work assignment

What is Work Assignment? – Advanced Work Assignment (AWA)

Work assignment, a fundamental concept of professional realms, refers to allocating specific tasks or duties to individuals or teams within a certain timeframe.

These assignments, which can range from simple tasks to complex projects, serve as the backbone of productivity, facilitating the efficient functioning of an organization.

By clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and deadlines, work assignments ensure that each member is aware of their contribution towards the broader objectives.

This post will explain the work assignment, its scheduling, and its benefits. It will also discuss automated and advanced work assignments.

What is a Work Assignment?

A work assignment or job assignment refers to a task or set of tasks allocated to work centers , an individual, or a team within a specific timeframe. Depending on the context, it can be part of a larger project or an isolated task. 

It helps distribute the workload evenly among team members, ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities and keeping track of progress toward goals.

Automated Work Assignment

Automated assignment of work helps to reduce the stress on employees. It saves the project manager time because the auto-assignment manager does not need to remind his team about the work. The system only gives notifications to the team.

Automated work assignment is when a computer system assigns work to employees based on predefined criteria in an automatic workflow. This can include skills required for the task, availability of employees, and other factors.

The use of automated work assignments can help to improve efficiency and accuracy within an organization.

Managers can efficiently assign work to minimize downtime and maximize productivity by considering employees’ individual skills and availability.

Automated systems can also help to ensure that tasks are appropriately distributed among employees, thus avoiding potential conflicts.

The advantage of the automatic assignment is it helps to deliver the project faster by avoiding confusion and rework because the task is assigned when all the requirements are entirely available.

Advanced Work Assignment

Advanced Work Assignment (AWA) is a methodology organizations use to create and assign work tasks to employees based on their skills, abilities, and interests.

This approach can help improve employee productivity and satisfaction while reducing organizational costs. 

It can effectively engage employees in their work and maximize their potential when appropriately implemented.

One of the critical benefits of it is that it allows organizations to optimize their resources and assign work that is most suited to each employee’s skills, abilities, and interests.

This helps improve productivity by ensuring employees are matched with tasks they can complete while fostering engagement and satisfaction.

Additionally, it can help reduce organizational costs by ensuring that employees are assigned work within their abilities and do not require excessive training or support.

Despite these benefits, some potential challenges are associated with using AWA.

For example, employees may sometimes resist or feel uncomfortable with being assigned work outside their comfort zone or feel they are not allowed to develop new skills.

Additionally, accurately assessing each employee’s skills and interests can be challenging, leading to some employees being assigned work that is not well-suited.

Therefore, it is essential to carefully consider whether or not AWA is right for your organization before implementing it.

When appropriately used, Advanced Work Assignments can effectively improve employee productivity and satisfaction while reducing organizational costs.

Scheduling of Work Assignment

When you are using a computerized system to schedule work, it is essential to know that some factors affect employees’ performance before uploading the names of employees in the system.

This includes understanding how these applications operate and considering what kind of factor affects them most when deciding which option will be best suited for your business needs!

You can utilize manual assignment or auto-assignment for scheduling once you get it.

The following are some tips for scheduling the assignment.

1. Examine the type of work

It is crucial to find out the type of work. For example, some work has to be done in one department. However, some work must be divided between the different departments, and those departments must develop internal work procedures.

2. Analyze the skills of the employees

Each employee has their talent. So before scheduling the work, making one flowchart of the work process is better.

After analyzing employees’ skills, assign the work in the flowchart to the specified employees. Also, keep one backup person if the designated employee cannot perform the job.

3. Calculate the required time

Go through the flowchart and calculate the time required for each stage of the work or project to streamline the work process and complete the job efficiently.

4. Avoid the duplication of work

When you assign laborers to different fundamental processes, there will be a chance of duplicating work because all the laborers do jobs not mentioned in the flow chart.

Hence, carefully check the workflow across the organization and ensure there is no work duplication.

5. Provide a clear idea to the customer

Provide a clear idea to the customer about communication. That means informing him clearly to whom he should communicate to get information about the project and assigning a specified person.

Considering customers’ expectations is critical to set company standards. It helps to learn the market standards also. It will be achievable when you do a proper work assignment.

Important Information that Works Assignment Contains

Work assignment contains mainly these four essential pieces of information. They are

• Which task is to be done : Clearly explain to the employees which task to be taken based on priority.
• The reason for doing that task : When you assign new work to the employees before completing current work, you need to explain its reason.
• What standards should completed tasks meet: Let employees know about the evaluation of the completed job.
• All-motive directions: This means telling the employees to inform their managers about the completed task and the problems they face while doing the tasks.

Benefits of work assignment

• It is easy to track who is responsible for which work.
• It contains some information like which task to be done as per the priority, what must be the standards of the completed task, etc. It helps the assigned person to do the job efficiently.
• By assigning work to a particular team or a person, they know which work to do as per the priority and do that work efficiently to increase customer satisfaction.

What are the components of Advanced Work Assignment (AWA)?

The components of Advanced Work Assignment (AWA) are: -Work Instructional Package (WIP) -Task Guide -Performers Instructions -Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) -Work Area Layout diagram.

What is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) , often shortened to “the SOP,” is a standardized plan adopted by an organization for the orderly and efficient carrying out of various activities such as work, production, or services.

The SOP is a company-wide standard that includes everything from greeting coworkers in the morning to what to do if there’s a fire.

While it may appear overly restrictive at times, its goal is to minimize variation and mistakes. Every business activity has at least one best practice that can lead to success and efficiency if adhered to deliberately and consistently.

What is a Work Instructional Package (WIP)?

A Work Instructional Package (WIP) is a document that provides step-by-step instructions for performing a specific job or task. It may also include diagrams, photographs, and illustrations to help clarify the steps involved.

WIPs are generally used in manufacturing and production settings but can also be helpful in other types of workplaces.

For example, if you work in an office and need to learn how to use a new software program, your company might provide a WIP outlining the steps to install and configure the software.

The proliferation of technology has led to an increased demand for automation. Companies have found a balance between humans and machines using automated work assignment software, or AWA. Automatic job assignments can be used in many industries, from IT support to sales call centers.

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Tips for Allocating Work Assignments

It’s probably a no-brainer that improper delegation of tasks has obvious consequences, such as increased frustration, stress and workload. The quality of work and team morale may suffer while trust, productivity, efficiency and profitability dwindles. In such a situation, the organizational structure fails, clients’ trust dies, reports of unaccountability emerge, staff may underperform and project failure becomes imminent. This is why it’s vital to ensure that work assignments are delegated efficiently and to the appropriate team member.

Approximately 94% of companies lack exceptionally good management. The 6% of firms with excellent management culture and style tend to be dedicated to their workforce and team building rather than external stakeholders.

Achieving excellence in organizational operations is an enormous challenge for most organizations and begins with the manner and style of delegation of assignments.

Management has to choose the right team , build trust and accountability , develop its team through delegation, manage performances, have tough conversations and acknowledge and reward excellence to enhance employee engagement and lower turnover.

What exactly are work assignments?

Work assignments are remarkable tools for enhancing employee growth and must be managed deliberately; otherwise, they could limit efforts towards building a diverse workforce.

Evidence shows that experimental learning accounts for 70% of leadership development , particularly, effective delegation of work assignments.

Work assignments are tasks that are deliberately designed for organizational purposes. They are allocated to staff to achieve results. In the simplest terms, these assignments are activities or projects for a specific end. Work assignments should come with a task description, deadline and expected results.

Work assignments tips

Why delegate work assignments?

Employee empowerment.

Managers with great team building skills understand the importance of instilling trust in team members for enhanced morale and performance because they believe they are wired to drive organizational objectives.

Strengthens trust

Assigning work means trusting the employee’s ability to achieve a particular result through task performance. Frequent delegation builds the trust needed to create collaborative skills within organizations.

Helps lower workload

Successful delegation of work assignments lessens the burden of tasks that pile up. It saves the time needed to focus on other important organizational tasks and goals.

Planning for fair distribution of work assignments

Most industries, such as hospitality, telecommunications and healthcare need to ensure uninterrupted service delivery. At the same time, they must consider the health of their employees, who need regular breaks and leave to stay productive and rested.

With the rise of flexi-workers , ensuring everyone gets a fair share of leave could become a logistics nightmare for business owners. This also applies to contractual staff who may feel overburdened.

When planning and distributing work assignments, managers must take into account employees’ vacation days, sick leave, emergency absences and so on. Things to consider include, but are not limited to:

• Employees should have their preferences fulfilled to avoid bias.
• Organizations should try to accommodate employees’ requests for rest days as much as possible.
• The duty roster should be planned in such a way as to allow enough time for deadlines and urgent tasks.
• There is also an allowance for fair leave/day swapping among employees.

The manager planning the duty roster should keep track of requests and demands in real time. This enables the planner to synchronize replacement leave and overtime pay calculations at the end of the roster period.

Delegating work assignments to employees

Create an effective work plan.

An effective work plan is the key to the success of every project. Approximately 58% of organisations don’t understand the value of project management, which explains why most projects fail as soon as they begin.

The planning phase determines either the failure or success of such project. Organizations must have a solid work plan, including a weekly action plan for greater efficiency and productivity. You can create a good work plan by following the steps below.

• Set specific goals that include actual numbers and quantifiable terms and scope.
• Lay out the objectives and deliverables, including the project schedule. Consider rewarding your team based on achievement. The incentives will boost productivity.
• Brainstorm and detail the key resources that your team needs. Brainstorming and planning will help colleagues become creative, forecast unforeseen obstacles and promote teamwork. Converse with your them about the resources that can help them achieve set objectives and give them available resources.
• Identify task sequencing . The schedule of a project outlines activity sequencing, tracks performance and calculates the duration of tasks sequences.

Delegate assignments based on aptitude

By assigning work to employees based on their areas of strength and skills, you set them up to excel. This means you need to understand your employees’ strengths, preferences and weaknesses. You may also allow your staff to choose their preferred tasks. This is important for building trust.

Give your team prior notice

No need to stress everyone out and kill their morale with endless impromptu and urgent work assignments. As far as is feasible, try to give your employees a couple of days’ notice at least.

Foster project ownership

Encourage your team to ask questions for clarity. Determine your availability and take the time to give them clear instructions, feedback and assistance. Giving them a sense of ownership allows your team members to see the big picture.

Real delegation is when you encourage your team to own the project. This gives them the authority to take initiative for the execution process.

Most companies spend hours and weeks planning and generating roasters manually when they can use TimeTrack Duty Roster to save time. TimeTrack Duty Roster creates a perfect overview of both employers and employees and allow managers to personalize shifts according to preferences.

TimeTrack Duty Roster

Monitoring work assignments

Monitoring work assignments helps your team complete their duties successfully and meet the desired outcomes. There’s no need to micromanage, but you can certainly help keep employees focused while tracking processes.

Ensure an effective project plan

• Compile a clear project outline, including a schedule. Collaborate with your team to create the plan and include the project scope, tasks, deadlines and resources. Creating a timeline is vital; use a flow chart to make things clearer. A clear work plan helps you understand the key performance indicators you can monitor.

Set SMART goals

• One of the key ways to monitor assigned work is to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals. This SMART criteria helps you identify detailed and quantifiable goals with effective deadlines. You then have quantifiable items to monitor the performance of the assignments.

Steady check-ins

• Creating a schedule for progress check-ins is a key step in monitoring assignments. The regularity of the check-in depends on the project. For example, check-ins for long-term and short-term projects differ in intervals. Check-ins should be balanced to support effective monitoring of performance indicators.

Records and analysis of data

• For each of the scheduled check-ins, keep records and analyze data to understand the progress of projects. You can gather data through team meetings and input into spreadsheets or project management tools. The data will then be analyzed to determine the status of the assigned work.

Every organization wants to empower its workforce for enhanced morale, focus, accountability, efficiency and productivity. These achievements are only possible with effective delegation of work assignments and tasks.

