> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.agencydesk.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.agencydesk.io/jobs/tasks.md).

# Tasks

Add, assign and brief Tasks inside a Job, track time, submit work for review, record review time and feedback, and take work out of review.

A **Task** is a single unit of work inside a [Job](/jobs/managing-jobs.md). Two hours of account management, a round of copy amends, the animation on a social campaign, the design of a brand identity package.

Because Agencydesk was built exclusively for agencies, a Task carries the full commercial picture rather than just a state of done or not done. Every Task knows its rate, its estimate, who is working on it, who signs it off, how much time has been tracked against it, and whether it is billable. That is what lets one system run scope, schedule, and billing without a spreadsheet sitting in the middle.

Tasks are costed on the [Job Costing](/jobs/job-costing.md), scheduled on the [Resource Planner](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md), worked from [My Desk](/my-desk/my-desk.md), measured on [Timesheets](/task-schedule/timesheets.md), and billed through [Invoices](/jobs/financial/invoices.md).

## Draft Tasks and active Tasks

Tasks appear in two places inside a Job, and the difference matters.

* [**Job Costing tab**](/jobs/job-costing.md) — every Task on the Job, including **Draft** Tasks. This is the build view where you scope and price the work.
* **Tasks tab** — only Tasks that have been **activated**. This is the delivery view for the people doing the work.

The **Tasks** tab appears to the left of Job Costing when the first Task is activated. Managers and above can still open the Timeline on a Job whose Tasks are all drafts, using its Drafts switch to review the schedule without activating work.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** pitch work. Build a full costing of Draft Tasks to price a campaign, send the Estimate, and activate nothing until the client approves. The studio never sees speculative work in their queue, and the Resource Planner stays clean.
{% endhint %}

## Adding a Task

Tasks live inside [Groups](/jobs/job-costing.md#groups). You need at least one Group on [Job Costing](/jobs/job-costing.md) before adding a Task. Create and rename Groups there; Group headings on the Tasks tab are read-only.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the **Job Costing** tab and find the Group the Task belongs to.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **+ Add Task** at the bottom of that Group. The **Task detail** slider opens.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Select a **Task Type**. This pulls the [department](/company-settings/departments.md), the rate for the Job's [Billing Tier](/company-settings/general/billing-tiers.md), the default estimated time, and the default description from your [Task Types](/company-settings/rate-card/task-types.md) on the Rate Card.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Add a **Task Name** if the Task Type needs more context. This is the only optional field.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Check the **Rate / Hour** and **Estimated Time**. Both carry a padlock icon showing whether the value is locked to the Rate Card.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Set **Billable** on or off, and edit the **Description** if this Job needs wording different to the Task Type default.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **ADD DRAFT TASK**. The Task lands in the Group with a **Draft** status.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### How Tasks are named

A Task label is built from two parts:

`Task Type` + `Task Name`

The [**Task Type**](/company-settings/rate-card/task-types.md) is inherited from the Rate Card. The **Task Name** is what you type when creating the Task. Together they read as one label:

* `Animation - LinkedIn Post Animation`
* `Account Management - Internal Review`
* `Web Development (Front-end) - Home Page Styling Update`

Some Task Types carry enough meaning on their own, which is why the Task Name is optional. **Account Management** or **CI Moodboard Design** reads fine with nothing after it. Others need the context: **Animation** tells you the discipline, **Animation - Agencydesk Story Logo** tells you the deliverable.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** monthly retainers. Six animations in one month all share the Animation Task Type, so the rate and the department stay consistent, while the Task Names keep the deliverables apart for the traffic manager and on the Invoice.
{% endhint %}

## Activating a Task

A Task can be activated from these controls:

* The [**toggle**](/jobs/job-costing.md#the-active-toggle) in the Status column of the Job Costing line.
* The **Activate Task** toggle at the bottom of the Task tab in the Task slider.
* On the **Timeline**, switch **Drafts** on, click the Task’s **Draft** tag and choose **Activate task**. This requires Manager access or higher on an open Job.

