Tracking your content workflow in Contentful with the Tasks app

Occasionally, lone geniuses appear to change the world single-handedly. But often, large groups of people working together really effectively accomplish amazing goals. That word “effectively” is key, because even really, really smart people can create very little impact if they don’t work well together.

Whether you’re trying to reach the moon or create great digital experiences, collaboration makes a difference. That’s why we’ve improved how teams can work together in Contentful by revamping task management — making it easy to organize what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. That means content creators can spend more time concentrating on their content and create the best possible digital experiences.

Let’s get on with the task at hand to see what’s changed! (Do you see what I did there?)

Tasks take over

Tasks in Contentful haven’t changed too much for users at first glance, but under the hood is a different story. We’ve extracted tasks from the web app and rebuilt it using the App Framework as its own app.

This means that tasks is now available to users in Compose + Launch. Users in these editorial experiences can see tasks that are assigned to them and create tasks attached to the content on a Compose page or in a release in Launch. This means that content editors and campaign managers can create and manage tasks without leaving the app they’re working in, letting them work faster than ever while collaborating with their teammates.

I need it yesterday!

To keep a workflow moving smoothly, every team member needs to complete their part of the work on schedule. You can now attach a due date to the tasks you assign your teammates to keep everything on track.

Two days before a task is due, it will be highlighted in the pending tasks interface by being moved to the urgent tasks section. The assignee will also get an email reminder at this point, helping them to make sure everything stays on track.

At your service... model

The next big upgrade to tasks is that they can be assigned to teams, rather than a single person. It’s now possible for teams to operate on a shared service model and decide who should handle a task based on what works best for them. That could be based on expertise or by who has the bandwidth for what needs to be done. Or they could allocate tasks based on star signs — to each their own.

This means that content operations in Contentful can be much more flexible, as well as ensuring tasks are completed faster and supporting teams that are delivering content at global scale.

What do I need to do?

The pending tasks screen shows you — and the team you’re a member of — all assigned tasks.  You can access it by clicking ”view all my tasks” in the tasks section of the sidebar or from the Tasks button in the user menu. When you have a new task to work on, you’ll get an email and a red dot will appear next to your user menu in Contentful.

To help make sure nothing slips through the net, the Urgent Tasks tab will show any tasks due to be completed within two days. You’ll also receive an email reminder. When a task is overdue, there’s an extra reminder in the tasks interface in red letters. (That’s right, we brought out the serious color.) This helps busy content managers prioritize what they need to within Contentful to ensure that projects are finished on time.

Team-building activities

Assigning tasks to groups builds on Contentful’s teams features, rather than roles. There are no limits to how many teams you can create within your organization, and a single user can be assigned to multiple teams. For example, a content manager could be added to an editors team and a product experts group for an area that they know particularly well. 

Organization owners and admins can create and manage teams through their organization settings. To learn more about working with teams in Contentful, you can check out our help center.

How do I get tasks?

If you or your team has used tasks in the last year, I have exciting news! We have already stealthily moved you onto our new app. Sadly, the app can’t do your tasks for you, but at least you have access to the new features today.

For our other users, the tasks app can be installed directly from our marketplace at no extra cost by Premium plan users in spaces that are P1X or larger. Your teams will instantly have access to the new features outlined above. 

Installing the tasks app does not count against the amount of apps you are able to install in each environment. There’s no compromise in how your teams manage their tasks.

Collaboration creates compelling content

Delivering great digital experiences results from teamwork. At Contentful, we want to make that as easy as possible. By expanding tasks with due dates and team options, and enabling them to support Compose + Launch, we are helping expedite workflows for content teams — allowing them to work in their chosen apps and to effectively manage what needs to be done across global teams.

Content is at the heart of every digital experience. It’s the reason your users have come to your website or app in the first place. Making it easier for teams to work together is a priority for us here at Contentful. 

If you have any questions or thoughts about how we can make this feature even better for your content teams, please get in touch and take us to task. (See what I did there?)

To mark the release of tasks, we are also launching our Content Operations in Contentful course in the Learning Center. In the course you can learn even more about tasks in Contentful, as well as using comments and releases to perfect your content workflows.

If this has whetted your appetite for building with modern content operations, our white paper will show you even more on how Contentful’s content platform can help you to deliver great digital experiences faster and more efficiently than ever.

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