I am a researcher, writer, and self-published author. Over the last 9 years, I have dedicated my time to delivering unique content to startups and non-governmental organizations and have covered several topics, including wellness, technology, and entrepreneurship. I am now passionate about how time efficiency affects productivity, business performance, and profitability.

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Why Should I Use Work Assignment in Project Management Software?

• 1.  Project Management Basics
• 2.  Project Management Methodologies
• 3.  Project Management Life Cycle
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The work assignment feature in project management software allows work to be assigned to the appropriate person within the project team. Whether it’s creating a new project or adding in a new task, the work needs to be assigned to a resource for it to be executed.

After all, if the work isn’t assigned to someone, then no one knows who is responsible for ensuring it’s completed. Instead of relying on everyone knowing who’s responsible for what and passing it on to the right person at the right time, you can store all that information inside your project management software.

The work assignment feature can be used for new requests using dynamic request forms . It can also be used for workflows using the auto-assignment feature.

How work assignment request forms work

Dynamic request forms ensure that all vital task information is captured without asking the requester any unnecessary questions. The form questions change based on the information the requester provides as they’re filling it out.

These request forms are designed to automatically modify fields to match request types. One of the available modifications is the automatic assignment of resources based on specific form answers or selections. 

For example, if a request is created to ask for additional product testing, it can be automatically assigned to your lead project tester. This feature ensures that work is always assigned to the correct person, even when the requester doesn’t know who should be responsible.

To use automatic work assignments within request forms, one of your software admins simply needs to tie certain drop-down options or checkboxes to the appropriate work owners when creating the form template.

How auto-assigned workflows work

Auto-assigned workflows automatically assign work to team members when it’s ready for them to begin. This functionality allows users to auto-assign workflow stages. As tasks enter each stage, new assignees are added and automatically alerted to start their work. For example, the work assignment feature will allow you to automatically assign work to your editor as soon as it’s moved to the “content review” stage.

This auto-assignment approach also helps teams deliver faster by preventing rework since tasks will not be assigned until requirements and prior stages are complete. Plus, it reduces the number of tasks visible to each employee, allowing them to better focus on current priorities.

Team members cannot access a task until it’s assigned to them. By reducing the volume of work assigned in the system, you can optimize speed and quality, reduce multitasking , and lower employee stress.

Plus, as the project manager, you don’t need to remember to give people the go-ahead when it’s time to begin the next piece of work. The system will automatically notify everyone for you so that you’re not wasting time trying to contact people, and you don’t need to micromanage their progress.

Auto-assigned workflows can also be useful for larger projects that have separate phases with phase gates . Using this approach, the next phase typically is not approved to start until the gate has been successfully approved. The auto-assign workflow feature allows you to tie work to these phases so that people do not accidentally begin tasks before approval is received. 

To use auto-assigned workflows, you simply need to define each stage of your overall workflow and assign each workflow stage to team members. The system will then automatically send “Start Next Task” alerts to assignees when prior dependencies have been completed, and they can start their work.

Tips on setting up work assignments in project management software

Here are some additional tips on using auto-assigned workflows:

• Use flexible timelines: Work assignments are triggered by stage or phase completion, not by start dates. Therefore, your tasks must have flexible dates. Otherwise, people could be assigned tasks that are ready to go and not start them because it’s not the start date yet.  With flexible timelines, you can time the assignment to occur just before the work needs to start and then empower your team to self-manage and begin assignments as they come in. This means work can start early, if all the predecessors are completed, allowing you to move ahead of schedule and eliminate idle time.
• Use fixed statuses: With fixed statuses, when a user changes a task’s status, they can only choose from certain predesignated statuses. Admins determine which status should have predetermined follow-up statuses, and they choose what the follow-up statuses are. For example, if a task is “In Progress,” users will only be able to change the task to “In Review” or “Completed.” They will not see or be able to select any other status options. This is important, as work assignments are tied to specific statuses. Without fixed statuses, a user could potentially choose a status that does not have an assignee tied to it.
• Monitor workflows and assignments: There are many advantages to work assignments in project management software, but one disadvantage is that work could be automatically assigned to someone who’s not available, such as if a team member is out sick, on vacation, or has left the company.

Thankfully, dashboards can allow you to easily visualize workflows and pinpoint any issues with assignments. If you know someone is absent, you can see all the work currently assigned to them and decide whether it can wait until their return, or you can reassign it to someone else.

Benefits of work assignment

Without work assignments, requesters must know who the work belongs to and manually assign it to them. This results in more time filling out forms, and it increases the risk of work being assigned to the wrong person.

If you have a large company or new employees, they may not be aware of who’s responsible for each type of work . A task may not find its way to the right person, or it can get stuck in a certain step of the process if it's not appropriately handed off to the correct person at the correct time.

If tasks are not closely monitored and managed, sometimes a request can sit there for weeks with no movement due to it being unclear who’s responsible for it. When the work is then assigned to the incorrect person, time is lost rerouting it. These delays may even cause deadlines to be missed or work to go uncompleted.

Having the ability to auto-route requests to the appropriate person based on project details can solve all these issues. In addition, tying certain workflow statuses to certain team members ensures that tasks are automatically moved to the right person as soon as they’re ready for them.

Further reading

Auto-Assign Workflows to Increase Speed and Simplify Processes

Addicted to Multitasking: The Scientific Reasons You Can’t Stop Juggling Work

Accelerate Your Business With Wrike's New Custom Workflows

Basic Project Management

• Project Charter
• Project Management Stakeholders
• What is a Project?
• Work Breakdown Structure
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Advanced Project Management

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Software Features

• Critical Success Factors
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Work Assignments Template

Identify assignees for tasks, define task parameters, submit task parameters to manager for approval, approval: task parameters.

• Define Task Parameters Will be submitted

Initiate Draft Work Assignment Template

Identify required deliverables.

• 3 Prototype
• 4 Completed Task

Input Required Deliverables into Template

Identify timeline for task completion, input timeline into template, identify required resources.

• 2 Equipment
• 3 Access to Systems

Input Required Resources into Template

Review draft work assignment template, approval: draft work assignment template.

• Initiate Draft Work Assignment Template Will be submitted

Address Feedback from Approval Task

Finalize work assignment template, distribute finalized work assignment template to assignees, review assignees’ understanding and acceptance of assignments, approval: assignee understanding and acceptance.

• Review Assignees’ Understanding and Acceptance of Assignments Will be submitted

Initiate Work on Assignments

Monitor progress of assignments.

• 2 Behind Schedule
• 3 Completed

Take control of your workflows today.

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Short-Term Work Assignments: Maximizing Benefits, Mitigating Risks

• Print Spark Article

This article was updated on September 3, 2018.

Short-term work assignments — typically less than a year — offer a wide array of benefits for both businesses and employees. It's no wonder such assignments have been increasing. According to Mercer , "Companies are using a more varied range of assignments in order to respond to evolving business needs and changing patterns in the global workforce." These short-term work assignments allow businesses to mobilize skills and grow their organization while developing employees at the same time.

Here, we'll examine some of the benefits and risks.

• The organization fills a skills gap by relocating an employee where their capabilities are needed. Also, the employee can train others and help close the skills gap.
• The organization increases productivity and avoids adding to its headcount by not having to hire from the outside.
• The reassigned employee gains invaluable experience. They expand their network and learn how the business operates in a different place. Even more, the challenges of adapting to a new location will draw out leadership qualities. In fact, many businesses explicitly use short-term assignments as a development tool for employees with high leadership potential.
• The employee's morale increases after being recognized for their expertise.
• The organization attracts candidates who are adventurous and eager for a challenge.
• The employee has to adapt to a new city, state or country. They also have to adapt to a new team and space, which will take patience and emotional intelligence. It's here HR can help by supporting integration.
• The employee may be left with unclear goals. This can be avoided by laying out organizational and individual goals in advance. HR and the employee can discuss how to track these along the way.
• The organization must deal with any compliance complexities that come up. However, HR simply needs to integrate the employee into its labor-related compliance system. While reassignments will likely increase compliance risks, having the right systems in place to accommodate reassigned employees will best manage and mitigate those risks.

Clear communication between HR and reassigned employees will be a critical success factor. HR systems must be in place that support the needs of short-term assignments, in terms of tracking employee performance, facilitating a smooth transition and ensuring compliance needs are met no matter where the assignment occurs.

Having a powerful technology platform in place to accommodate employee reassignments, such as time and labor management (TLM) systems as well as other vital HCM systems, will serve as a firm foundation upon which you can build success for any reassignment.

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5 Types of Homework Assignments for a Skills-First Hiring Process

CVs and interviews don’t predict job performance, but work assignments can.

It’s really simple; hiring managers need to place competence in context to assess candidates’ technical and interpersonal skills .

If a structured interview process can help flush out candidates with the right attitude and cultural alignment, homework assignments can highlight people with the perfect skillset for the role.

And for a hiring manager, the hiring confidence when selecting between candidates who list the right skills on their resume and those who nail take-home tasks is like night and day.

Curious if work assignments could be a good fit for your company? In this article, we discuss:

• what a homework assignment is all about
• why companies prioritize work assignments over interviews
• how to reassure candidates that work assignments aren’t ‘free work’
• the easiest way to incorporate take-home tasks into your hiring process
• five tips for designing an effective homework assignment

Let’s dive in!

What is a homework assignment?

A homework assignment or an interview project is a task given to a candidate during the interview process that tests whether they have the right skills for a role. Typically these assignments take about an hour or two to complete and have a specific deadline. But they can be more detailed and take up to 5 hours or longer, depending on the role seniority or complexity.

We recommend sticking to a maximum of two hour-projects to keep it fair and reasonable for candidates. As a hiring manager, your main goal is to get a reliable snapshot of a candidate’s technical fit for the job – not to subject applicants to NASA-level testing.

Alternatively, you could swap homework assignments for paid test projects. While many candidates frown upon the idea of completing longer take-home tasks for free (who doesn’t hate free labor?), paid projects are generally accepted as a reasonable alternative. Learn how we leverage paid projects at Toggl Hire.

If a candidate won’t complete an assignment that takes less than 2 hours of their time, likely, they aren’t really interested in the role. So it also doubles as a reliable method to screen out prospective bad hires .

Why do companies ask candidates to complete homework assignments?

Homework assignments help companies get a better idea of a candidate’s strengths and whether they’d be a good match for the role. It’s a bit like shopping online. Seeing a new pair of sneakers you want in a 2D image is great. But getting a fully immersive AR experience really brings the sneakers to life and builds your confidence you’re making the right choice!

These days, many companies prioritize work assignments over interviews , as the typical interview process is outdated. Interviews and CVs alone don’t help the hiring team explore a candidate’s actual abilities. Why? Well, firstly, candidates sometimes exaggerate their qualifications on CVs. Plus, a potential candidate could be great in an interview scenario but terrible at the actual job.

Another reason interviews are passé is that they can open up the hiring team to potential cognitive bias (hiring someone very similar to you). This might seem kind of nice, but in the end, you’ll have less diversity if everyone you hired was a mini-me, right?

Yet, interviews do have an important role to play in the hiring process. But not right in the beginning, necessarily. Shifting the interview portion further down the hiring process steps helps companies focus on quality candidates rather than the search for quality candidates. They could rather confirm the technical fit through skills assessments and then dig deeper during the second interview.

