More about tasks

What are tasks in Tallyfy?

Tasks are the actual work items people complete in Tallyfy - they’re what your team interacts with every day. Simple as that.

You’ve got two types to work with:

Why is understanding tasks important for workflow management?

Here’s the thing - tasks drive everything in Tallyfy. They’re how work actually gets done.

When you understand tasks, magic happens:

Your team knows exactly what to do (no more confusion or “what’s next?” questions)
Work gets done right the first time - by the right people at the right time
Processes flow smoothly because everyone’s on the same page
AI can help complete tasks automatically with BYO AI integration

The result? No bottlenecks. No dropped balls. Just smooth workflows.

What timing concepts apply to tasks?

Timing matters. Tallyfy gives you two ways to control when things happen:

Start time: When someone should start working on the task (it’s guidance, not enforced - think of it as a friendly nudge)
Deadline: The hard stop. When the task must be done. Miss this and it shows as overdue

You can set both timings whether you’re creating templates or quick one-off tasks. Get this right and your team hits deadlines like clockwork.

Pro tip: Use expiring tasks for FYI items that auto-complete at deadline. This prevents task debt - that overwhelming buildup of overdue work that never seems to go away.

Now, about those task types I mentioned:

Process Tasks: These live inside your process templates - they’re connected to other tasks and follow a specific workflow. This is where 90% of your work happens in Tallyfy. Perfect for anything you do repeatedly
One-off Tasks: Quick, standalone to-dos. No template needed. Just create it, assign it, done. Great for those “can you handle this?” moments that pop up

What is the difference between tasks and steps?

This trips people up, so let’s clear it up right now:

Steps live in templates. Tasks live in running processes.

Think of it this way:

When you’re building a template, you add Steps - these are the blueprint. Each step has its own type (regular task, approval, email, you name it)
When you launch that template? Those steps transform into Tasks that people actually complete. Same types, different context. A Task step becomes a Task task, an Approval step becomes an Approval task

Simple, right? For all the different types you can use, check out the Step/Task Types article.

What should I learn next?

Got the basics down? Great. Here’s where to go from here.

First up - dive into the different types of tasks Tallyfy offers. There’s more than you might think, and each type solves specific workflow challenges.

Need something done fast? Learn how to create a one-off task. Takes 30 seconds, max.

And when things go sideways (they always do sometimes), you’ll want to know how to report and resolve issues. Tallyfy’s blocker system is a lifesaver for handling roadblocks.

Tasks > Step types

Tallyfy distinguishes between process steps that are part of workflow templates and one-off standalone tasks while offering five task types including standard tasks and approve/reject decisions and expiring tasks that auto-complete and email drafts requiring review and auto-send emails for scheduled notifications.

Tasks > Create a one-off task

One-off tasks in Tallyfy are standalone action items created by clicking the + Create button and choosing Create task allowing you to assign quick to-dos with deadlines without needing full process templates.

Tracking And Tasks > An overview of processes

Processes in Tallyfy are running instances of templates that transform workflow blueprints into trackable work with unique names and activity logs while template changes don’t affect already-running processes.

How To > How to avoid task debt

Expiring tasks auto-complete at deadlines to prevent incomplete work from piling up while smart workflow design with bundled tasks and realistic deadlines helps teams avoid the cascading stress of growing to-do lists.

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