Chat to task to project

Summary A chat message that asks someone to do something can become a task, and a task that grows can become a full project. This module shows how to swipe left on a message to create a task, assign it, set its deadline and file it under a parent SD, and then convert the task into an SD (strategy document): a shared workspace with project management features such as Gantt charts and progress tracking.

Steps

Introduction. Sometimes you get a chat message that you want to turn into a task, and later realise the task needs to become a full project. With PaT, this is simple: convert the message into a task, then convert the task into an SD.

Turning a chat message into a task

Step 1

If you've sent someone a message and realise you've asked them to do something, convert it into a task. In the chat thread, swipe left on the message. Three buttons appear at its right end: task, reply and sd.

Step 2

Click task, the first of the three buttons. The Inline Task box opens.

Step 3

The first box at the top of Inline Task is the assignee. By default the assignee is you. To give the task to someone else, click that box.

Step 4

Click the person in the Recent Assignee's list, or type their name in the start typing to search box above it. Their name replaces yours in the assignee box.

Step 5

Give the task a title: type it in the enter a task description box, just below the assignee.

Step 6

The message you converted is already in the task's details section, the large grey box below the row of formatting buttons.

Step 7

To set a deadline, click the date at the bottom left of the box. A calendar opens.

Step 8

Select the date in the calendar and the time at the top of it, then click OK.

Step 9

Next, file the task under a parent SD, so it doesn't get lost and is easier to keep track of. Choose the SD the task relates to, for example the SD of the meeting where it was discussed. Click select a Parent SD, the box just below the deadline.

Step 10

Select the SD from the Most recent SD's chosen list, or type its name in the start typing to search box at the top.

Step 11

When you have finished editing the task, click Submit at the bottom right of the Inline Task box.

Turning the task into a project

Step 12

The task now appears in the parent SD, with the person it is assigned to under Action By and its deadline under Action Date. If it grows into something bigger, spin it up into a project, so you can manage it more effectively.

Step 13

On the task's row in the SD, click the strategy icon (a small diagram of crosses, a circle and an arrow), just to the left of the paperclip.

Step 14

A box asks you to confirm the conversion from Action Point to SD. Click OK.

Step 15

The Name your new Strategy Document panel opens on the right, with the task's title as the name. You can update the SD name, apply a template from the drop-down below it, or leave it as a blank SD (No Template). Then click Submit.

Step 16

The task has now been converted into an SD, and its row in the parent SD is highlighted blue. To open the new SD, click the strategy icon on the row again.

Step 17

The new SD opens in its own tab. You and the person the task was assigned to are its members, so it gives you both a shared space to collaborate and stay organised.

Step 18

Build the project out in the SD. Create topic headers and notes to capture key information clearly, and add more tasks and assign them as needed. The traffic light system helps you track progress, while categorising keeps everything organised. With the Gantt chart (the Gantt button sits in the row of grey buttons above the SD's column headers), you can manage timelines and dependencies to keep the project running smoothly.