According to HBR, prioritizing homework assignments over interviews can help recruiters better match true competency with the job requirements:

One of us (Jeff) spent several years hiring writers for our firm. He used a scenario-driven writing assignment, administered after a short introductory call, to assess skills. Many publications use writing or editing tests for job candidates, but Jeff approached the task more analytically than most: After receiving the assignment, he conducted a follow-up conversation to understand not just what was on the page, but the candidate’s choices in crafting it. Not only did this give us a sense of how a candidate would perform, but they got a much better sense of the job itself, as we related elements of the task to actual role expectations. By using the same exercise repeatedly, it also built a database of responses over time, a positive feedback loop to better assess the next candidate. Geoff Tuff, a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP – Harvard Business Review

The real benefits are that work assignments and skills assessments paint a truer picture and can also:

• help identify the best person for the job
• reveal an applicant’s work ethic
• reduce the risk of selecting candidates that have lapsed technical skills (especially with the rapid evolution of technology)
• are easy to deploy at scale – you can narrow down the number of applicants from 500 to 50 to save the hiring team loads of time
• help organizations draw in non-typical but strong candidates that broaden the team’s diversity, equity & inclusion
• reduce the risk and cost of a bad hire

What do candidates gain from completing homework assignments?

Job seekers may not often feel enthusiastic about interview assignments. And we get it. People are busy juggling so many things in their day to day that adding one more can feel overwhelming. But those who look at the bigger picture see it as an opportunity to shine.

Work assignments are a foolproof way for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and expertise . And if candidates happen to have any gaps in their experience, they can still demonstrate their aptitude through an online assignment.

It’s also an easy way for candidates to show they’re truly interested in the position and the employer and stand out from the crowd of other applicants.

Not only do these task projects give them a peek into their potential day-to-day responsibilities , but it’s also a window into whether the role is a good fit for them in the long run .

If they find the task takes too long or that the topic or sector is dryer than toast – they should put their sights elsewhere. But if it’s all systems go – then they’ve already got a head start on producing what’s needed for the role.

5 Types of take-home interview assignments

Take-home interview assignments are a popular choice for assessing technical and creative candidates. But now companies are seeing the benefits for other roles too.

Three things that hiring managers should consider for all these types of interview assignments:

• Letting candidates know about the test beforehand. That way, they’re not surprised and feel they’re starting off on the wrong foot.
• Automating everything they can in the testing process, so they don’t leave candidates high and dry in between lengthy hiring phases.
• Using the data they gain from these tests and candidate feedback to update their hiring process.

And now, onto the examples of homework assignments.

#1 Basic skills screening

Quick skills screening tests as a pre-qualifying step can help reduce the volume of applications without any manual effort. That means no manual resume screening or individual candidate feedback.

As applicants get instant feedback via skills test results (they either pass the required score threshold and move on or stop there), recruiters and hiring managers benefit in three major ways: 1) they save hours of their time by automating CV screening; 2) they can easily identify qualified applicants who should move to the interview stage; 3) they ensure a great candidate experience with modern skills-based hiring practices.

Good practices:

Keeping the tests short and sweet to respect candidates’ time and effort. We’d recommend 15 or 20-minute assessments at the kickoff. However, it’s important to ensure the tests are hard, so they actually act like a quality filter for your candidate pipeline.

Bad practices:

Focusing too much on theoretical, bookish questions that make the test feel like a school exam can harm your test completion rate and prevent great candidates from submitting their applications. Additionally, making the screening tests too long or too intrusive (e.g., taking snapshots through the computer camera) can create an unnecessary barrier and reduce your chances of sourcing top-quality people.

#2 Pre or post-interview coding challenges

While a job interview can help hiring managers assess interpersonal skills, such as communication , teamwork, or motivation, it’s not the best medium for evaluating hard skills . Online coding tests help the hiring team select technically capable developers that can contribute to the business.

A recruiter would typically source candidates with the right programming languages listed on their profile or resume. And then, it’s the hiring manager’s responsibility to work out if the applicant has what it takes to write good code. Easier said than done!

That’s why a coding assessment as a homework assignment has become the norm in tech hiring, and most developers are willing to take them on.

Remember, though; candidates don’t owe you free work. Your approach to designing a coding test will determine whether people continue in the hiring process or drop off.

First of all, decide what you want to assess and why. If you’re hoping to ascertain a candidate’s troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, time-boxing the assignment wouldn’t work to your advantage. The candidate can always use the ‘lack of time’ as an excuse for lower-quality work.

Another thing to remember is to set the test at the right skill level, depending on whether it’s a junior, intermediate or advanced role.

Testing skills that are nice to have or don’t match the role is a common mistake. Focusing on too many topics requires candidates to switch context from question to question – which is often confusing and tiring in such a short span of time.

Another issue employers run into is using clunky testing software that candidates need to figure out on the fly. If it takes effort to learn the platform or the platform doesn’t have the required features, developers will have to pay the price.

#3 Portfolio reviews and spec work during the job interview process

Ask any creative about their opinion on spec work, and you’ll likely hear that it sucks. And there are good reasons for graphic designers, writers, and other creatives to hate this kind of work – why should they commit to the project without any promise of payment?

If you’re hiring a professional from the creative field, we highly recommend starting with a live portfolio review . That’s when a candidate can take the interviewer through specific portfolio examples and share the backstory and lessons learned from that project. With creative roles, it’s often the unique style and quirks alongside the technical skills that can help determine the best person for the job.

However, sometimes paid spec work is a much fairer and more accurate way of getting insight into a candidate’s skillset. For tasks that require a highly personalized approach or solution, going the freelance gig route can yield better results.

Inform candidates ahead of time that you’d like to review their portfolio during a live interview. This will give them time to prepare and update their work samples. Ask questions that relate to their portfolio, even if the current samples don’t match your brief – you want to understand their creative process and practices. For paid spec work, make time to discuss the brief in person and agree on a check-in schedule to ensure work progresses in the right direction.

Springing this on the candidate without any warning and expecting the work to be delivered on a short deadline is a questionable move. Even if you’re opting for paid spec work, bear in mind these tasks are often completed in a vacuum and should be evaluated through a less critical lens. And finally, the not-so-secret secret: most creatives are terrible at maintaining their portfolios up-to-date. Giving them the heads-up will increase your chances of selecting the right talent.

#4 Time-boxed homework assignments that go in-depth to evaluate candidates’ competence

This type of home assignment can take many forms – from asking a marketing professional to write a press release for a product launch that already happened to requesting a business analyst to extract key insights from a dataset.

To ensure it’s not perceived as free work, time-boxed assessment projects often focus on real-world business problems that have been solved internally. This way, you can benchmark candidates’ work against your internal quality standard and reassure candidates of your intentions. The sole purpose of interview assignments is to confirm candidates’ technical fit in an efficient manner.

Keep the topic or assignment relevant to the role, and limit the necessary time it’ll take to complete to about 2-3 hours. Remember that the clarity of your brief will largely determine the quality of the deliverables, so be specific about your expectations.

Expecting someone to take 5-10 hours out of their busy schedule for an unpaid assignment is unrealistic.

#5 Paid projects during the interview process

Interviewing is exhausting for both the candidate and the interviewer. So it’s unsurprising that paid interview assignments have been gaining in popularity in recent years.

As a hiring manager, would you rather spend hours of your time interviewing candidates to filter out the bad apples or use the job interview as a way to get to know potential hires?

Homework assignments are exactly that – a simple, efficient method for spotting A-level candidates with the right skills for the job.

As you confirm the technical fit before the interview, both parties can focus on aligning on other important factors, such as the organizational fit , team culture, and manager expectations.

However, many employers have realized that the sentiment around homework assignments has shifted from acceptable to immoral, as applicants began calling assignments ‘free work’. Research shows that drop-off rates increased when candidates were asked to complete a take-home assignment.

Enter paid homework projects.

The perfect combo of practical competency assessment and paid work. Since the candidate receives compensation for their time, these types of assignments can be longer and more complex.

Anything from analyzing the growth funnel to tackling a programming challenge to designing an effective product onboarding experience can serve as a homework assignment idea.

What’s important to note is that these kinds of work assignments allow employers to get a glimpse into a candidate’s work ethic , thinking process, time management, and many other skills that are impossible to assess during the interview process.

If you’re paying for their time, treat them like consultants: provide access to important information, answer their questions and connect them with the right people internally. And be sure to outline the recruitment process at the very start; not everyone will happily take on a bigger commitment project, even when it’s paid.

As a hiring manager, stay in touch throughout the recruitment process to lay the foundations for a good working relationship. Provide clear requirements and timelines to reduce stress, and don’t forget about fair compensation – going below the market rate is disrespectful.

A great way to cause unnecessary stress is to ask candidates to present to a large audience or high-level execs they would never work with on a day-to-day basis.

Be sure to provide a clear agenda for the presentation call ahead of time and prep your interview panel for follow-up questions.

The work assignments and interview process windup

Work assignments are a good thing for companies and candidates alike. The result is like the difference between speed dating and a real dinner and a first date. Yes, they’re both exciting, but in the case of hiring, you need to hire someone that can demonstrate they have the right skills. The cost of hiring the wrong candidate is just too high for companies.

To find truly interested candidates, who have the right aptitude, introduce your team to the benefits of work assignments. You’ll save both parties loads of time and the hassle of a dragged-out interview process and other redundant hiring steps.

If you’re ready to explore how to transform your business’ hiring process from a time-consuming to a slick candidate pipeline, we leave you with five simple tips on designing an effective homework assignment.

5 simple tips for designing a great homework assignment:

• Replace resume screening with basic skills screening. Start the sifting process early with a quick skills screening test . This will weed out the bad eggs and leave you with a selection of good potential candidates.
• Make your assignment brief and easy to understand, and explain the key outputs you expect.
• Match the level of the homework assignment to the level of the role. Unrealistic tasks will only scare people off.
• Don’t request candidates to solve super-specific business problems. Make the assignment generalized, not based on a super specific problem your business is experiencing.
• Give the candidate a chance to show and tell. That way, you get insight into their thought process, presentation skills, and even emotional intelligence when their viewpoint is challenged.

Have a peek at our Test Library for more assignment ideas, and good luck!

Juste loves investigating through writing. A copywriter by trade, she spent the last ten years in startups, telling stories and building marketing teams. She works at Toggl Hire and writes about how businesses can recruit really great people.

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Workload management: How to manage your team's workload

Imagine a team overwhelmed by tasks, facing tight deadlines, and escalating stress—a scenario all too familiar in many workplaces. In such situations, understanding workload management becomes essential. Discover how the right combination of intuitive tools and strategic approaches, like agile methodologies and effective task distribution, can turn this challenging scenario into a story of productivity, balance, and team harmony.

What is workload management?

Workload management is the process of efficiently distributing and managing work across your team. When successfully done, workload management maximizes employee performance and helps melt away chaos, leaving you and your team feeling satisfied at the end of each day rather than overwhelmed . Team members will feel confident about their work volume and deliver higher-quality work at a faster pace.

Why is workload management important?

Recent research shows that 80% of global knowledge workers report feeling overworked and close to burnout . Further, four out of five (82%) employees say they feel less engaged at work when they’re stressed. Workload management enables you to distribute work across your team more effectively, which not only reduces burnout for stressed employees but also prevents them from feeling overworked in the first place. Workload management tools provide real-time insight into the tasks your team has on their plate, so you can manage your team workload effectively and promote balance, not burnout.

The five-step guide to workload management

If you haven’t given much thought to workload management, you’re not alone; the International Institute of Directors and Managers reports that few people are actually trained in this much-needed skill.

The good news is there are tools that can help you keep everyone and everything moving forward simultaneously (see item five below). But in order for a tool to really help you manage your team members’ workloads, you’ll need to make sure some of your other project management skills are in prime shape. Put these five steps into action so you can successfully manage your team’s workload.

1. Figure out your team’s workload and capacity

With your team’s work scattered among multiple different project briefs , plans, and tools, it’s hard to understand just how much total work you all need to tackle. Having that knowledge is key to figuring out how much each team member is doing or what they can take on. You can get past that and figure out what your team’s workload actually is by getting your plans in order:

Put together a full list of projects and processes your team is responsible for. These can be projects your team is driving, or cross-functional work they'll be contributing to.

Determine the scope and timing of work for each. Are these big, complex projects with multiple deliverables or are these smaller in scope? How much of each project or process is your team responsible for?

Break down projects into smaller tasks and workstreams. Once you have a big picture understanding of your team’s work, use a work breakdown structure to break it into smaller chunks so you can know what their weekly or daily loads look like.

