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How to Assign and Reassign Tasks

Who Can Assign Tasks?​

Anyone can reassign a task, but typically:

  • Project Managers assign most tasks during planning
  • Foremen might reassign field tasks to specific crew members
  • Operations Coordinators reassign tasks when workload shifts

Best practice: If you're reassigning someone else's task, communicate with them first. Don't just pull tasks away without explanation.

How to Assign a Task to Someone​

When Creating a New Task​

If you're creating a task manually (see creating-tasks.md):

  1. Fill out the task details
  2. In the Responsible field, click the dropdown
  3. Select the person from the list of PSS team members
  4. Save the task

That person will get a notification that they've been assigned a new task.

When Reassigning an Existing Task​

  1. Open the task (from Tasks app or from a Stage's Task Overview)
  2. Click Edit (or the Responsible field might be directly editable)
  3. Click the Responsible field
  4. Select the new person from the dropdown
  5. Optional but recommended: Add a note in the Notes field explaining why you reassigned it
  6. Click Save

Task edit view with Responsible field dropdown highlighted

What happens:

  • The new person gets a notification they've been assigned the task
  • The old person gets a notification they've been unassigned (or it disappears from their task list)
  • The task now shows up in the new person's filtered task view

Reassigning Multiple Tasks at Once​

[NEEDS VERIFICATION: Can you bulk-reassign tasks in Podio, or is it one at a time?]

If you need to reassign many tasks (e.g., Foreman is out sick, need to shift 10 tasks to someone else):

Option 1: One at a time (confirmed to work)

  • Open each task, change Responsible field, save
  • Time-consuming but reliable

Option 2: Bulk edit [NEEDS VERIFICATION]

  • Some Podio views allow multi-select and bulk edit
  • Check if your Tasks app has this feature
  • If so: Select multiple tasks → Edit → Change Responsible → Save all

Talk to your PM or OC if you need to do bulk reassignments - they might have faster workflows.

When to Reassign Tasks​

Workload Balancing​

If someone has too many tasks and another person has capacity:

  • Look at Open Tasks Count per person
  • Reassign lower-priority or less urgent tasks to balance

Skill Matching​

If a task requires specific expertise:

  • Reassign "Review structural drawings" to someone with engineering background
  • Reassign "Coordinate concrete pour" to experienced foreman

Availability Changes​

  • Someone goes on vacation → reassign their tasks before they leave
  • New hire joins → start assigning them tasks
  • Someone is out sick → temporarily reassign urgent tasks

Task Dependencies Clarification​

Sometimes a task is assigned to the wrong person in the workflow:

  • "Receive permit approval" should go to PM who submitted it, not the person who prepared docs
  • Reassign to match who actually does that step

Best Practices for Assigning Tasks​

✅ Do:

  • Communicate the reassignment - send a message, don't just silently move tasks
  • Check availability - don't assign to someone who's out of office
  • Consider dependencies - if Task B depends on Task A, assign them to people who coordinate well
  • Add notes - explain context when assigning complex tasks
  • Set realistic due dates - don't assign 10 tasks due tomorrow to one person

❌ Don't:

  • Assign tasks to "TBD" or leave blank - every task needs an owner
  • Reassign repeatedly - pick the right person and stick with it
  • Assign tasks to someone without checking with them first on complex work
  • Hoard tasks - if you're overloaded, ask for help and redistribute

Assigning to Roles vs People​

Most tasks are assigned to specific people (e.g., "Jared McKenzie").

Some tasks in templates might reference roles (e.g., "Project Manager" or "Foreman"):

  • When these tasks are created from templates, the automation tries to fill in the actual person based on the Project's PM/Foreman/OC/FOCS fields
  • If it's blank, you'll need to manually assign

If you see a task assigned to a role instead of a person:

  1. Open the task
  2. Change Responsible from the role to the actual person's name
  3. Save

Task showing Responsible field with a person's name selected

Checking Who Has What​

View Your Own Tasks​

  1. Go to Tasks app
  2. Filter Responsible = You
  3. Sort by Status or Due Date

View Someone Else's Tasks​

  1. Go to Tasks app
  2. Filter Responsible = [Their Name]
  3. See what they have on their plate

View All Tasks for a Stage​

  1. Open the Project
  2. Click into the Stage
  3. Look at Task Overview
  4. You'll see all tasks with who's responsible for each

This helps PMs see workload distribution and identify bottlenecks.

Notifications​

When you assign or reassign a task:

  • The newly assigned person gets a Podio notification (bell icon or email, depending on their settings)
  • They'll see: Task name, Project, Due Date, and that it was assigned to them

Make sure your team checks Podio notifications regularly - otherwise they might miss new assignments.

What If No One is Available?​

If you're trying to assign a task but everyone is swamped:

  1. Extend the due date if possible - give whoever you assign more time
  2. Talk to your PM or OC - they might have solutions (bring in subcontractor, reprioritize other work)
  3. Mark it Pending - keep it in Pending status until someone has capacity, then reassign and move to In Progress

Don't let tasks sit unassigned - every task needs an owner, even if the owner is "waiting for capacity."

Tips​

  • Check task dependencies before reassigning - if Task B depends on Task A, make sure the two people coordinate
  • Reassign proactively - if you know you can't complete a task, reassign it ASAP, don't wait until it's late
  • Use the Notes field - when you reassign, add a note: "Reassigned to Jake - has electrical experience needed for this task"
  • Track recurring tasks - if a recurring task is always assigned to the same person, that's probably intentional (e.g., Foreman always does daily reports)

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