10 Minute Guide to Outlook 97 - 15 - Creating a Task List In this lesson, you learn to enter a task and record statistics about the task. Entering a Task You can use the Task folder to create and manage your task list. You can list due dates, status, and priorities, and even set reminder alarms so you don't forget to perform certain tasks. Plain English: Task List A task list is simply a list of things you must do to complete your work, plan for a meeting, arrange an event, and so on. Various tasks might include making a phone call, writing a letter, printing a spreadsheet, or making airline reservations. To enter a task, follow these steps: 1. In the Tasks folder, choose Tasks, New Task or click the New Task button on the Toolbar. The Untitled - Task dialog box appears (see Figure 15.1). 2. In the Task tab, enter the subject of the task. 3. (Optional) Enter a date on which the task should be complete, or click the down arrow to open the Due drop-down calendar and then choose a due date. 4. (Optional) Enter a start date, or click the down arrow to open the Start drop-down calendar and then choose a starting date. 5. From the Status drop-down list, choose the current status of the project: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting on Someone Else, or Deferred. Figure 15.1 Enter data such as due dates, priority, and the subject of the task. 6. In the Priority drop-down list, choose Normal, Low, or High priority. 7. In the % Complete text box, type a percentage or use the spinner arrows to enter one. 8. (Optional) To set an alarm to remind you to start the task or complete the task, select the Reminder check box, and enter a date and a time in the associated text boxes. 9. Enter any comments, descriptions, or other information related to the task in the comments text box. 10. Click the Categories button and choose a category, or simply enter your own category in the text box. Timesaver Tip: Access Denied Select the Private check box if you don't want others to see information about your task. 11. Click Save and Close when you're done. Viewing Tasks As in any Outlook folder, you can change how you view tasks in the list using the Current View drop-down list in the Standard Toolbar. By default, the Tasks folder displays tasks in a Simple List view. Following is a description of the views you can use to dis-play the Tasks folder: Simple List Lists the tasks, completed check box, subject, and due date. Detailed List Displays the tasks, priority, subject, status, percent complete, and categories. Active Tasks Displays the same information as the detailed list but doesn't show any completed tasks. Next Seven Days Displays only those tasks you've scheduled for the next seven days, including completed tasks. Overdue Tasks Shows a list of tasks that are past due. By Category Displays tasks by category; click the button representing the category you want to view. Assignment Lists tasks assigned to you by others. By Person Responsible Lists tasks grouped by the person who assigned the tasks. Completed Tasks Lists only those tasks completed, along with their due dates and completion dates. Task Timeline Uses the Timeline view to display tasks by day, week, or month. Figure 15.2 shows the tasks assigned within one week. Figure 15.2 Double-click a task in Timeline view to edit it. Panic Button: Save What Settings? Depending on the changes you make to a view, Outlook might display the Save View Settings dialog box asking if you want to save the view settings before you switch to a different view. Generally, you'll want to discard the current view settings and leave everything the way you found it. Managing Tasks When working with a task list, you can add and delete tasks, mark tasks as completed, and arrange the tasks within the list. You also can perform any of these procedures in most of the task views described in the previous section. For information about printing a task list, see Lesson 18, "Printing in Outlook." Figure 15.3 shows the Task folder; the following list describes how to manage certain tasks in the list. Figure 15.3 Add, delete, and sort the tasks in your list. To quickly add a task, click the top row of the task list where it says Click Here to Add a New Task and enter the subject and date. To edit a task, double-click the task in the list. The task dialog box appears. To mark a task as completed, click the check box in the second column from the left, or right-click the task and choose Mark Complete from the shortcut menu. Outlook places a line through the task. To delete a task, right-click the task and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. To assign a task to someone else, right-click the task and choose Assign Task from the shortcut menu. Fill in the name of the person to whom you want to assign the task and click the Send button to e-mail him or her the task request. To assign a new task to someone else, choose Tasks, New Task Request. Create the task as you normally would, but send the task as an e-mail by clicking the Send button. Timesaver Tip: Get Rid of the Default Task If you don't want to leave the Start up Microsoft Outlook task on your list, you can right-click the task and choose Delete. Recording Statistics About a Task You can record statistics about a task, such as time spent completing the task, billable time, contacts, and so on, for your own records or for reference when sharing tasks with your coworkers. This feature is particularly helpful when you assign tasks to others; you can keep track of assigned tasks and find out when the tasks are completed. To enter statistics about a task, open any task in the task list and click the Status tab. Figure 15.4 shows a completed Status tab for a sample task. The following list describes the text boxes in the Status tab and the types of information you can enter: Date Completed Enter the date the task was completed, or click the arrow to display the calendar and choose the date. Total Work Enter the amount of time you expect the task to take. When you complete the job, Outlook calculates the actual time spent and enters it in this text box. Actual Work Enter the amount of time it actually took to complete the job. Mileage Enter the number of miles you traveled to complete the task. Billing Information Enter any specific billing informa-tion, such as hours billed, resources used, charges for equip-ment, and so on. Contacts Enter the names of in-house or outside contacts associated with the task. Separate multiple names with semi-colons. Companies Enter the names of any companies associated with the contacts or with the project in general. Update List Automatically lists the people whose task lists are updated when you make a change to your task. Create Unassigned Copy Copies the task so it can be reassigned; use the button to send a task to someone other than an original recipient. If the task is not sent to someone else, the button is unavailable. Figure 15.4 Fill in the status of the task so you can share it with others and keep personal records. To track tasks you've assigned to others and to receive status reports, follow these steps: 1. In the Outlook dialog box, choose Tools, Options. The Options dialog box appears with the Tasks/Notes tab displayed. 2. In the Task Defaults area of the dialog box, check the Keep Updated Copies of Assigned Tasks on My Task List check box. This automatically tracks the progress of new tasks that you assign to others. 3. Check the Send Status Reports When Assigned Tasks are Completed check box to automatically receive notification upon the completion of assigned tasks. 4. Click OK to accept the changes and close the dialog box. Timesaver Tip: Color Your World You can also set colors to represent tasks within the Tasks/Notes tab of the Options dialog box. Outlook offers twenty different colors from which you can choose for overdue tasks and completed tasks. In this lesson, you learned to enter a task and record statistics about the task. In the next lesson, you will learn to use the Journal.

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