Prioritize work based on importance and urgency. This way, you’ll also know what your team needs to tackle first through a needs assessment and can better schedule when you’ll be working on each project.

Knowing how much work you need to tackle is only one half of the equation, though. You’ll also have to know how much bandwidth your team and each individual has. Once you’ve taken into account meetings, vacations, and recurring responsibilities, how much does each team member have left to devote to these projects? Assess each team member’s workload, or ask them to do so for you, to get a sense of what else they can take on.

Workload measuring example:

Your analytics team has to produce nine different reports in Q2. It’s a mix of new reports that will take longer to build, and repeatable ones they already have systems set up for. Before you start assigning them out to individual team members, get an understanding of timing (when does each have to be delivered by), importance (what work is this blocking?), and the amount of time you expect it to take to create each.

Based on this research, you now know how much additional work your analytics team is responsible for. You may have even discovered that it’s too much for your small team’s bandwidth, but knowing that some of the reports are low-priority, you can smartly defer less important requests in favor of more impactful ones.

2. Allocate resources and break down individual workloads

Now that you have an overview of everything your team needs to do, you can now figure out who will be working on what and when. And while assigning out the individual pieces of work may sound straightforward, as the sage folks at the Harvard Business Review report have pointed out, workload management can actually be quite complicated.

Resource allocation can help you effectively identify and assign available resources to an initiative. If you've never tried resource allocation before, use these five tips to keep everyone’s workloads balanced and manageable:

Assign the highest-priority work first. Order your team’s to-do lists and projects in terms of priority, and work on staffing the top priorities first.

Balance start and due dates. Now that you know who will be doing what, start scheduling each task or project. You can also implement time management strategies, like time blocking , to help team members be more intentional about their work.

Make sure you’re matching the right people to each task or project. Take into account their availability, as well as their skill sets and experience.

Include your team in the conversation by asking them what extra bandwidth they believe they have. Not only will they know their own workloads and capacities the best, but they’ll also feel more empowered when you involve them in planning.

Always let someone know why you’re assigning a particular task to them. This is a great way to increase engagement and set expectations from the outset.

Resource allocation example:

You need two people to work on ad designs for an upcoming campaign, and have five people on your team. You could assign the work randomly, but you’ll get better results if you look at team members backgrounds’ (e.g., have they worked on previous campaigns before?), check for any team members who may already be overloaded, then ask your top picks if they feel they have the capacity to take on this new project .

3. Check in with your team members and adjust workloads as needed

Even the best-laid plans and project timelines hit roadblocks, and you’ll need to be prepared to make adjustments in real time before deadlines are missed.

To proactively manage and track each team member's current task list, implement regular 1-1 check-ins as a key part of your workload management strategy. If those check-ins reveal that a team member feels overloaded with responsibilities, check to see who might be able to take on something else.

When you reassign tasks or projects, be sure to communicate with your team about the changes so they understand why they’re now being pulled in a different direction. This can be done via a change control process . Alternatively, consider coaching opportunities to help them become more efficient and organized and always recognize your team members’ hard work.

Check-ins example:

You’ve noticed that two of your account managers are staying late night after night, and another one is emailing you in the wee hours of the morning. This could be a sign they’re overloaded. Schedule check-ins with each person on your team to see where they stand with their work; offer to shift or defer responsibilities if needed; and provide coaching to anyone who reveals a need. If you don’t already, schedule regular check-ins for each team member going forward to avoid similar problems cropping up in the future.

Pro tip: Don’t forget about team culture

In addition to 1-1 check-ins, make sure to save time for team-wide moments of connection and celebration. Whether your team is in the office, distributed , or remote , it’s important to have face time and connect. Depending on the size of your team, consider planning a weekly stand up meeting , a biweekly happy hour, or a larger monthly gathering.

4. Improve team efficiency when workloads are heavy

While you’re mainly focused on the big picture, encourage your team to develop their own system to manage their workload. When there’s a lot to do, it’s important that they’re doing the right things, efficiently.

Suggest time management strategies that fit their individual styles, like timeboxing or time blocking .

Minimize the amount of meetings the team is required to attend. Find new ways to communicate that don’t take as much time.

Help your team understand what project management is and how an organized plan saves time.

Team efficiency example

One of your direct reports always turns in their work early, and through conversations you learn that they have been using some new strategies to work more efficiently. Encourage that person to share their experience with the team, and consider creating a shared space where team members can post time-saving tips as they come across them.

5. Onboard a work management tool

Imagine being able to see everything that’s going on with every project and every team member in one single location . Talk about saving time. Using a work or project management tool does just that.

When you adopt a work management tool, every team member is able to see how their work feeds into larger team and company initiatives. Communication happens within tasks, so finding the information you need takes five seconds instead of five minutes. Timelines keep everyone on track because projects can be viewed individually or together.

Work management tool example:

You’ve loaded all the tasks and steps of your production schedule into a workload management tool, and work is moving smoothly. Because all team members have a view of the status and where they fit in the process, you’re able to avoid conflicts and save time.

Pro tip: Establish team conventions

The best work management tool is one your entire team is using. But it’s important to set team conventions and best practices for using your tool. Not only will that make it easier for your team to adopt your new tool, but it’ll also reduce the barrier to entry, because your team won’t have to worry that they’re using the tool "incorrectly." Your work management tool should have a how-to guide and videos to help you get started—set some time aside to go through those with your team and establish shared conventions.

Common team workload management issues

Effective team workload management is fundamental to project planning , and the first step toward improvement is to identify common issues that affect a team's performance. Uncovering these challenges not only helps with workload balancing but also strengthens team productivity and employee satisfaction. Here are some prevalent workload problems teams face.

Unrealistic expectations

Unrealistic expectations often stem from a disconnect between project schedules and actual team capacity. For instance, setting aggressive deadlines for complex tasks without considering the team's current workload or external dependencies can lead to stress and burnout. This misalignment is common in environments where milestones are prioritized over realistic deadlines.

Introducing workload management software can help in setting more realistic deadlines by providing visibility into team capacity and dependencies.

Uneven workload distribution

Uneven workload distribution occurs when some team members are overloaded while others are underutilized, which can lead to resentment and decreased team morale. 

For instance, if a few team members consistently handle the majority of important tasks, it might indicate a need for better workload balancing. Tools like Gantt charts and task management software can aid in identifying and correcting these imbalances.

Under-resourcing

Under-resourcing occurs when there's a gap between the workload and the resources available, including personnel, tools, or time, to complete the task at hand. For instance, expecting a small team to handle a large volume of project tasks without appropriate workload management software or sufficient time can lead to missed deadlines and decreased quality of work.

This calls for effective resource management and capacity planning to ensure that teams have what they need to manage their workload efficiently.

Over-demanding work culture

An over-demanding work culture often prioritizes quantity over quality, expecting team members to multitask extensively. This can be seen in environments where back-to-back team meetings, constant multitasking, and long hours are the norm. 

This often leads to decreased team productivity and a negative impact on overall team morale. However, emphasizing well-being and incorporating time tracking can help create a more balanced environment.

Effective workload management tips

Maximizing the full potential of your team requires more than just identifying issues; it demands practical solutions. Integrating tools for managing workloads, along with practical strategies, makes for a supportive and productive workplace. 

Prioritize and set realistic deadlines: Use workload management software to categorize your team’s tasks and subtasks by urgency and importance. This ensures alignment with team capacity and project milestones.

Introduce agile methodologies: Adopting agile practices like scrum or Kanban can improve any team’s workload management process. These methodologies help team leaders regularly reassess workloads and ensure tasks are distributed based on goals and resources.

Implement effective resource management: Ensure all necessary resources are available for efficient task list completion and to avoid bottlenecks in project planning.

Foster open communication: Encourage regular team meetings and open dialogues to discuss workload distribution, dependencies, and over-demanding tasks. Effective communication helps maintain a healthy work-life balance and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Integrate automation and project management tools: Streamline workflow with automation and use project management software to optimize team productivity. To-do lists and automated reminders can be effective in keeping the team focused and organized.

Monitor and adjust workloads regularly: Use time tracking and workload management software to measure and adjust the team's workload so that tasks align with project goals and schedules.

Encourage a culture of well-being: Promote a work culture that values team members' well-being , sets boundaries for work hours, and prioritizes tasks without compromising personal time.

FAQ: Workload management 

How can i manage conflicting deadlines and priorities.

Workload management isn’t always as smooth as we’d like it to be. Sometimes the team members who are best suited for a project are already busy with another, equally high-priority initiative. Sometimes, your entire team is in crunch mode, and it’s hard to imagine adding more work to their plates. While there may not always be a perfect answer, knowing your team’s workload in advance can help you anticipate these resourcing problems and address them before they hit.

For example, if you know there’s an upcoming, high-priority deliverable with a short turnaround time, can you shift lower-priority work earlier or later in the month? When you have a window into your team’s bandwidth, you’re better equipped to help them manage their workload—both in the near and long term.

How can I empower my team to be more effective and efficient?

Efficient teams do things right, whereas effective teams do the right thing. Ideally, you want to empower your team to be both efficient and effective in order to ensure they’re doing the right thing.

If you don’t already, make sure everyone on your team is using the same work management tool so they have clarity on who’s doing what by when. Your work management tool should also easily integrate with your favorite business tools, so your team spends less time switching between apps and digging through spreadsheets and more time on their high-impact work. And of course, look for a work management tool that has a built-in workload management component, so you can track team workload right where work happens.

What are the strategies for managing workload?

Workload management strategies include task list prioritization, effective delegation, setting realistic deadlines, conducting regular team meetings, and adopting agile methodologies. These strategies collectively contribute to optimizing team efficiency and enhancing project management.

How do you track and manage workload?

Tracking and managing workload effectively generally requires workload management software that monitors your team’s tasks, sets deadlines, and assesses team capacity. Regularly reviewing and adjusting workloads based on project schedules, milestones, and team feedback is also important for maintaining balance and ensuring efficient task completion.

Set your team up for success

Are you feeling empowered to improve your time and workload management skills ? Remember, workload management is all about efficiently assigning work, managing those tasks, and updating stakeholders on your projects. The tips we’ve outlined above, combined with a work management tool like Asana , can help you sort through conflicting deadlines and priorities to manage your team’s heavy workload.

Related resources

30-60-90 day plan: How to onboard new hires with ease

15 types of employee performance reviews

What is self-management? (7 skills to improve it)

Don’t like giving feedback? These 20 tips are for you

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Work assignments Crossword Clue

Work assignments NYT Crossword Clue Answers are listed below. Did you came up with a solution that did not solve the clue? No worries we keep a close eye on all the clues and update them regularly with the correct answers.

WORK ASSIGNMENTS Crossword Answer

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of assignment in English

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• It was a jammy assignment - more of a holiday really.
• He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
• His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
• She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
• He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
• act as something
• all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
• be at work idiom
• be in work idiom
• housekeeping
• in the line of duty idiom
• undertaking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

assignment | American Dictionary

Assignment | business english, examples of assignment, collocations with assignment.

These are words often used in combination with assignment .

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

Translations of assignment

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multitasking

a person's or product's ability to do more than one thing at a time

Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)

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Free Schedule Templates

Free schedule templates you can use to organize your tasks, assignments, and other activities.

Word • PDF • Excel

Schedule Templates

Schedule templates are designed to help you plan your time better — your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks and activities.

We divided these templates into Work and Non-work schedule templates. Therefore, you can track both your job tasks and the activities outside your work hours.

In case you want to share these templates with your colleagues, your partner, or friends, you can use the Google Sheets and Google Docs versions of the schedules.

On the other hand, if you'd like to download these templates to your computer, feel free to use the Word and Excel versions.

Finally, if you prefer paper to online formats, bear in mind that you can download each of these schedules as a PDF, and then print them out.