Activating a Task moves it onto the **Tasks** tab, makes it bookable on the [Resource Planner](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md), allows users to be assigned to it, allows a reviewer to be added, and allows time to be tracked against it. It also inherits the [Job's start and end dates](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#creating-a-job). Activating the first Task on a Job also moves the [Job itself from Draft to Active](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#activating-a-job).

A Draft Task shows only its Estimated Time, Additional Time, Rate/Hour, Billable state, and the Activate Task toggle. Start and Due dates, assigned users, reviewers, and tracked time all appear once it is active.

{% hint style="warning" %}
A Task can only be toggled back to Draft if no time has been tracked against it, it has not been [invoiced](/jobs/financial/invoices.md) (even partially), and it has no Resource Planner bookings for today or a future date. If planned time blocks the change, Cannot Deactivate explains why and the switch returns to Active. Use Go to Task, or choose a person when several are listed, to review their bookings in the Planner. Resolve the bookings before trying again.
{% endhint %}

## The Tasks tab

The Tasks tab is where the Job's live work sits. Tasks are listed inside the same [Groups](/jobs/job-costing.md#groups) used on the Job Costing, and each Group can be collapsed with the minus control on its header row.

### Above the list

The Tasks tab opens with the Job’s summary cards and compact milestone timeline above the live work:

* The Job's [**Account Executive**](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#creating-a-job).
* **Time Recon** — tracked time against estimated time for the whole Job, as a percentage and as figures, for example `152:32 used / est. 293:30`.
* **Task Recon** — how many Tasks are complete out of the total, for example `2/15`, with the percentage.
* The [compact milestone timeline](/jobs/timeline.md#the-compact-milestone-timeline-on-tasks) shows the Job’s dates, overdue Milestones, the next open Milestone and a done count. Click the dates or status pills, or use the arrow button, to expand the named Milestone rail. On an open Job, Managers and above can hover and click an empty day on that rail to create a Milestone. The full Timeline keeps its plus button for keyboard access.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** a standing WIP meeting. Time Recon at 52% against a Job that is two thirds through its date range is the conversation you want to have before the overrun, not after it.
{% endhint %}

### Filtering the list

Above the Tasks are two status tabs with live counts:

* **Active** — Tasks still in production.
* **Completed** — Tasks whose master Complete control has been set.

A **Search** field on the right finds a Task by name within a long list.

### Task order

Job Costing sets the order of the Job’s Groups, Tasks and Costs. The Tasks tab follows that order; use its +/− controls to open or close Groups, and reorder Groups in Job Costing. Saving a changed start or due date moves that Task into its date position within the same Group, including when edited from another screen. Other Tasks, Costs and undated items keep their places.

### The columns

| Column             | What it shows                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Group and Task** | The Group heading, then each Task beneath it                                                                                    |
| **Status**         | The Task's progress state, for example **In Progress**, **Overdue**, or **In Review**                                           |
| **Assigned to**    | Profile pictures of assigned users, stacked when there is more than one. A grey **add user** icon shows when nobody is assigned |
| **Date Range**     | The Task's start and due dates, with a flag beneath it                                                                          |
| **Time**           | Time tracked against estimated time, for example `04:28 / 15:00`, with a progress bar                                           |

The flag under the **Date Range** counts down to the due date, showing something like `3 days` in orange while there is still time, then switching to **Overdue** in pink once the due date has passed.

### Reading a Task line

Next to the Task name:

* **Paperclip icon with a number** — documents are attached to the Task. The number is how many.
* **Speech bubble icon with a number** — [Notes](#notes-tab) have been added to the Task.
* **Pencil icon** — appears on hover, to [edit](#editing-a-task) the Task.

Underneath the Task name:

* **Task Brief** — shows only when the Task has a [Brief](#brief-tab) filled out.
* **Amendments** — each [Amendment](#briefs-and-amendments) is listed by its label, with its time allocation next to it, for example `More Time 05:00`.

