-click the task, and then click Delete.

You can assign a task to someone outside of your network, but he or she will receive it as a message attached to a message and it won’t have task item functionality or maintain a link to the task on your list. If you do this, Outlook shows the task status as Waiting For Response From Recipient until you change it yourself.

When you assign a task, you can choose whether to keep a copy of the task on your own task list or transfer it entirely to the assignee’s task list. Either way, the task remains on your own task list until accepted, so you won’t lose track of it. (If the recipient declines the task, you can return it to your task list or reassign it.)

After you assign a task to someone else, ownership of the task transfers to that person, and you can no longer update the information in the task window. (The assignee becomes the task owner, and you become the task originator.) If you keep a copy of the task on your task list, you can follow the progress as the assignee updates the task status and details, and you can communicate information about the task to the owner by sending status reports. Unless you choose otherwise, Outlook automatically sends you a status report on an assigned task when the assignee marks the task as complete.

You can view the status of tasks you have assigned to other people by displaying your task list in Assignment view.

The assignee receives a task request that he or she can accept or decline. Either action generates a response message to you. As with meeting requests, the task request recipient has the option of sending a message with the response.

If you assign a task and the assignee declines the assignment, the task doesn’t automatically return to your task list; you need to either reclaim the task (return it to your own task list) or reassign it.

To assign a task to someone else

1. With the task window open, on the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click the Assign Task button to display a To box and Send button in the task header.

2. In the To box, enter the name or email address of the person you want to assign the task to.

3. Note that the Keep an updated copy of this task on my task list and Send me a status report when this task is complete check boxes are selected by default. You can clear the check boxes if you don’t want Outlook to perform those actions.

4. Review the task subject, dates, status, priority, and completion settings and ensure that they are as you want them—after you assign the task, you will no longer be able to change the task details.

5. In the task header, click the Send button. A message box notifies you that the task reminder previously set for this task will be turned off when you assign it to another person.

6. In the Microsoft Outlook message box, click OK to send the task request. Outlook will notify you when the assignee accepts or declines the task.

To reclaim or reassign a declined task

1. Open the declined task assignment. The Manage Task group on the Task tab of the task window ribbon includes commands specific to managing the declined task.

2. In the Manage Task group, do either of the following:

• Click the Return to Task List button to reclaim the task.

• Click the Assign Task button to reassign the task.

You can update the details of a task assigned to you by someone else in the same way that you do tasks that you create.

To accept or decline a task request

1. Do any of the following:

• In the Reading Pane, at the top of the task request, click Accept to accept the task.

• In the Reading Pane, click Decline to decline the task.

• With the task request selected in the message list, press Alt+C to accept the task.

• Press Alt+D to decline the task.

Or

1. Open the task request. The Task tab of the task window ribbon includes additional options for managing the task request.

2. Do either of the following:

• In the Respond group, click the Accept button to accept the task or the Decline button to decline the task, and to send the associated response to the task owner. You have the option of editing the response before it is sent.

• In the Respond group, click Reply to send a message to the task owner without accepting or declining the task, or the Forward button to forward the task content to another person without reassigning the task.

To reassign a task that was assigned to you

1. Open the task request.

2. On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click the Assign Task button, and follow the procedure described earlier in this topic to assign the task to another person.

To send a status report about a task that was assigned to you

1. Open the task window.

2. On the Task tab, in the Manage Task group, click the Send Status Report button to generate an email message that has the task information in the Subject field and message body.

3. Address the message to the people you want to send the report to, and then send the message. In the Styles list, you can choose from five page layouts and color schemes.

To-Do List Displays tasks and flagged messages in To-Do List view, with the Reading Pane open on the right.

Tasks Displays only task items in Simple List view. This view displays the subject, due date, categories, and flags for each folder item and a check box that you can select to indicate that an item has been completed.

In either folder, you can change the view and the arrangement of the folder content. The view filters the content, and the arrangement orders the filtered content.

The other built-in views are Active, Assigned, Completed, Detailed, Next 7 Days, Overdue, Prioritized, Server Tasks, and Today. Detailed view displays all active and completed items in list format; most of the other views display only the items corresponding to the view name (for example, Active view displays only the active items in the folder and Completed view displays only the completed items).

You can search and filter your tasks in any view by using the Instant Search feature from the search box at the top of the content area. You can sort tasks by any displayed column in a list view by clicking the column header.

You can change the fields displayed in each view; the way tasks are grouped, sorted, and filtered; the display font; and other settings to suit your preferences. If you don’t like your changes, you can reset the view to its default configuration. You perform all these procedures in the Tasks module in the same way that you do in other modules.

Completed tasks remain in the Tasks folder until you delete them, so they are available there if you want to view them.

To display tasks and flagged items in the Tasks module

1. In the Tasks module, in the Folder Pane, do one of the following:

• To display active task items and flagged items, click To-Do List.

• To display active and completed tasks, click Tasks.

To display a different view of the Tasks module

1. Do either of the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Current View group, click Change View.

• On the View tab, in the Current View group, click Change View.

2. In the Change View gallery, click Detailed, Simple List, To-Do List, Prioritized, Active, Completed, Today, Next 7 Days, Overdue, Assigned, or Server Tasks.

