Outlook Tasks
Welcome to the latest Hot Tip from Black Swan Training Solutions,
This month we are going to talk about the Tasks list in Microsoft Outlook and especially assigning tasks to other people.
This is a less used area of Outlook compared to email and the calendar, but is very useful nonetheless.
Tasks is your "To Do" list and can be found on the Taskpad in the Calendar view, and in their own Tasks folder.
You can create a new task in either of these views. Simply type the details at the top of the list (hint: where it says 'Click here to add new task') and press [Enter] on the keyboard.
To enter more details for the task double-click it. You can then add a Start Date, set the Reminder, choose a Contact to work with, write notes and later change the Status and % Complete.
When they are done, Tasks can be ticked off by clicking the empty white box that is to the left of the subject name.
The difference between the Start and Due dates are significant. Due is when the task should be finished by. If you do not set it to complete it will turn red after the due date (because it's overdue!). The Reminder alarm is linked to the Due date. The Start date is used when you want don't need to consider this task yet. The effect is that the Task is not listed when you are looking at your calendar until the Start date. So the list in the Taskpad next to the Calendar is your current To Do list.
You can create Tasks in Outlook and assign them to others and put them on their To Do list instead of your own (Don't tell your boss).
To Assign a Task to a colleague create the Task in the usual way, and open it. Click the Assign Task button or give the command Actions - Assign Task. This adds the To: box to the screen.
In the To box address the Task to your colleagues email address. It's also a good idea to use the large notes box for an explanation of what is required. You can also check the boxes regarding Keeping a copy of the task on your own To do list and whether to get a Status Report when the Task is set as 100% complete.
Click Send to transmit this task to your colleague. An email will then arrive in your colleague's Inbox and they are given the opportunity of accepting or declining the task, (by clicking the buttons at the top of the message) but it is not until they open it will you get any response. If they accept the task, it will be added to their to-do list, with the Start and Due dates you set.
Whenever your colleague makes a change to the Task, you are notified if you ticked the appropriate box when you assigned the Task.
We hope you enjoyed this latest Hot Tip from Black Swan Training Solutions. Should you want to learn more about our services look at our website www.blackswantraining.com or email us on solutions@blackswantraining.com
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