An Amendment with no time shows `0:00`, which means it has to fit inside the time already estimated.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** spotting scope creep early. A Task showing three Amendments stacked under its name is a Task that has grown since it was quoted. An Account Executive can see that from the list without opening a single Task.
{% endhint %}

### Create a Milestone from a Task

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
On an open Job’s **Tasks** tab, hover an unfinished Task to reveal its diamond icon, labelled **Create Milestone**. The Group heading also has a diamond while it contains unfinished work. Manager access or higher is required.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click the diamond. The existing Milestone popup opens with the Task or Group already linked. Check the suggested name and date; accept the name suggestion or type your own.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose the intended date and click **Create Milestone**. Check it on the Timeline. The shortcut only prepares the popup; nothing is saved until you create the Milestone.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## The Task slider

All of a Task's detail lives in the **Task slider**. It opens when you click:

* A Task line item on the [**Job Costing**](/jobs/job-costing.md) tab
* A Task on the **Tasks** tab inside a Job
* A Task on the [**Resource Planner**](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md)
* A Task on your [**My Desk**](/my-desk/my-desk.md)

The header carries the Task label with a **link icon** for copying a direct link to the Task, the Job reference beneath with a **copy icon** for copying the reference, any [Global Tags](/company-settings/general/global-tags.md) on the Task, the current status tag, the master **Complete** control, and a **...** menu.

The slider has five tabs: **Task**, **Brief**, **Notes**, **Time**, and **Reviews**.

## Task tab

The Task tab is the working view of the Task.

| Field                  | What it shows                                                                                                       |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Start** and **Due**  | The Task's date range. Active Tasks only                                                                            |
| **Estimated Time**     | The hours costed for the Task                                                                                       |
| **Additional Time**    | Hours added by [Amendments](#briefs-and-amendments), on top of the estimate                                         |
| **Rate/Hour**          | The rate pulled from the [Rate Card](/company-settings/rate-card/task-types.md)                                     |
| **Billable**           | Yes or No                                                                                                           |
| **Total Time Tracked** | Time tracked across everyone assigned, against the estimate. Appears once the Task is active and has users assigned |

Beneath that sit two sections. **Assigned to** lists everyone doing the work, and **Reviewed by** lists the [reviewer](#reviews), if one has been set. Each person shows their own status tag, their own tracked-against-estimated figure, their own progress bar, and a **...** menu.

Progress bars are green while a user is inside their estimated time and turn pink once they reach or pass it, so an over-run is visible at a glance rather than at month end.

### Assigning users

Users can be assigned from two places:

* **From the Tasks list** — click the grey add user icon when nobody is assigned, or click the existing profile pictures.
* **From the Task slider** — click **+ Assign a User**, or click an assigned user.

Either opens the **Add User** popup.

### The Add User popup

The popup is headed with the Task label and the Job reference, with a **Search** field on the right. It lists your team in two columns:

* **Assign To** — the user's name, with their [department](/company-settings/departments.md) beneath it.
* **Capacity** — how much capacity that user has left. Users already assigned to the Task also show their booked time against the Task, with a progress bar.

Toggle a user on to assign them, toggle them off to remove them.

Users who belong to the same [department](/company-settings/departments.md) as the Task Type sort to the top of the list, so the people who actually do this kind of work are the first ones you see.

**Capacity** is colour coded, and it reads as available time rather than workload:

* **Green**, 50% and above — plenty of capacity left. Book the time.
* **Orange**, below 50% — filling up. Check what else they are carrying first.
* **Pink**, below 10% — effectively full. Assigning more work here will push something else out.

Capacity comes from each user's **Working Hours** profile under [Users](/company-settings/users.md), the same figures the [Resource Planner](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md#reading-a-users-capacity-bars) calibrates its capacity bars against.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** a traffic manager balancing studio load. Assigning a designer to a Task and seeing them sitting in pink while another designer in the same department shows 82% green makes the decision for you before the booking happens.
{% endhint %}

### Open a person’s planned time

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open an active Task’s slider and find the person under **Assigned to**. With Manager access or higher, the Resources icon beside their time bar opens their Task in the Resource Planner.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Hover the icon to read planned time and time still to plan. Green means there is time still to plan; amber means nothing remains to plan; blue means no estimate is available. This is a booking indicator, not the person’s completion status.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click the icon. The drawer closes after the Planner opens on that person and highlights the Task. Book or change their hours there. The icon is absent for completed or inactive assignments, closed Jobs and templates, and while you are already on the Planner.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Tagging a Task