If the view you select filters the task list, the words Filter Applied appear at the left end of the status bar to indicate that the folder is displaying a filtered view of the available items (for example, the To-Do List displays only active items).

To sort tasks in a list view

1. In any view other than To-Do view, click any column header to sort the tasks based on that field. The sort arrow to the right of the column header indicates the sort order.

2. Reverse the sort order by clicking the active column header.

To group tasks

1. On the View tab, in the Arrangement group, on the Arrange By menu, click Show in Groups to select or clear the check mark.

2. In the Arrange By gallery, click the grouping you want.

To reset the current view to its default settings

1. Do either of the following:

• On the View tab, in the Current View group, click the Reset View button, and then click Yes in the message box that opens.

• Open the Advanced View Settings dialog box, click the Reset Current View button, and then click OK.

In the Calendar module, you can display the Daily Task List below the calendar in Day, Work Week, or Week view. The Daily Task List displays the tasks due, including the category and task type, on each day of the displayed time period. In Day view, the start date, due date, and reminder time also appear.

As with the Folder Pane and the People Pane, you can minimize the Daily Task List so that it displays only the number of active and completed tasks and provides more space for you to work.

To display the Daily Task List

1. Display the Day, Work Week, or Week view of your primary calendar.

2. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Daily Task List button, and then click Normal.

To schedule a task from the Daily Task List on your calendar

1. Drag the task from the Daily Task List pane to the timeslot on your calendar.

To minimize the Daily Task List

1. Do either of the following:

• At the right end of the Daily Task List pane header, click the Minimize button.

• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Daily Task List button, and then click Minimized.

To expand the minimized Daily Task List

1. Do either of the following:

• At the right end of the Daily Task List pane header, click the Minimize button.

• On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Daily Task List button, and then click Normal.

To close the Daily Task List

1. On the View tab, in the Layout group, click the Daily Task List button, and then click Off.

Create tasks

Manage tasks

Manage task assignments

Display different views of tasks

1. In the Folder Pane, click To-Do List to display tasks grouped by due date.

2. From the Type a new task box at the top of the content pane, create the task Complete Chapter 11 practice tasks. Notice that the task is created without a due date.

3. Open a new task window and create a task that has the following properties:

Subject: Read Chapter 12

Due date: Tomorrow

Priority: Low

4. Set a reminder to appear at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. Then save and close the task.

5. Select the task in the task list, and then change the Follow Up date to This Week.

6. Open a new task window and create a task that has the following properties:

Subject: My Birthday

Start date and Due date: Enter or select the date of your next birthday

Recurrence: Yearly, on your birthday, with no end date

7. Set a reminder to appear one month before your birthday, so you have time to plan a celebration. Then save and close the task.

8. Display the Mail module, and then do the following:

a. Point to the Tasks button on the Navigation Bar to display the Tasks peek. Notice that the tasks you created in steps 2, 3, and 6 are in their respective due date groups.

b. From the Type a new task box at the top of the Tasks peek, create the task Have a great day! Notice that the task is added to the Tasks peek with a due date of Today.

9. Choose a message from your message list, and flag it for follow up.

10. Choose a message from your message list, and create a new task from the message.

1. If the Reading Pane isn’t open, display it on the right side of the window.

2. In the task list, click the message that you flagged in the previous set of practice tasks, and review the content in the Reading Pane.

3. Change the follow-up date of the flagged message to Next Week.

4. Open the Complete Chapter 11 practice tasks item in a task window.

5. Set the % Complete to 30%. Notice that the Status changes from Not Started to In Process.

6. Rename all occurrences of the My Birthday task with your name as the subject.

7. Mark the Have a great day! task as complete.

8. Delete the task item that you created from a message in the previous set of practice tasks.

9. Display the Mail module. From the Tasks peek, display the details of the Complete Chapter 11 practice tasks item in a ScreenTip. Note any information that the ScreenTip doesn’t include.

10. From the Tasks peek, open the message that you worked with in steps 2 and 3. Clear the flag from the message, and then close the message window.

1. Create a task named Practice assigning tasks.

2. Assign the task to someone else, and ask him or her to decline the assignment.

3. From the response message, reassign the task to another person and ask him or her to accept the assignment.

4. After the assignment is accepted, open the task from your task list and notice what changes you can make, and what actions you can perform, with the assigned task.

1. Notice the items that are available in the To-Do List, and how they are organized.

2. In the Folder Pane, click Tasks. Notice the difference in the items shown in this view.

3. Sort the Tasks list in another order.

4. Display three other views of the Tasks module. Consider which of the views is most useful to you, and end with that view.

5. Change the arrangement of the tasks in the view that you chose in step 4.

6. Reset the current view to its default settings.

7. Display the Calendar module in Work Week view.

8. Display the Daily Task List below the calendar pane.

9. Locate a day that has a task in the Daily Task List. Drag the task from the Daily Task List to the 12:00 PM slot on the calendar to allocate that time for completing the task.

10. Minimize the Daily Task List, and notice the information available on it.

11. If you want to use the Daily Task List, expand it; otherwise, close it.