Using parallel project tasks to manage team assignments

This entry from the GroupCamp Blog presents GroupCamp project parallel task assignment feature to manage collaborative teamwork.

Dear GroupCamp users,

After various requests we are now happy to bring you what we are calling Parallel tasks or Multiple assignees in GroupCamp. You now have the ability to assign the same task to multiple users.

What is key about this feature is that it will allow you to manage each assignment individually. We now use it intensively within GroupCamp and simply cannot do without it. With parallel tasks you also have new related application settings.

Note 1: please note that the number of assignees in parallel on a task can be limited for a GroupCamp plan. Please refer to our Plans & Pricing page.
Note 2: If you were previously using assignments to the name of the company when using tasks, those tasks are automatically converted into parallel tasks. All company users become parallel assignees. Please note also that depending upon your plan the number of parallel assignees will therefore be limited.

Parallel project task management with the new task creation form

When parallel tasks are enabled, you will be able to add mulitiple assignees by clicking on the ‘+’ sign next to the select menu as shown in the screenshot above. Once the parallel tasks are created, each assignee will be able to complete his or her task individually (each parallel task is independent). When all tasks are completed the task is globally not considered as automatically completed.

The Tasks app settings and privileges, will learn you how you can manage permissions for multiple assignees completion.

Privileges of the % Complete - Complete - Reopen section allow to manage all completion cases. 

Parallel tasks, start date, estimated time and percentage completion

When all features are enabled on a task, the screenshot below shows what the task creation widget will look like:
If after the start date on a task, all parallel assignments are not started (if there is at least one % completion set to 0%) then the task is considered as being late (the start date will be highlighted in red)

Please note also that the time estimate on a task is the sum of the time estimates on all tasks.

A late task such as the one described above would be displayed in the list of late items in the project Overview app.

Please read also our blog entry on start dates and percentage completion

Parallel tasks and team assignments :  what happens to tasks created by email?

And because the magic never ends, if you are using the Project task email address to add tasks by email to your projects, all members in the To: field of your email are all assigned in parallel to the task.

To take into account parallel tasks, the following features have also been re-designed :

• The Excel export now proposes a tab with all parallel assignments
• The iPhone and Android app presents parallel tasks with their percentage completion
• Email notifications on tasks have been updated (the subject of the email has the name and description of the parallel task).

We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. This has significantly improved the way we manage assignment to the GroupCamp team.