The **+** control beneath the Job reference in the Task slider adds [**Global Tags**](/company-settings/general/global-tags.md) to the Task. Tags are chosen from the same shared pool used across the account, and a Task can carry as many as you need. Tags show as coloured pills on the Task slider and on [My Desk](/my-desk/my-desk.md) cards.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** cutting across the Job structure. Tagging every Task waiting on client feedback, everything flagged as a bug, or everything tied to a single media buy gives you a view of the work that Groups alone cannot express.
{% endhint %}

## Completing a Task

Completion works at two levels: the whole Task, and each user's portion of it.

### The master Complete control

The circle with a check mark in the top right of the Task slider is the master control for the whole Task.

* Clicking it marks **every assigned user** complete at once.
* Unchecking it marks **every assigned user** active again.
* When every assigned user has been individually marked complete, the master control flips to **Complete** on its own.

A Task can therefore sit **Active** while one person on it is already marked complete. That is normal. It means their portion of the work is finished while someone else is still going.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** split deliverables. On a brand identity package with two designers, the one handling logo refinement can close out their portion while the other is still working through co-branding guidelines. The Task stays open, but the finished work leaves the Resource Planner.
{% endhint %}

A Task marked complete also counts in full toward the [Billable](/jobs/financial.md#the-financial-dashboard) figure on the Job's Financial tab, even where no time was tracked against it.

### The user menu

Each assigned user in the Task slider has a **...** menu with two options.

#### Mark Completed

Once clicked, this becomes **Activate Task**. Marking a user's portion complete does the following:

* Adds a **Complete** tag above that user's progress bar.
* Removes the Task from the [**Resource Planner**](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md), so it cannot be booked in again and does not take up space.
* Moves the Task into the **Completed** column on that user's [**My Desk**](/my-desk/my-desk.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
The **Completed** column on My Desk only shows completed Tasks from **active Jobs**. Once a Job is [closed](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#closing-a-job), its Tasks drop out of that column so it does not build up over time.
{% endhint %}

#### Deactivate User

Once clicked, this becomes **Activate User**. Deactivating a user does the following:

* **Dims** their profile picture and progress bar, so the Task reads as inactive for them at a glance.
* Removes the Task from the [**Resource Planner**](/task-schedule/resource-planner.md).
* Removes their profile picture from the Tasks list view.
* **Sets their estimated time to exactly what they tracked**, and carries the remaining time over to the other active users on the Task.
* **Removes them from the Task entirely** if they have tracked no time at all.

The time redistribution is the part worth understanding, so here it is worked through.

{% hint style="info" %}
A Task is estimated at **5:00** with two designers assigned, so each carries **2:30**.

Both track an hour. Each now sits at `01:00 / 02:30`, with **1:30 remaining**.

The first designer is deactivated. Their estimate drops to **1:00**, exactly what they tracked, and their remaining **1:30** carries across to the second designer, who now sits at `01:00 / 04:00` with **3:00 remaining**.

The Task total stays at 5:00. Nothing is lost and nothing is invented.
{% endhint %}

This is what you want when two people were put on a Task and it becomes clear that one of them is going to carry it. The estimate follows the work rather than the original guess.

## Editing a Task

The **...** menu in the top right of the Task slider holds **Edit** and **Delete**. A Task can also be edited from the **pencil icon** that appears on hover on the Tasks list, or from the pencil, duplicate, and trash icons that appear on hover over its line on the [Job Costing](/jobs/job-costing.md).

Edit mode opens the Task's fields in place:

* **Task Name**
* **Rate / Hour** and **Estimated Time**, each with a padlock icon
* **Billable**
* **Start Date** and **Due Date**, each with a date picker
* **Adjust Job Dates** — tick this when the Task's dates fall outside the [Job's own date range](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#creating-a-job) and the Job should move to accommodate them
* **Description**
* **Assigned to**, with a toggle per user
* **Reviewed By**

### Rate and estimate lock on activation

{% hint style="warning" %}
Once a Task is activated, **Rate / Hour** and **Estimated Time** lock. Both show a closed padlock in edit mode and cannot be changed.

