1.3 Task

“a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time” (Merriam-Webster)

 

A task can have the following properties. The properties can be grouped according to the project management triangle:

Scope related properties

  • Title: short name of the task, i.e. identifier
  • Description: detailed description of the task, i.e. requirements
  • Priority: priority of the task on a predefined scale, e.g. low – normal – high
  • Success or acceptance criteria

Time related properties

  • Start date: when to start the task
  • Due date: deadline for the task
  • Estimated time: estimated hours/days needed for the task
  • Status: current status of the task, e.g. new, in progress, closed

Cost/resource related properties (allocated resources)

  • Assignee, owner: who has to work on the task
  • Estimated cost: estimated costs of the task (labour costs, tool costs, etc.)
  • Tool: needed tool for this task, e.g. a crane during a construction project