Creating Tasks

Tasks define the individual work items within a plan. This guide covers creating tasks, adding subtasks, and building your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

When to Create Tasks

Create tasks to:

• Define work - Specify what needs to be done
• Schedule activities - Set dates and durations
• Assign responsibility - Identify who does the work
• Track progress - Monitor completion
• Build structure - Organize work hierarchically

Creating a Task

From the Tasks View

1. Open your plan
2. Navigate to Tasks tab
3. Click Add Task
4. Enter task details
5. Click Save or Create

From the Gantt View

1. Open your plan
2. Navigate to Timeline tab
3. Click Add Task or use context menu
4. Enter task details
5. Save the task

From Kanban View

1. Open your plan
2. Navigate to Kanban tab
3. Click + in a column
4. Enter task name
5. Task created in that status

Task Fields

Required Fields

Common Fields

Effort Fields

Creating Subtasks

What Are Subtasks

Subtasks break parent tasks into smaller pieces:

• Form the WBS hierarchy
• Roll up progress to parent
• Can have their own properties

How to Create Subtasks

From parent task:

1. Click on parent task
2. Click Add Subtask
3. Enter subtask details
4. Save

From task list:

1. Click indent action on task
2. Task becomes subtask of above task

Subtask Rules

• Subtasks inherit parent's dates (optionally)
• Progress can roll up to parent
• Dependencies can cross hierarchy levels

WBS Codes

Understanding WBS Codes

WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) codes provide hierarchical identification:

1.0 Phase 1
  1.1 Design
    1.1.1 Requirements
    1.1.2 Specifications
  1.2 Development
    1.2.1 Frontend
    1.2.2 Backend

Automatic Numbering

YAPL automatically generates WBS codes based on:

• Task position in hierarchy
• Parent task's code
• Sequence among siblings

Manual Adjustment

• Drag tasks to reorder
• Use indent/outdent to change hierarchy
• WBS codes update automatically

Bulk Task Creation

Adding Multiple Tasks

For efficiency, add multiple tasks at once:

1. Use Add Multiple Tasks if available
2. Enter one task per line
3. Set common properties
4. Create all tasks

Importing Tasks

Professional tier supports:

• Import from other plans
• Template-based creation

Task Templates

Using Templates

If templates are available:

1. Click Add from Template
2. Select template
3. Tasks created with template structure

Creating Reusable Patterns

• Create tasks in one plan
• Copy structure to other plans
• Use consistent naming

Quick Task Creation

Minimal Task

Create quickly with just a name:

1. Click Add Task
2. Enter name only
3. Create immediately
4. Add details later

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enter - Save and create another
• Escape - Cancel creation
• Tab - Move to next field

Task Creation Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Task Size Guidelines

Hierarchy Guidelines

• 3-5 levels typically sufficient
• Each parent should have 2+ children
• Balance depth vs. breadth

After Creation

Next Steps

1. Add dates - Set start and end dates
2. Set duration - Define work days
3. Add dependencies - Link related tasks
4. Assign resources - Identify who/what
5. Set baseline - When planning complete

Verify Creation

• Task appears in task list
• Shows in Gantt timeline
• Visible on Kanban board

Troubleshooting

Cannot Create Task

"Task limit reached"

• Basic: 200 tasks max per plan
• Professional: 500 tasks max per plan
• Archive or remove unused tasks

"You don't have permission"

• Verify you have edit access to plan
• Check team role

Task Not Appearing

• Refresh the page
• Check filters aren't hiding task
• Verify correct plan is open

Dates Invalid

• End date must be on or after start date
• Check for constraint conflicts
• Review dependency impacts

Related Topics

• Task Properties - Configure task details
• Task Dependencies - Link tasks
• Task Groups - WBS organization
• Gantt Charts - Timeline editing