To change either one, put the Task back into **Draft**. Tracked time, invoicing and bookings for today or later can prevent deactivation; review those records before trying to revert it. See [Deactivating a line item](/jobs/job-costing.md#deactivating-a-line-item).
{% endhint %}

This is deliberate. The rate and the estimate are what was approved when the Task was activated, and quietly editing them afterwards would break the link between what the client agreed to and what the Job is measured against. Where more time is genuinely needed, add an [Amendment](#briefs-and-amendments) so the increase is recorded with a reason and an author.

### Deleting a Task

{% hint style="warning" %}
A Task can only be deleted if **no time has been tracked** against it and it has **not been** [**invoiced**](/jobs/financial/invoices.md). Where a Task has already consumed time, deactivate the user instead so the tracked time keeps its record.
{% endhint %}

## Reviews

A **Review** is a formal sign-off step on a Task. Rather than approvals happening in a chat thread that nobody can find later, the request, the response, and the outcome are recorded on the Task itself, and the reviewer's time is tracked like any other work.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** agencies that want creative direction and QA time accounted for. A Creative Director spending fifteen minutes checking a set of social posts is real studio time. The review workflow puts it in their time logs instead of losing it.
{% endhint %}

### Who can be a reviewer

Only users with **Can review work** checked on their profile under [Users](/company-settings/users.md) appear in the **Reviewed By** dropdown. Everyone else is filtered out.

A reviewer can only be added to a Task **once it has been activated**.

### Adding a reviewer

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the Task slider and choose **Edit** from the **...** menu.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
At the bottom, open the **Reviewed By** dropdown and select the reviewer.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Set the **Estimated Time** for the review itself, for example `00:15`.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Set the **Reserve Time** toggle, which decides how that time behaves. See [How review time is handled](#how-review-time-is-handled) below.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **SAVE**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

A **Reviewed by** section now appears on the Task tab beneath **Assigned to**, showing the reviewer, their status tag, and their tracked time against the review estimate.

### How review time is handled

The toggle beside the review estimate has two states, and they do different things.

#### Toggle off, shown as Add to Task

The review time sits outside the Task altogether. It is non-billable, it does not change the Task's **Estimated Time**, and it does not appear as **Additional Time**. It shows on the review allocation only, as an indication to the reviewer of how much time they have.

Use this when the agency is absorbing the review. The time is still visible and still tracked, it just does not touch what the client is being charged.

#### Toggle on, shown as Reserve Time

The review time is reserved out of the time already allocated to the people doing the work. The Task's **Estimated Time** does not move. What changes is how that estimate is divided between the team.

{% hint style="info" %}
A Task is estimated at **2:00** with two users assigned, so each carries **1:00**.

A reviewer is added with **00:30**, and **Reserve Time** is switched on.

Each assigned user drops to **00:45**, and the Task's Estimated Time still reads **2:00**.

The thirty minutes has been carved out of the allocation rather than added to the Job.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** fixed-price deliverables. When a website build is quoted at a number the client has already signed off, the Creative Director's review time has to come out of that number rather than growing it. Reserve Time keeps the quote intact and still puts the review hours where they belong.
{% endhint %}

### The reviewer menu

The **...** menu next to the reviewer holds two options:

* **Mark as Reviewed** — close the review off directly.
* **Remove Reviewer** — take the reviewer off the Task.

### Sending a Task for review

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
With a reviewer set, commit your time on [**My Desk**](/my-desk/my-desk.md) and tick **Send for Review**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
The Task moves into your **In Review** column and its status tag changes to **In Review**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
The Task lands in the reviewer's **For Today** column under a **For Review** heading, highlighted so it stands out from their own work. It stays there until they review it.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Submitting a review

The assigned reviewer sees a blue **Review** button on a pending request in the **Reviews** tab. The **Can review work** setting makes someone available to choose as a reviewer; it does not let every reviewer respond to someone else’s request. An assigned reviewer can also review their own submission.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the Task’s **Reviews** tab and click **Review** on the pending request.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose **Feedback** to request changes, or **Approve** to sign off the work.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Enter your review message. If you choose **Approve**, leave **Mark task complete for me** unticked unless the whole Task is finished. In this review popup, ticking it completes the Task for **all assigned team members**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Submit Review**, then check the response in the **Reviews** tab.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

Each request records its own response. On a Task shared by several people, another person’s request can still be pending after you submit a review.

