Create and Assign Tasks

A task is a piece of work that needs to be done: drawing a stage, chasing a client for approval, bringing a van in for its service, or following up on a quote. Unlike a function or a shift, a task has no fixed start and end time. It has a deadline, and whoever it is assigned to decides when to pick it up.

You can add a task almost anywhere in Rentman, and every task appears in the Tasks module so nothing gets lost. Rentman's notification system makes sure you do not forget a deadline.

Rentman tip: Adding Organize to your Rentman plan means you can access project task boards and manage your pre- and post-production work more easily.

In this article, you will learn how to add a task, what each task field does, how to see what your team is working on, and how to complete a task.

Note: Statuses, planned time, subtasks, private tasks, and task boards are part of the Organize plan. Learn more about Rentman Organize.

Add a task

From any item in Rentman

Open an item by double-clicking on it. This works for subrentals, purchase orders, equipment, contacts, crew members, vehicles, inspections, lost equipment, inventory counts, and statistics. If you do not have Organize, you could also use the same path to create a task for projects.
Scroll down and click Add task.
Configure the task options.
Save.

From the Tasks module

Navigate to the Tasks module.
Click Add task.
Configure the task options.
Save.

From the Tasks tab of a project (Organize)

Navigate to a project.
Click on the Tasks tab.
Click + Add task.
Configure the task options.
Save.

Rentman tip: You can also add tasks directly from the task status columns. Click + at the top of a column or + Add task at the bottom of a column to create a new task.

From the details sidebar

Hover over the name of any item in an overview and open the Details sidebar.
Scroll down to the Tasks section.
Click on + to add your task there, without leaving the overview.

Task options

Task name
Enter a name for the task. This is the only required field.

Deadline
See Deadlines below.

Status (Organize)
See Task statuses below.

Complete
Click to mark the task as complete.

Indicate priority (Organize)
Give the task a priority. Choose from High, Average, Low and None.

Color (Organize)
Give the task a color so it stands out on a board or in a list.

Details
Add more information about the task. Use this for instructions the assignee needs.

Assigned to
A task can be assigned to nobody, to all crew members or to one or more crew members. When you create a task, you are selected as the assignee by default. Click on the assignee to change it.

You can also create private tasks if your plan includes Organize. Private tasks are only visible to the user who created them.

Planned time (Organize)
See Set a planned time below.

Teams (Organize)
See Teams.

Subtasks (Organize)
See Subtasks below.

Notes
Add a note to the task.

Files
Attach a file to the task, such as a drawing or a briefing.

Tags
Add tags to filter your tasks later. Useful examples are Preparation, On location, and In warehouse. Learn more about tags.

Extra input fields
Add your own fields to tasks, and use them to filter, group, and sort your task boards. Learn more about extra input fields.

Task statuses (Organize)

A status tells your team where a task stands. Instead of a task being either finished or unfinished, it moves through the steps your company actually uses. Learn how to set up task statuses.

Change the status of a task from the List overview

Select the tasks you want to move.

Rentman tip: To change the status of multiple items, select multiple tasks only if they have the same status.
Click To [status] in the bar above the list. The button shows the next status in your workflow, for example To Completed.

Note: The button only appears when the selected tasks have the same status. If you select tasks with different statuses, change them one status at a time.

Change the status of a task from the Board overview

Drag a task and drop it in the desired status column.

Change the status of a task from the task itself

Double click on a task to open it.
Click on the status and select from the drop down menu.
Save.

Every user can change the status of a task they can see.

Note: if you sync your tasks to an external calendar, that calendar recognizes only two states. Every status other than Completed syncs as not completed. Learn more about calendar sync.

Set a planned time (Organize)

A planned time is the number of hours you expect a task to take. It is not a scheduled time slot: it does not say when the work happens, only how long it should take. That is the difference between a task and a function.

Once your team registers hours against the task, you can compare the planned time with the time actually spent. This is what lets you find out whether an estimate was accurate, and price the next project from real numbers rather than a guess. Learn more about tracking time on tasks.

Rentman tip: Add planned times to the standard tasks in your project templates, so every new project starts with an estimate already in place.

Deadlines

A task can have no deadline, a fixed date, or a deadline that moves with the project schedule.

No deadline
Leave the deadline empty. The task stays active without a due date, which suits work that needs doing eventually but not by a set day.

A fixed date
Choose a date. If the date passes and the task is not completed, it turns red.

Relative to the project schedule (Organize)
Set the deadline a number of days before or after a moment in the project, such as three days before load-in. The deadline then moves automatically if the project dates change. This is most useful in project templates, where the same task needs a different date on every project.

Subtasks (Organize)

A subtask is a checklist item inside a task. Use subtasks to break a task into steps without creating several separate tasks.

A subtask has a title, and it is either to do or done. That is all. A subtask cannot be assigned to someone, given its own deadline, have a planned time, or have time registered against it.

Rentman tip: if a piece of work needs its own owner, its own deadline, or its own hours, make it a separate task instead of a subtask. Use subtasks for the steps one person works through.

Who can see a task

Each task has a visibility setting:

Assigned to all crew members — the task is assigned to all crew members and everyone can see it.
Assigned to select crew members — everyone can see the task, and one specific crew member is responsible for it.
Private (Organize) — only you can see the task. A private task is always assigned to the person who created it, and it never appears on a shared task board.

What task assignees can see in a project

When you assign a task inside a project, the assignee needs enough context to do the work. Someone assigned a task in a project can see the same basic project information and files that a crew member scheduled on a function can see. They do not see the project financials.

This is worth keeping in mind before you assign: assigning a task to someone gives them a view of that project. Which information that includes depends on their user role. Learn more about user roles and permissions.

The Tasks tab in a project (Organize)

When you have Organize, every project has a Tasks tab, which shows the task board for that project. From there you can add tasks, change their status, and switch between board and list overview to see the work the way that suits you.

You can add and edit tasks in a project if you can see that project's task board. Full project edit rights are no longer required. The crew members also see this project's task board in their Tasks module.

Accounts without Organize keep the tasks section on the project instead of the tab. Learn more about task boards.

Complete a task

A task is finished when its status is set to Completed. You can do this in several ways:

In the open task, set the status to Completed or click on ✔.
On a task board in board overview, drag the card into the Completed column.

Rentman tip: if you completed a task by mistake, set its status back. Nothing is lost.

See all your tasks

The Tasks module shows every task you have access to. From there you can filter, group, and save the views you use often, and open the task boards for your projects and teams.

Automatically add tasks to new projects

If the same work comes back on every project, add those tasks to a project template. The tasks are then created automatically on every new project made from that template, including their planned time, subtasks, and deadlines. Learn more about project templates.

FAQs

Can I assign a task to several specific people?

Yes, when assigning tasks, you can select several specific crew members.

Why can a subtask not have its own deadline or assignee?

A subtask is a checklist item, not a smaller task. If a piece of work needs its own owner, deadline, or hours, it should be a separate task.

Can I create a task in a project if I cannot edit that project?

Yes, as long as you can see the project's task board. This changed with Organize: task creation now follows board access rather than project edit rights.

Why does my task not appear correctly in my calendar app?

External calendars recognize only two states, so every status other than Completed syncs as not completed. Private tasks also appear in the calendar sync.

Do I need Organize to use tasks?

No. Every account can add tasks, assign them, set a deadline or leave it empty, and add extra input fields. Statuses you define yourself, planned time, subtasks, private tasks, and task boards are part of the Organize product.

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