WORK SCHEDULE TEMPLATES

• 01. Work from home schedule template
• 02. Weekly work from home schedule template
• 03. Daily work from home schedule template
• 04. Weekly assignments schedule template
• 05. Daily assignments schedule template
• 06. Yearly time off schedule template
• 07. Weekly meetings schedule

NON-WORK SCHEDULE TEMPLATES

• 08. Monthly household chores template
• 09. Weekly household chores schedule template
• 10. Monthly workout schedule template
• 11. Weekly workout schedule template
• 12. Monthly budget schedule template
• 13. Weekly meal planning schedule template
• 14. Daily meal planning schedule template
• 15. Travel schedule template

Work schedule templates

We created these free work schedule templates to help you be more productive and efficient with your work tasks.

You'll notice that some templates cover your daily, weekly, and monthly assignments, while other templates only provide you with one type of assignment.

That's because some types of schedules demand more details, such as the Work from home template — which is why this one has both the daily and weekly versions.

Work from home schedule template

When working from home, you often have to deal with many distractions, either coming from your neighborhood, from the people you live with, or your pets.

One of the best ways to avoid all these interruptions and get back on track with your work is to follow your schedule .

Here are two Work from home schedule templates you can use to organize your workday — or workweek, if that suits you better.

Weekly work from home schedule template

The Weekly work from home schedule template breaks down each day into three sections: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening.

Furthermore, there's a Weekly work checklist, and Meetings/calls section.

If you enjoy having an overview of your weekly tasks, this template will suit you, especially if you have flexible working hours . In this case, you'll be able to choose the time of day for your job assignments, then figure out when you'll fit in your home chores or meal preps.

Of course, even if you have fixed working hours, this template will help you make an 8-hour workday schedule that suits your needs.

To use it properly, you should fill this template out either on Sunday afternoon/Monday morning or note down new tasks every day.

Start by choosing the time of the day for each assignment during the week.

To ensure you'll get the most out of every workday, keep in mind your circadian rhythm — leave the most complex tasks for the time of the day when you're most alert. Then, be sure to add all your significant weekly tasks to the Weekly work checklist, as well as jot down all your weekly meetings and calls.

We hope that the Work from home weekly schedule template will help you finish your job tasks on time.

Once again, remember to take frequent breaks in between assignments.

⬇️ GET Weekly work from home schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly work from home schedule template (Google Docs)

Daily work from home schedule template

The Daily work from home schedule template ensures you stay on track with all your daily tasks. This template breaks down your day into hourly segments. In addition, there's a valuable section called the Daily work checklist, where you can input all the most crucial activities/tasks of the day. Moreover, there's a To-do list for tomorrow, which you can fill out at the end of each day.

Anyone working from home can surely benefit from using this template. We suggest opening this template first thing in the morning.

Make sure to note down your most vital tasks and activities in the Daily work checklist section. Next, write down your meetings of the day. Once you do that, you'll have a better idea of when you'll be free to deal with your significant assignments. Don't forget to include breaks throughout the day, too.

Finally, to avoid working overtime, you should note down all the tasks for tomorrow in the To-do list for tomorrow.

⬇️ GET Daily work from home schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Daily work from home schedule template (Google Docs)

Assignments schedule template

We created two types of templates that allow you to keep track of your assignments:

• Weekly assignments schedule, and
• Daily assignments schedule.

Weekly assignments schedule template

The Weekly assignments schedule is quite straightforward — there's a simple table where you can add tasks for each day of the week. In addition, we included the Task deadlines section and Reminders.

If you're looking for an easy way to keep a record of all your weekly assignments, this template will fit your needs.

We suggest filling it out at the beginning of a week.

Of course, if there are any unexpected tasks throughout the week, be sure to add them to the Weekly assignments schedule.

Now, this template also ensures that you complete all your tasks before the deadline, which is why we encourage you to enter your tasks' deadlines in the middle section.

Furthermore, there's the Reminders section, where you can add any important reminders or notes for your weekly assignments.

⬇️ GET Weekly assignments schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly assignments schedule template (Google Docs)

Daily assignments schedule template

The Daily assignments schedule is a template that helps you figure out your top 3 priorities of the day. Moreover, since this template contains The Eisenhower Matrix technique section, it allows you to distinguish between important/not important, and urgent/not urgent assignments.

This template is practical because it ensures that you deal with your tasks according to their urgency and importance.

Once you fill out the Eisenhower Matrix technique section, simply scroll down to the hourly table and choose time blocks for these assignments.

Finally, don't forget to enter some vital tasks for tomorrow.

⬇️ GET Daily assignments schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Daily assignments schedule template (Google Docs)

Yearly time off schedule template

The Yearly time off schedule template allows you to keep track of your time off throughout the year. In this template, we covered several vital categories of time off, such as paid vacation, sick leave, earned days, and others.

Also, there are three important sections for each type of time off: Consumed days, Available days, and Balance.

So, how to use the Yearly time off template?

It couldn't be simpler.

First, enter the balance for each type of time off. For particular types, such as sick leave, you may not have a balance, but for paid vacation, you definitely will.

Then, whenever you receive approval to take time off for any reason, just enter the number of days in the proper row (the type of time off) and in the right column (the current month).

Next, the template will automatically calculate the number of Consumed days (for each type of time off) and the number of Available days left.

Thus, you'll have a better idea of how many days off you've used so far and how many there are left by the end of the year.

⬇️ GET Yearly time off schedule template (Google Sheets)

Weekly meetings schedule

The Weekly meetings schedule is suitable for those of you who have meetings every day. With this template, you'll be able to keep track of all your meetings. In addition, you can add any significant details, such as meeting agenda, topic, and start and end time.

The Weekly meetings schedule covers five days of the week. To make the most of this template, you should open it at the beginning of the week and enter all your weekly meetings. Be sure to include details such as where meetings take place or the links to online calls.

To ensure that you're fully prepared for any meeting, add its topic and agenda, if needed.

Then, once the meeting starts, you can follow its agenda, but also write notes in the Important notes section.

⬇️ GET Weekly meetings schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly meetings schedule template (Google Docs)

Non-work schedule templates

Apart from templates for organizing your job tasks, meetings, and time off, we created some non-work schedules you can use for free, too.

Here's the list of the templates you can use for planning your time outside of work:

• Household chores schedule,
• Workout schedule,
• Budget schedule,
• Travel schedule, and
• Meal prep schedule.

Household chores schedule template

We made two types of household chores templates:

• Monthly household chores, and
• Weekly household chores schedule template.

Monthly household chores template

The Monthly household chores template helps you deal with all your errands around the house. This template covers a weekly breakdown of chores, but also some additional ones that you do once a month.

You can add your typical weekly chores.

Plus, you can add the names of the people in charge of these errands, which comes in handy if you share your household chores with your partner, roommate, or family members.

There's a column called Additional monthly chores, where you can enter some of the errands you deal with every month. For example, cleaning/vacuuming furniture or cleaning windows.

Moreover, we included another section for all the outdoor chores, which comes in handy if you live in a house. To make sure you won't forget any outside-the-house monthly errands, be sure to add them to this list.

⬇️ GET Monthly household chores schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Monthly household chores schedule template (Google Docs)

Weekly household chores schedule template

The Weekly household chores schedule template allows you to keep an eye on all your household chores during the week. We included a separate schedule for each day, along with Before work and After work columns, so that you can plan your errands accordingly.

In addition, we added the Who's in charge column to this template, too.

Since this template covers seven days, you can enter all your weekly errands at the beginning of the week.

Then, simply add the name of the person in charge of every chore.

Once you or your family members finish a specific errand, just put a checkmark next to it.

Also, during the workweek, you can decide whether you'll deal with these chores before or after work.

And, on weekends, you can choose whether you'll complete your errands in the morning or afternoon.

We didn't include evenings on weekends, because you should have some time to relax on Saturdays and Sundays.

Finally, this template contains the Shopping list — so, whenever you remember you need to buy milk or anything else, note it down here.

⬇️ GET Weekly household chores schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly household chores schedule template (Google Docs)

Workout schedule template

The Workout schedule template allows you to organize your exercise routine.

No matter whether you prefer working out in a gym or from home, you'll surely find our monthly and weekly workout templates useful.

Monthly workout schedule template

The Monthly workout schedule template ensures you stay consistent with your monthly workout targets. Setting such long-term goals is vital because it gives you a clearer picture of what you want to achieve. Thus, when you have a monthly target, you'll be able to make weekly plans. This will also help you plan your days accordingly.

That's why the Monthly workout schedule template contains the Overall goal field. So, your goal can be losing weight, improving your physical condition, or anything else. Just remember that goals should be challenging enough, you don't want objectives that are too easy or too difficult to achieve.

Now, how can you use this template?

Once you adopt your monthly objectives, you should decide what types of exercises will get you closer to your goal.

Then, choose how frequently you'll do such types of workouts.

Also, whether you'll do your exercises with or without equipment is up to you, and you can add these details to your schedule, too.

If you haven't been working out before, or you've taken a longer break, please make sure you consult your fitness instructor first. This way, you'll be sure your workout plan is suitable for you, and you'll avoid any injuries.

⬇️ GET Monthly workout schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Monthly workout schedule template (Google Docs)

Weekly workout schedule template

Apart from the Monthly workout schedule template, we also created the one for your weekly plans. First, you can plan your monthly routine, then use the Weekly workout schedule template to add more details.

As you can see, the Weekly workout schedule template covers several workout categories:

• HIIT (high-intensity interval training), and
• Yoga/stretching.

Depending on your monthly goals, you should choose the frequency of each category. Of course, you don't have to include all these categories in your workout plans, just the ones that will help you move towards your monthly objective.

Next, think of the best days for each type of exercise, as well as the time of the day.

Then, decide on the duration of your workout sessions.

This template also allows you to add links for workout videos you'd like to try, but also links for playlists. There's no doubt that music can help us stay motivated — so be sure to add your favorite tunes to this column.

Finally, remember that rest days are just as important as the days you exercise. Therefore, note down the days you'll spend resting.

⬇️ GET Weekly workout schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly workout schedule template (Google Docs)

Monthly budget schedule template

The Monthly budget schedule template is designed to help you keep an eye on your expenses . In addition, this template includes a Savings column — to remind you to save some money for rainy days.

To make the most of our Monthly budget template, make sure you add the Starting budget.

Then, write down all the expenses you have during a month, such as rent, utilities, and other similar costs.

To ensure you'll pay all these expenses on time, there's the Due date column, too.

The template automatically calculates the total sum of your monthly costs, which can be pretty convenient.

Furthermore, to ensure that you'll put aside some part of your monthly income into your savings account, we included the Savings column. Thus, you can note down the amount you'd like to save from each paycheck.

⬇️ GET Monthly budget schedule template (Google Sheets)

Meal planning schedule template

Meal planning can be such a bummer, especially on days when you have too much work to do. Instead of figuring out what you'll have for each meal of the day, try organizing your meals for an entire week. Then, simply follow this routine throughout the week.

To make your life easier, we created two meal planning schedule templates:

Weekly meal planning schedule template

Daily meal planning schedule template.

The Weekly meal planning schedule template allows you to create a healthy meal plan for an entire week. You can write down your ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

As you can see, the Weekly meal planning schedule template covers seven days and four meals for each day. We suggest filling this template out on weekends, so that you'll have enough time for shopping.

If you're usually swamped with work during a workweek, you can make a couple of meals on weekends and store them in a freezer.

Another practical option this template offers is the Ingredients to buy list, where you can note down everything you need for meal prep.

⬇️ GET Weekly meal planning schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Weekly meal planning schedule template (Google Docs)

Our Daily meal planning schedule template is more detailed than the weekly one. The Daily meal planning schedule template covers categories such as Preparation time, Ingredients, and Recipes.

This template helps you have a clearer understanding of how long each meal preparation will take. Therefore, you can easily adjust your meal preps with your work and other daily activities.