### Submitting review time and feedback together

Use the review item in your **For Today** column when you want to record the time you spend reviewing as well as give a response.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Start the timer on the review item and do the review.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Commit Time** in the tracker. Check **Time to submit** and enter your **Review feedback**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose **Feedback** or **Approve**. If approving, tick **Mark task complete for me** only when the Task is finished for everyone.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Submit Time and Review**. Check the time entry and the response in the Task’s **Reviews** tab.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
If the popup says **Time saved; remaining action failed**, keep it open and retry the remaining action there. If it cannot identify a single pending review, open the Task’s **Reviews** tab and check the request before submitting.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
An art director spends 20 minutes reviewing a designer’s layout. They can log those 20 minutes and send the requested changes from one popup. Approving their review with completion selected also closes the designer’s Task, so that option belongs to the final sign-off, after everyone’s work is finished.
{% endhint %}

### Taking work out of review

Use **Take out of review** when submitted work needs to be worked on again. There are two actions, with different scopes:

#### Take your own part out of review

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
For **your own part**, find the Task in **In Review** on My Desk and click its undo arrow. The timer is replaced by this action while your work is in review.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Read the confirmation and click **Take out**. Other people who submitted their part stay in review.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

#### Take everyone assigned out of review

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
For **everyone assigned**, open the Task slider and choose **Take out of review** from the Task menu. This is available to assigned team members and Managers or above while the open Job’s Task is in review.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Read the confirmation that it affects everyone, then click **Take out**. Check the refreshed Task before continuing.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
The whole-Task action closes pending review requests. It does not stop other people’s running timers. Check the Task and communicate with the team before they submit more time.
{% endhint %}

### Reading the Reviews tab

The **Reviews** tab keeps the Task’s review history. Requests awaiting your response appear first, followed by the most recent entries. Each entry shows:

* The requester's profile picture, name, and the date and time the review was requested.
* The message they sent with the request.
* The outcome tag on the right.
* The reviewer's reply nested beneath, as **Response by** with their name, date, and time.

Outcome tags read:

* **Pending** — requested, not yet reviewed.
* **Feedback** — reviewed with changes requested.
* **Approved** — signed off.

Because each round is a separate entry, a Task that went through three passes shows all three, with what was asked and what came back each time.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** defending scope on a fixed-price deliverable. When a client insists a fourth round was always included, the Reviews tab shows exactly what was requested, when, and what was approved.
{% endhint %}

### Review time

Time a reviewer tracks against a review is added to **their** time logs, the same as any other tracked time, and appears on their [Timesheet](/task-schedule/timesheets.md). The review Task appears in their For Today column in light orange, so review work is visually distinct from the work they own.

## Brief tab

The Brief tab holds the instruction for the Task and every change to that instruction since.

A new Task starts with no Brief. Briefs are **not saved with** [**Job Templates**](/company-settings/job-templates.md), so a Brief is always written fresh on the Job it belongs to.

The tab starts with two options, **+ Add Brief** and **+ Add Amendment**. Both are optional, and an Amendment can be added without a Brief existing.

{% hint style="info" %}
When a Task is referenced from the [Job Brief](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#the-job-brief) using the `%` shortcut, a link back to that section of the Job Brief appears here automatically.
{% endhint %}

### Briefs and Amendments

They are essentially the same thing, with one difference that matters commercially.

* A **Brief** assumes the time already estimated on the Task covers the work described.
* An **Amendment** can carry additional time, which is **added to the Task's overall estimate** and shown as **Additional Time** on the Task tab.

An Amendment left with no time is set to `0:00`, meaning the extra work has to fit inside the existing estimate.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Great for** keeping scope honest on a retainer. When a client asks for a second round of home page styling that was never quoted, add it as an Amendment with the hours attached. The estimate moves, the studio sees the reason, and the conversation about the extra time happens now rather than at recon.
{% endhint %}

An Amendment is also the correct route when a Task needs more hours, because the [rate and estimate lock](#rate-and-estimate-lock-on-activation) once the Task is active.

### Adding a Brief

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the **Brief** tab and click **+ Add Brief**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Write the Brief in the editor. Formatting includes bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bulleted, numbered and checklists, text alignment, tables, links, and an info block. Inline images can be pasted in, which is how colour palettes and reference visuals usually get in there.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Drop files into the **Documents** area, or click to select them.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Add Brief**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Adding an Amendment

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the **Brief** tab and click **+ Add Amendment**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Give it an **Amendment Label**, for example *More Time* or *Additional Hours*. This label is what shows on the Tasks list.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Enter **Add to Estimated Task Time** if the Amendment carries extra hours. Leave it blank if the work must fit the existing estimate.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Write the Amendment and attach any documents.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **ADD AMENDMENT**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Record shortcuts in a Task Brief or Amendment

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Type a shortcut in the editor, then start typing the record’s name or number.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose the matching result to insert the tag. Type more of the name or number if the first results do not include it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Save the Brief or Amendment to keep the tag with the written instruction.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

| Shortcut | To reference   |
| -------- | -------------- |
| @        | User           |
| #        | Job            |
| $        | Client         |
| ^        | Supplier       |
| <        | Cost Estimate  |
| >        | Invoice        |
| \~       | Purchase Order |

**@** and **#** are available to Users and above. Client, Supplier and financial record tags require Manager access or above. The suggestions depend on your access and the records available.

The [Job Brief](/jobs/managing-jobs.md) also offers shortcuts for that Job’s Tasks, Costs and attached client/supplier documents. Those extra shortcuts are not offered in a Task Brief or Amendment.

{% hint style="info" %}
A user tag in a Brief or Amendment records who the instruction concerns; it does not send a notification. Use a Note when you need to notify someone.
{% endhint %}

### How the stack reads

Amendments stack **chronologically with the most recent on top**, and each one can be collapsed. The newest is expanded by default and the rest sit collapsed beneath it.

The **Task Brief** always sits at the **bottom** of the stack, so Amendments sit above it. The original instruction stays where you would expect to find it, and the latest change is the first thing you read.

Each card in the stack shows:

* Its **label**, Task Brief or the Amendment label.
* **Estimated Time** on a Brief, or **Additional Time** on an Amendment.
* The date it was **Added**.
* A **...** menu.
* A footer line recording who created it and when, or who last edited it and when.

### Editing or downloading a saved Brief

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
On an open Job, expand the saved **Task Brief** card and open its **…** menu.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose **Edit**, make your changes, then click **SAVE**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Choose **Download** from the menu when you need the saved Task Brief as a PDF.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Ticking checklists while reading

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open a saved Task Brief or Amendment on an open Job.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Tick or untick a checklist item directly in the saved text. It saves immediately; you do not need to open Edit for a tick.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Wait for the save before ticking another item. If **Checklist item not saved** appears, the tick is put back; check the saved state before trying again.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

When you are already editing the Brief or Amendment, checklist changes are part of that edit and need **SAVE**. Closed Jobs keep their saved checklists read-only.

### Recovering an unsaved Brief or Amendment

Task Brief and Amendment editors keep a browser-local copy while you write. If the slider closes or you change tabs before saving, reopen the same Task’s **Brief** tab and check for an **Unsaved … draft** card.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the same Task and return to **Brief** in the same browser profile.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Check the draft’s preview and time, then click **Restore draft** on the copy you want.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Review the recovered content. An Amendment also restores its label and additional time.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
If the saved content has changed since the draft started, compare the recovered text with the current saved version before saving.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Add Brief**, **ADD AMENDMENT** or **SAVE**, according to the form, to save the recovered work.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Restore opens an editable copy; it does not publish or merge your changes. If an Amendment save was not confirmed, check the saved Amendment list before retrying so you do not create the same change twice.
{% endhint %}

For a deliberate cancellation, click **Cancel** and choose **Keep editing** or **Yes, cancel**. Yes, cancel clears that editor’s unsaved copy; it does not delete an existing saved Brief or Amendment. To remove a recovery card you no longer need, use **Discard draft** and confirm.