Moreover, with this template, you'll be able to write down all the ingredients of your meals, as well as add recipes.

⬇️ GET Daily meal planning schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Daily meal planning schedule template (Google Docs)

Travel schedule template

Do you enjoy traveling?

If so, our Travel schedule template will help you keep all the valuable information about your trip in one place.

This template covers categories such as Places to see, Tickets to buy, and Don't forget to pack.

Thus, you can write down all the attractions and spots you'd like to visit during your stay.

If you need to buy tickets for museums, galleries, monuments, or simply public transportation for that destination, be sure to add all the details to this template.

And, if you can make an online purchase, just add the link next to your list.

Finally, this template reminds you to pack the most crucial things, like money, passport, and medications. So, make sure you go through this list before your trip.

Of course, you don't have to plan everything ahead, leave some days open for any activity that comes your way. After all, this is how you make the best memories.

⬇️ GET Travel schedule template (Google Sheets)

⬇️ GET Travel schedule template (Google Docs)

Schedule projects and teams with Clockify

Aside from our Schedule templates, you can also use Clockify to schedule your projects and employees . This feature especially comes in handy for managers because they need to effectively schedule employee work time to ensure that all team members meet their deadlines.

The scheduling option in Clockify allows you to plan both projects and teams.

Here's how you can use Project scheduling with this Clockify option:

• Add a new project by clicking on the button on the left corner. Clockify will automatically load that project and show you all the tasks under that project name. You can add a milestone by clicking anywhere on the timeline. You can easily edit your milestones, drag-and-drop them, or change their names.
• You can add more team members to the project and create new assignments. To make sure nobody's swamped with work, Clockify will show users who are over their capacity.

In addition, you can zoom in and out to take a better look at assignments. Moreover, you can have an overview of the total hours assigned for each project.

When it comes to team schedules, Clockify also helps you see who's overbooked and who's available.

With Team scheduling, you can:

• Add new members. Clockify will then automatically load all the assignments of these users.
• Edit user's capacity by clicking on the three dots next to the user's name. This will give you a clue whether users are at their maximum capacity (Full), or they have several hours available for new tasks (Xh open), or if users are over their capacity for the day (Xh over).

This way, managers are able to assign new tasks to the right people and ensure that everyone has an equal amount of work during the week.

Start tracking time with Clockify

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20 Best Task Management Software Tools to Elevate Your Workflows [2024 Edition]

Sarah Burner

ClickUp Contributor

March 30, 2024

Is your personal or team workload spiraling out of control? We’ve all been there! What’s worse is the anxiety-inducing feeling of dread that follows when you have a bunch of unattended tasks, gradually leading to a lack of motivation . In fact, recent research reveals that 41% of workers find heavy workloads to be the main cause of workplace stress. 😖

However, more often than not, it’s not the amount of work that makes you or your employees feel overwhelmed—it’s poor task management. For instance, setting unreasonable deadlines or delegating tasks without considering team availability may lead people to burnout faster than you can blink. 

Luckily, using the right task management software can help you prevent this chaos! We’re here to introduce you to the 20 best task management software that can assist you in assigning tasks and optimizing priorities effectively in 2024. Learn about their key features, limitations, and pricing before you pick your ideal task manager tool. 🌻

What Should You Look for in a Task Management Tool?

• 1. ClickUp—best overall project & task management software

2. Asana—best for remote teams

3. jira—best for experienced professionals, 4. monday.com—best for marketing and pmo teams, 5. trello—best for small teams, 6. hive—best task management software for team collaboration, 7. meistertask—best for kanban task management, 8. ntask—best task management software for scheduling, 9. zenhub—best for software teams, 10. zoho projects—best for complex project management, 11. activecollab—best for personalized task management experience, 12. wrike—best for workflow management, 13. todoist—best for teams on a budget, 14. proofhub—best for task tracking, 15. smarttask—best for managing multiple projects, 16. hubspot (hubspot task management)—best for crm tasks, 17. paymo—best for client tasks and bookings, 18. timecamp—best for time tracking and billing tasks, 19. any.do—best for creating to-do lists, 20. smartsheet—best for spreadsheet-style task management.

Task management software helps identify, monitor, and manage tasks efficiently . It goes beyond a simple to-do list and offers features to let you collaborate on elaborate workflows for effective goal completion .

Naturally, the best task management software allows you to set deadlines, prioritize tasks , track progress, and adjust schedules with ease. Other useful functionalities include:

• Flexibility: A good task management software has a user-friendly interface and runs smoothly on all major operating systems across devices, allowing you more control over your work
• Time tracking: Choose a task management solution that lets you improve your time management through seamless time tracking
• Task automation: The best task management software lets you automate recurring admin tasks, leaving everyone more time to focus on cognitively demanding, high-level assignments
• Communication support: If you’re running a team, look for a tool that supports productive task-related discussions, file sharing, and instant announcements
• Reporting and analytics: Quality task management software provides reporting features to record and analyze information (like clock-in/clock-out data, absence, and overtime hours) for productivity analysis, invoicing, and payroll management
• Integration with other tools: Pick a task management system that integrates with other software you use, like messaging apps , project management software , and writing assistants

20 Best Task Management Software for Balanced Task Planning and Execution

There are tons of task management apps available on the market, but they’re not all cut from the same cloth—for instance, some are versatile tools, while others focus on specific functions like task dependencies.

We’ve chosen the 20 best task management software to help you find the perfect app for your business needs. These are expert-vetted options, cherry-picked after considering criteria like feature set and affordability.

Let’s dive in! 🧐

1. ClickUp —best overall project & task management software

Why end with a bang when we can start with one? 💥

Introducing ClickUp —the best task management solution for individuals, professionals, and teams. It’s not just us; even G2 considers it to be the best-rated task management and team task management software , ranking it #1 in 15+ competitive categories in 2024!

What makes ClickUp click is its AI-enabled, end-to-end support for managing tasks and priorities, monitoring progress, and staying productive.

Leverage ClickUp Tasks for task planning, scheduling, and tracking within a centralized hub. Easily categorize team tasks by type, set Custom Task Status from To Do to Done , and use Custom Fields to set deadlines, add assignees, and track details. For each task assignment, you can: 

• Add links and comments to centralize contextual knowledge and discussions
• Specify task dependencies, subtasks, and checklists
• Use @mentions and action items to delegate tasks and share updates

ClickUp’s Calendar View comes with drag-and-drop capabilities for granular task planning. You can also ClickUp’s Recurring Tasks to schedule routine stuff, like meetings and sprint retrospectives, and visualize or adjust your day-to-day on the Calendar.

Stay on top of task lists with ClickUp Reminders that you can create from any task comments or notifications and manage seamlessly from any device.

Prefer a visual task manager? ClickUp’s got you! This adaptable task management software offers 15+ Views for managing tasks on Kanban boards, sorting tasks in the List view, or visualizing timelines with colorful Gantt charts. 🌈

And, if you’re dealing with an overwhelming workload, identify what to prioritize and deprioritize using ClickUp Task Priorities and its color-coded tags. You can also lighten the workload for your employees with ClickUp Automatons , which lets you automate time-consuming tasks like checking emails or organizing documents.

Embrace stress-free productivity with ClickUp Brain and pre-made templates

Beyond tracking and prioritizing tasks, ClickUp also lends a hand with Project Management . For instance, you can employ ClickUp Brain , the platform’s AI assistant, to automate project summaries, task planning, and task standups and updates.

ClickUp Brain is a neural network connecting your tasks, documents, and discussions on the platform—it helps you extract and summarize information and action items through simple prompts and questions.

Take your productivity to new heights with numerous customizable ClickUp templates to help you standardize task assignments immediately! The ClickUp Task Management Template is a great starting point. With this template, you can organize your tasks into Lists like Action Items , Ideas , and Backlog for easier navigation and open separate views to track assignments by department or priority label. 🚩

ClickUp best features

• 1,000+ templates to kickstart skillful task management
• Supports time tracking and time blocking
• ClickUp Dashboards for real-time task tracking and productivity metrics
• ClickUp Goals to set measurable task KPIs
• Task Checklist feature for easy to-do list creation
• Multiple project views like List, Table, and Timeline
• Custom task statuses to complement your workflow
• A Bulk Action Toolbar to edit multiple tasks at once
• Automates recurring, error-prone tasks
• Built-in task prioritization levels  
• Universal Search and Tags to access tasks quickly
• Supports task generation directly from ClickUp Docs and Whiteboards
• Integrates with 1,000+ apps like Slack, Gmail, Zoom, Outlook, and HubSpot
• Dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android
• Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Built-in chat and file-sharing options for task collaboration
• Easy-to-use, no-code interface

ClickUp limitations

• It takes time to explore all its task management features
• A dedicated subtask reporting feature would be a great add-on

ClickUp pricing

• Free Forever
• Unlimited: $7/month per user
• Business: $12/month per user
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing
• ClickUp AI: Add to any paid plan for $5 per member per month

*All listed prices refer to the yearly billing model

ClickUp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (4,000+ reviews)

Asana is an online task management software that lets you document all assignments in one location. Like ClickUp, Asana makes creating tasks a breeze. Add task descriptions in the form of bulleted lists, embed files to add context, set due dates, and add assignees in a few clicks. You can also create subtasks, identify blockers, and quickly streamline approvals on task changes.

This quality task management software features a My Tasks list , which helps you prioritize work by auto-promoting tasks based on due dates.

What makes Asana stand out among its alternatives is the Workflow Builder feature , which allows you to create workflows without coding, helping you automate routine tasks and expedite projects. You can even track the same task across departments to avoid work duplication.⚡

Asana is a collaborative task management tool —it lets you communicate with your team directly within the app, encouraging cross-functional collaboration . For added transparency, add relevant collaborators to your team’s tasks to keep them updated on progress.

Asana best features

• Templates for task management
• Remote-friendly collaboration tools
• Zero-code workflow builder
• Search and filtering options for simpler navigation
• Integrates with apps like Slack and Dropbox
• Mobile app for Android and iOS

Asana limitations

• May be challenging to implement for large teams
• Storage and collaboration features could use improvement

Asana pricing

• Personal: Free forever
• Starter: $10.99/month per user
• Advanced: $24.99/month per user

Asana ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (9,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (12,000+ reviews)

While not as beginner-friendly as most alternatives due to its complex features, Jira is a popular task management software option among seasoned professionals in industries like IT, finance, marketing, and HR. It was first launched by Atlassian as an issue-tracking tool for software developers but has branched out to become a useful tool for project managers and task managers alike.

Jira is a handy tool for agile project management , allowing teams to break a complex project into manageable sprints . Its multiple views, like boards and timelines, help track sprint tasks and identify roadblocks to ensure continuous improvement .

Jira also supports team collaboration by allowing members to brainstorm and exchange task information across departments through shared workflows.

Jira, like ClickUp , lets you update task statuses in real time, while its automaton feature helps you run manual actions in the background. Plus, project managers can automate work using its numerous task management templates . 😀

Jira best features

• Workflow automation support
• Multiple task views for agile teams
• Templates for niches like human resources , marketing, and IT
• Integrates with Atlassian Work Management and other popular apps
• Task management apps for Android and iOS

Jira limitations

• The system can be slow at times
• The user interface and dashboard design could be improved

Jira pricing

• Free: Up to 10 users
• Standard: $8.15/month per user
• Premium: $16/month per user
• Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing

Jira ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (5,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (13,000+ reviews)

Check out these Jira alternatives !

Using Monday.com to manage tasks can make Mondays less dreadful! This simple task management software provides all key features, from multiple task views to task templates, that you’d find in most Monday alternatives .

Still, Monday.com stands out with its smooth interface . Its Work Management feature lets you create no-code workflows. Even project managers enjoy an intuitive layout that allows them to make informed decisions by accessing quick overviews of task progress on a dashboard. 📈

Monday.com allows you to organize workspaces into projects with individual tasks and subtasks, complete with color-coding options to help you track task priorities and statuses easily.