* Recovery belongs to the same signed-in person, Task, site and browser profile. It does not transfer to another browser or device.
* Cleared browser storage or the end of a private session can remove the backup. A card marked **available for this visit only** needs restoring and saving, or copying out, before refresh.
* Draft text does not recover selected files or unfinished uploads. Check documents again before saving.

{% hint style="info" %}
An account executive is writing a client’s extra round of changes when the Task slider closes. Reopening that Task and restoring the Amendment brings back the wording, label and extra hours, so they can check it and save without rewriting the scope.
{% endhint %}

### Documents

Documents can be dragged into the drop area on a Brief or an Amendment, or selected from your machine. Each attached file shows its name, the date and time it was added, and its size, with icons to delete, preview, or download it.

Documents attached anywhere on the Task count towards the paperclip icon on the Tasks list.

## Notes tab

Notes are for putting information on a Task where anyone opening it will see it.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
On an open Job, open the Task’s **Notes** tab and click **Write a note…**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Write the note. Type **@** and select a user if the note needs their attention. The compact toolbar offers text formatting, lists and links.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Add note** to save it, or **Cancel** to leave the composer without adding it.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

Typing Enter in the editor adds a line; use the action button to submit. Each saved Note shows its author and timestamp. If a save fails, the new-note draft stays in the composer so you can check it and retry.

* Type **@** to direct a Note at someone. It then appears in their notification panel, which opens on the right of the screen anywhere in Agencydesk via the bell icon in the top right, just left of the profile picture.
* Click **Reply** on a Note, write the response, then click **Reply** to save it. Replies attach to the main Note, keeping the conversation to two levels.
* Notes appear as a **speech bubble icon** with a count on the Tasks list.
* Notes also surface under **Task Notes** on the Job's Central tab.

Hover over your own saved note or reply to find **Edit** and **Delete**. Edits need **Save**; delete asks for confirmation. Closed Jobs keep notes read-only.

For cross-Task search and conversations that mention you, see [Central](/jobs/central.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Tagging someone in a Note **does** notify them. Tagging a user in the [Job Brief](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#the-job-brief) does not, since that is a visual cue rather than an alert.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Notes work best as information rather than conversation. Recording the client's feedback wording, flagging that assets are still outstanding, or tagging the person who needs to supply something. Long back-and-forth belongs elsewhere.
{% endhint %}

## Time tab

The Time tab lists every entry logged against the Task, grouped by day. Time reaches it from the timer and Commit Time popup on [My Desk](/my-desk/my-desk.md), and rolls up into [Timesheets](/task-schedule/timesheets.md).

Click **+ Add Time** to log time manually.

| Column     | What it shows                                                                                   |
| ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Source** | **Timer** or **Manual**, showing whether the time was tracked with the timer or entered by hand |
| **Time**   | The amount of time tracked or submitted                                                         |
| **When**   | When the timer was last stopped or paused                                                       |

Each entry shows the user's name and the note they saved with the time.

**When** is worth reading carefully. It records the moment the tracking actually stopped, not the moment the user got around to committing it. Someone who stops work at 2pm and commits the time at 5pm still shows 2pm.

{% hint style="info" %}
That distinction is what makes the Time tab usable as an audit trail. Time reads against when the work happened, so a Task queried weeks later can be reconstructed accurately.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Adding or editing time manually requires permission. It is granted per user by checking **Can add and edit tracked time** on their profile under [Users](/company-settings/users.md).

With that permission, hovering over a time entry reveals an **edit pencil** and a **trash icon** for editing or deleting the entry. Without it, the log is read only.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Deleting time entries is also the first step in unwinding a Task back to Draft, and in [deleting a Job that is already in progress](/jobs/managing-jobs.md#deleting-a-job-thats-already-in-progress).
{% endhint %}


---

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