The software offers specific task management features for marketing and PMO teams . For example, marketing teams can benefit from key features like brand asset management , robust Gantt charts, and campaign tracking . Meanwhile, PMO teams rely on features for monitoring OKRs , identifying dependencies, and tracking time for future task planning.

Overall, it’s a well-rounded task management tool—quite similar to ClickUp and Plaky in terms of design and feature set.

Monday.com best features

• Includes 200+ automation options
• Color-coded task statuses and priority levels
• User-friendly 
• No-code workflows setup
• Offers a mobile app for iOS and Android
• Integrates with over 200 apps

Monday.com limitations

• The initial setup tends to be overwhelming
• Some users struggle with custom reminders and experience delays in notifications

Monday.com pricing

• Free: Up to two users
• Basic: $9/month per user
• Standard: $12/month per user
• Pro: $19/month per user

Monday.com ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (10,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)

If you’re a fan of Kanban boards, you’ll have a blast using Trello. This task management software is all about moving tasks like sticky notes on a drag-and-drop Kanban board for easier status tracking.

Individuals can use it to create personalized task lists, while team members can rely on advanced checklists to add context to tasks by adding due dates and assignees. 

This software supports task prioritization through labels like high, medium, or low priority—filter the labels to access a specific batch of tasks . It also has a no-code automation tool called Butler, which lets you create rules, buttons, and commands to automate select recurring tasks.

Trello lets you view your tasks on calendars, timelines, and neatly organized tables, which is often more than enough to manage workloads in a smaller team. However, if you’re running a larger team that may prefer more flexibility and a wider variety of project views, Trello alternatives with enterprise features may be a better option.

Trello best features

• Butler—a no-code automation tool
• Kanban-based task tracking software
• Includes checklists, calendars, and timelines
• Color coding helps prioritize tasks
• Android and iOS mobile apps

Trello limitations

• Gets costly as users increase in number
• May not support complex project management

Trello pricing

• Standard: $5/month per user
• Premium: $10/month per user
• Enterprise: $17.5/month per user

Trello ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (13,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (23,000+ reviews)

Hive is an all-encompassing project management software that provides any hybrid team with a task management platform to:

• Assign, track, and execute tasks together, regardless of location
• Monitor upcoming tasks across departments
• Collaborate async or live with Hive Notes and Text and Voice Chat

This software lets you observe your tasks from multiple angles . For example, use the Portfolio view to get a detailed overview of tasks across projects or the Label view to categorize subtasks. Focus better by activating the My Actions view to display your task assignments in a concentrated way. 

Rely on key features like task status to easily track progress, templates to customize project layouts, and notifications to never miss a beat.

Plus, Hive offers Workflows App —a no-code task automation tool to help you cut down on manual labor and design personalized automated workflows. 

Like ClickUp, Hive supports project collaboration by letting teammates communicate across projects by leaving comments on action cards or tagging team members.

Hive best features

• Collaborative task management tool
• Supports individual, group, or project discussions
• AI assistant ( HiveMind ) and templates to support standard tasks
• My Actions view tracks all the tasks assigned to you 
• Includes a no-code task automation tool
• Integrates with Dropbox and Google Drive

Hive limitations

• The mobile app has limited functionality
• UX may get compromised with many collaborators

Hive pricing

• Starter: $5/month per user
• Teams: $12/month per user

Hive ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (500+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)

Check out these Hive alternatives !

Most alternatives to MeisterTask include Kanban boards as one of their key features. However, MeisterTask excels as Kanban-based task management software because of how user-friendly and intuitive it is. 😻

It provides customizable Kanban-style boards that let you organize and monitor task cards to mark if they’re In Progress , Done , or on the To Do list. These boards keep your work centralized and let you communicate effectively through task comments.

You can mention teammates in the comments, add them as project watchers, and assign them tasks directly from the board. Activate real-time notifications to keep everyone in the loop about the latest project updates.

Besides collaborative boards, the software offers personal pinboards called Agendas, where you can organize all the tasks assigned to you, as well as access additional details like due dates and important files faster.

MeisterTask best features

• Easy-to-use Kanban boards for organizing tasks
• Can serve as a personal task management software
• Task-related collaboration through comments
• Dashboards to track upcoming tasks, time-tracking data, and notifications
• Lets you automate recurring tasks
• iOS and Android mobile apps

MeisterTask limitations

• The software could benefit from adding a workflow calendar to its features
• Notifications may be delayed on mobile devices

MeisterTask pricing

• Basic: Free
• Pro: $6.50/month per user

MeisterTask ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,000+ reviews)

nTask serves as a central hub for tracking and scheduling tasks . Use it’s task scheduling software to assign project tasks or entire task lists to your teammates and set real-time notifications to ensure no action remains overlooked.

Its robust time-tracking capabilities can help you monitor time spent on tasks and estimate the amount of time you’ll need for future tasks and projects. 

nTask is a visual task management tool —it lets you plan and prioritize tasks, manage interconnected delivery timelines, and visualize projects with color-coded Gantt charts. Plan your projects easily by creating tasks and adding descriptions and assignees.

Schedule tasks by setting planned and actual due dates and creating task dependencies and milestones to ensure timely completion. Then, set priorities and track their progress using custom statuses.

nTask best features

• Offers multiple project views (board, grid, list, and calendar)
• Comprehensive task tracking
• Visual task management and task scheduling through Gantt charts
• Recurring tasks feature with daily, weekly, or monthly repeats
• Integrates with 1,000+ tools like Apple Calendar, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams
• Android and iOS support

nTask limitations

• Attaching documents and photos may be challenging
• User interface could be more intuitive

nTask pricing

• Premium: $3/month per user
• Business: $8/month per user

nTask ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (10+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)

ZenHub is a project management solution that primarily caters to software development teams. It provides a native GitHub integration via a browser extension for Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. This helps reduce context switching by keeping project tasks connected with GitHub code. 

Plus, ZenHub offers automatic task updates as users complete issues in GitHub, streamlining task completion by eliminating manual status check-ins from your team’s to-do list. There are also automated hand-offs to update all connected workspaces.

This online task management and software development tool brings tasks together on intuitive, drag-and-drop Kanban boards , allowing you to view all current tasks and their status.

Use these boards to prioritize tasks, track projects, and attach pull requests to corresponding issues. Group related issues into Epics or connect various private and public GitHub repos to a single board. 👨‍🏫

Additionally, ZenHub offers sprint planning features, making it a handy tool for agile teams . It lets you set automated sprint cycles, auto-generate new sprints with prioritized and unfinished tasks, and receive periodical reports on progress.

ZenHub best features

• Various key features for agile teams
• Native GitHub integration
• Provides spring planning and tracking
• Boards for easy task management 
• Automate repetitive tasks and hand-offs
• Acts as a visual task management tool with roadmaps and timelines
• Integrates with Figma, Miro, and Loom

ZenHub limitations

• Steep learning curve
• The interface may be challenging to navigate

ZenHub pricing

• Free: 14-day free trial
• For Teams: $8.33/month per user (annual billing)
• For Enterprises: Contact sales for pricing

ZenHub ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (30+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (30+ reviews)

Zoho Projects is a project management software with features such as issue tracking, team monitoring , project timesheets, and resource utilization charts. It helps you manage projects in industries like marketing, construction, IT, and consulting.

It also offers a comprehensive toolset for task management that assists you in breaking projects down into milestones, task lists, and subtasks for simpler tracking.

This task management platform is all about details—each task can have attributes like assignees, work hours, priorities, and reminders. Use timesheets and timers to record time spent on each task.

Like many Zoho alternatives , this tool simplifies task organization by providing Kanban-style boards with drag-and-drop task cards and flexible statuses. As for planning and tracking, use Gantt charts to identify your team’s tasks, set dependencies, and monitor deadlines to ensure everything is done on time. ⌛

The software lets you schedule tasks on a calendar, which provides an overview of team members’ capacity. That way, you enjoy balanced task planning and avoid the risk of team burnout. 

Zoho Projects best features

• Quick-access Gantt charts
• Supports versatile task management use cases
• Highly customizable workflows
• Easy task scheduling on calendars
• Integrates with various Zoho, Google, and Microsoft apps 
• Task management apps (iOS 9.0+ and Android 4.1+)

Zoho Projects limitations

• Initial setup may be challenging
• Software customization can be time-consuming 

Zoho Projects pricing

• Free: Up to three users
• Premium: $4/month per user
• Enterprise: $9/month per user

Zoho Projects ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (300+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (400+ reviews)

ActiveCollab is all about increasing productivity and meeting deadlines. The tool lets you add due dates, assignees, and detailed task descriptions. Break down complex actions into subtasks, ensuring all assigned tasks get done as planned. You can also:

• Group tasks based on different criteria
• Duplicate repetitive tasks

This online task management software offers three project views to choose from, which is less than what ActiveCollab alternatives typically offer. Still, it includes frequently used views—the Kanban board, Gantt chart, and List view. 📝

ActiveCollab helps you reduce manual labor by automating recurring tasks. And, if you need to ensure actions are completed in a fixed order, just create dependencies between multiple tasks.

ActiveCollab stresses the importance of a personal task manager —it provides a My Work page where you can find and organize your task assignments by project or due date. 

This page also serves as your personal timesheet, offering an overview of all your time records. You can revisit your activity in terms of the comments posted, tasks created or closed, or due dates modified.

ActiveCollab best features

• Excellent personal task management software
• Automation for repetitive tasks
• Dependencies for order-specific actions
• Android and iOS smartphone apps
• Integrates with other task management tools like Asana and Trello

ActiveCollab limitations

• The file-sharing feature of this task management software could be simpler to use
• Adding more customization options could be beneficial 

ActiveCollab pricing

• Plus: $9.5/month 3 users/month
• Pro: $8/month per user/month
• Pro+Get Paid: $11.75/month per user

ActiveCollab ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.2/5 (90+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (300+ reviews)

Wrike is well-known for its robust task and workflow management features. It allows you to prioritize work on personalized dashboards by pinning important tasks from your to-do list and automatically sorting them by priority and due date.

Like most of Wrike’s competitors , Wrike supports strong teamwork —it lets teams collaborate on real-time project plans, task assignments, and decision-making within the platform.

Wrike’s workflows adapt to your needs, so regardless of your project management methodology, you can visualize your tasks in views like Gantt Chart, Kanban, and Calendar.

Plus, the software includes built-in proofing tools for quick yet detailed task feedback, task automation to save time, and collaboration tools to increase work efficiency.

Additionally, Wrike allows project managers to build customizable reports on task and team performance. They can further optimize workflows by analyzing relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) on dashboards.

Wrike best features

• Comprehensive project dashboards with personalized reports
• Supports feedback-friendly team collaboration
• Multiple project views
• 400+ integrations
• Task automation

Wrike limitations

• Could use more custom display options
• Some users experience task syncing issues

Wrike pricing

• Team: $9.80/month per user
• Business: $24.80/month per user
• Enterprise and Pinnacle: Contact sales

Wrike ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.2/5 (3,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (2,000+ reviews)

While many Todoist alternatives on this list offer additional project management features, Todoist is purely focused on task management. It assists you in creating detailed daily to-do lists to ensure optimal day-to-day organization.

The tool is simple to use—just create tasks and subtasks, determine priorities, add due dates, and set reminders to ensure nothing goes overlooked. 👀

Although it’s primarily a task management app, Todoist can help you manage projects as it includes goal-setting features , labels to categorize tasks, and task descriptions to keep information centralized.

You can use its Upcoming calendar view to see which tasks are due urgently and use a drag-and-drop function to reschedule assignments. If you need to focus on tasks that are currently due, simply go to the Today view .

While Todoist’s simple navigation and low price make it a handy tool for personal task management, it’s also a good to-do list app for teams on a tight budget . Its project management features aren’t too comprehensive, but you can still assign tasks and leverage comments for better teamwork and transparency. 

Todoist best features

• Efficient daily task management
• Multiple task views (including Kanban boards and lists)
• Basic team collaboration support
• Easy navigation
• Integrates with various productivity and time-tracking apps
• Has a to-do list app for Android and iOS

Todoist limitations

• Integrating the software with some apps may be challenging
• It would be beneficial if the app displayed tasks when you’re offline

Todoist pricing

• Beginner: Free
• Pro: $4/month per user
• Business: $6/month per user

Todoist ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,000+ reviews)

Besides being a task management tool, ProofHub is a task tracking software that lets you easily create task lists and individual tasks, assign them to team members, and closely follow due dates and priorities across task categories . Got complex tasks? Divide them into subtasks for simpler tracking.

Similar to ProofHub alternatives , the software is fully customizable —it lets you build personalized workflows and use custom fields to capture any task-related data you deem important. Custom fields enhance task tracking —because you can customize them to track virtually anything, be it deadlines or output.

Speaking of tracking, ProofHub has a feature for creating task dependencies to help you ensure tasks are completed in a predetermined order. If you want to offer more clarity to assignees, leave comments on tasks or use mentions to guide them.

Additionally, ProofHub offers various reporting options to help you gain insight into your project’s progress. You can enhance resource allocation by analyzing resource utilization reports or tracking project-specific progress with task completion reports.

ProofHub best features

• Multi-faceted task tracking software
• Customizable workflows
• Supports task-related discussions through comments and mentions
• Reports to gauge task progress
• Various project views like Kanbans and tables
• Mobile-friendly

ProofHub limitations

• Notifications can get difficult to manage
• Some users find its customization features complex

ProofHub pricing

• Essential: $45/month 
• Ultimate Control: $150/month (or $89/month for a limited time offer)

ProofHub ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.5/5 (80+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (90+ reviews)

SmartTask includes all key features you’d typically find in a task management tool—it lets you create subtasks, set deadlines, add dependencies, and manage tasks in views like calendar, list, and board.

However, this software especially stands out with its tools for managing multiple projects simultaneously in a cross-functional setup. Its Project Portfolios feature allows you to create multiple boards to track separate goals, aligning your marketing, sales, and design teams. To play it safer, you can even share task lists across teams to prevent orphaned actions. 

SmartTask supports team collaboration by letting you comment on tasks and generate real-time notifications for updates. You can also invite clients, vendors, and external stakeholders to collaborate on any task or project by sending them an invitation.

Plus, it provides reports on both project tasks and sales that you can easily find through its advanced search bar. 🔎

SmartTask best features

• Internal and external team communication
• Set recurring tasks (daily, weekly, or monthly)
• Task and sales reports
• Supports managing tasks across projects
• Time tracking for individual tasks
• Task management tools for iOS and Android

SmartTask limitations

• The UI and UX could use some improvement
• Adding more integrations would be useful

SmartTask pricing

• Premium: $7.99/month per user
• Business: $10.99/month per user

SmartTask ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (60+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (30+ reviews)

HubSpot Task Management is far from a traditional task manager—it’s a suite designed to help marketers streamline Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes. Effective CRM depends on properly storing, tracking, and managing lead- and customer-based activities. HubSpot helps you streamline these scattered tasks to boost revenue.

The software reduces the need to switch between multiple tabs when talking to prospects by providing dashboards that centralize all your work. Use them to track your to-do list items, view prospect details, and stay on top of meetings. 

Need to create new tasks? Do that directly from your workflows, email inbox, or to-do list. If you need insights from past task performances, like deals made and activities completed, leverage HubSpot’s reporting tools.

This platform simplifies communication with email templates (for sending messages in bulk) and real-time team chat. 

While sales and marketing teams may enjoy HubSpot’s task management style, some of HubSpot’s alternatives could be a better choice for companies in IT or finance.

HubSpot best features

• A wide array of CRM functionalities
• Live team chats
• Dashboards to centralize prospect-related work
• Integrates with apps like WordPress, Gmail, and Zapier
• iOS and Android mobile app for HubSpot CRM

HubSpot limitations

• Limited option to prioritize tasks
• Workflow automation is limited on the free plan

HubSpot pricing

For individuals and small teams:

• Starter: $15/month
• Professional: $800/month

HubSpot (CRM) ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (11,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (4,000+ reviews)

Paymo is a simple task management software designed for professionals who want to manage client work and resources within one platform . It lets you automatically set up ghost bookings based on the task details you’ve entered in the past and receive a visual overview of all bookings for the entire team on a single screen. 🖥️

Paymo also simplifies managing resources by allowing multiple managers to work on schedule to avoid overbooking or underbooking. You can:

• Book time for time-sensitive tasks by the hour
• Accommodate unscheduled tasks with a simple drag-and-drop function
• Visualize your team’s availability on timelines
• Send booking notifications only to relevant team members

The platform lets employees view their tasks in a single view, while task managers monitor both their personal tasks and team’s work in separate views. Like with most Paymo alternatives , you get project views like Gantt charts, Tables, and Calendars to visualize tasks.

It also encourages team collaboration, offering a detailed Task View to chat in real-time about the latest task updates. Finally, Paymo provides task priority levels like critical, high, normal, or low across teams.

Paymo best features

• Timelines to assess employee availability
• Allows booking time for client tasks by the hour
• Real-time chat
• Project views like Gantt chart and Kanban board
• Integrates with apps like Slack, Google Calendar, and JotForm
• Mobile app support for iOS and Android

Paymo limitations

• The mobile app may be tricky to navigate
• Takes time to train employees to use the platform

Paymo pricing

• Starter: $5.9/month per user
• Small Office: $10.9/month per user
• Business: $16.9/month per user

Paymo ratings and reviews

• Capterra: 4.8/5 (400+ reviews)

While most TimeCamp alternatives on this list include typical task and project management features, TimeCamp shifts its focus to time tracking instead.

With its robust time-tracking capabilities , you can track your team’s working hours, standardize times for specific jobs, plan task assignments, and monitor each team member’s productivity.

TimeCamp also provides features for measuring the profitability of your projects and tracking billable hours, streamlining invoicing and resource management. Basically, the tasks you had to do manually, like creating invoices and approving timesheets, can be automated with TimeCamp.

Although this software highlights time tracking, it’s still a task management tool. Its TimeCamp Planner product helps you organize tasks and monitor their progress on Kanban-style boards. 

If you’re dealing with repeatable tasks, automate them by specifying information like due dates, assignees, and progress statuses. Plus, you can switch from team task overview to your own using the My Tasks feature , which displays your assigned tasks on a list, calendar, or timeline view.

Note that TimeCamp’s time tracking and task management features are available on separate pricing plans .

TimeCamp best features

• Comprehensive time-tracking tools
• Kanban board for easy task tracking
• Personal task lists
• Can automate repeatable tasks
• Includes apps for Android and iOS
• TimeCamp (not the TimeCamp Planner) integrates with tools like ClickUp, Google Calendar, and Slack

TimeCamp limitations

• The user interface and server load time could be better
• The tool may be buggy at times

TimeCamp pricing (for TimeCamp Planner)

• Pro: $2.99/month per user

TimeCamp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (500+ reviews)

Any.do specializes in providing easy-to-use to-do lists to help you achieve personal or professional goals efficiently. You can organize your to-dos in separate lists and projects, all color-coded to set clear priorities and determine task categories. Enhance your task lists with:

• Subtasks and attachments for added task awareness
• Deadlines and reminders

Sharing responsibilities is also simple—just share a task list with your teammates or family to collaborate on task completion . For example, you can assign different items on a grocery list to family members and track the list to ensure they complete the task successfully. If there’s an urgent matter you wish to discuss, use the chat function to communicate in real time.  

For companies looking for a task management tool with project management capabilities, Any.do is a solid choice as it also offers features like customizable workflows, pre-made templates, and powerful integrations with other work tools.

If you want more comprehensive workflow features, though, explore some more advanced Any.do alternatives .

Any.do best features

• Provides simple to-do lists
• Great as a daily task manager
• Lets you share lists with teams, family, and friends
• Reminders for timely task completion
• Has apps for iOS and Android
• Integrates with other task management tools like ClickUp and Asana

Any.do limitations

• Some users desire more integrations (like with Microsoft Calendar)
• Limited advanced features for this price range

Any.do pricing

• Premium: $5/month per user
• Family: $8/month per four users
• Teams: $5/month per user

*All listed prices refer to approx values billed annually

Any.do ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (100+ reviews)

Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-like task management tool . It’s great for those who are comfortable tracking tasks in Excel but are open to switching to a tool with less complicated calculation work.

Like ClickUp, Smartsheet offers comprehensive project and task management tools for handling different workflows. For example, it lets you schedule tasks, create subtasks, allocate resources, and track assignments efficiently from one platform. ✅

Here, tasks are represented on spreadsheets for individual projects. Like most Smartsheet alternatives , you can add basic task information, like due dates and assignees, in clear fields or columns.

However, these aren’t traditional spreadsheets—they also provide the advanced features of a modern task management tool. For instance, you can use checkboxes, dropdown lists, and comments to interact with tasks on Smartsheet.

This is a great task management software for teams working on extensive projects as it includes templates for agile project management, OKR tracking, budgeting, and resource management.

It also supports task automation, real time collaboration , and advanced analytics. Plus, it integrates with services you may already use, like Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams.

Smartsheet best features

• Spreadsheet-based project management tool
• Advanced functionalities for monitoring complex projects
• Supports real-time team communication
• Templates for agile project management
• Integrates with numerous communication, data visualization, and project delivery apps
• Available as an iOS or Android mobile app

Smartsheet limitations

• There may be a steep learning curve for users figuring out advanced features
• It could benefit from adding more template options

Smartsheet pricing

• Pro: $7/month per user
• Business: $25/month per user

Smartsheet ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (14,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,000+ reviews)

Leveraging the Best Task Management Software: Which Tool to Pick

Since all the products on our list are rated well by users, it’s natural to be overwhelmed by the choices. So, what do you really prioritize in a task management platform?

The answer is straightforward— great task management software provides features that help you plan, organize, track, and assign tasks, but you shouldn’t have to pay a fortune for these functions. Don’t settle for a tool that doesn’t include the bare minimum, i.e., reminders, automations, task views, and collaboration features.

Lastly, task management tools are supposed to make your life easier, not vice versa, so ensure your chosen tool is easy to implement and fun to work with! 🥳

If you can’t make a choice, try ClickUp ! It’s got all the features you’ll need to streamline task management with minimal effort. Whether you want to set goals, track and assign tasks, manage time, reduce manual labor, or communicate with your team, the possibilities are endless.

Sign up to ClickUp today and enjoy the best toolkit a free task management software has to offer! 💖 

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how to effectively assign tasks to team members to increase productivity?

Picture this: It's Monday morning, and your team is buzzing with excitement, ready to take on the week. But wait! Who's doing what? Does everyone know their roles and responsibilities? Ah, the perennial challenge of assigning tasks . If this rings a bell, worry not. We've all been there. Have you ever felt the sting of mismatched roles? Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? Assigned tasks play a pivotal role in the smooth functioning of any team. And guess what? There are methods and tools that make this process easier. Let’s dive in.

As a leader in the workplace, it is essential to ensure that everyone in the team gets the appropriate amount of work. Sometimes, it's tempting to give an employee more tasks than others, especially if he/she finishes the tasks faster. But keep in mind that as managers, you must be fair. You must learn how to effectively assign tasks to your team members . 

Although it may seem like a simple management function, assigning tasks to your team is actually challenging. As said by Liane Davey, cofounder of 3COze Inc. and author of  You First: Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done , You are “juggling multiple interests” in the pursuit of optimal team performance.

Task distribution among various departments might vary from person to person. For efficient delegation, it is vital to consider guidelines while distributing duties to team members.

Tasks that are delegated effectively move your people, projects, and the entire business forward. It increases management and staff trust and accountability, helps in refining and teaching new abilities, enables personnel to become acquainted with various groups and areas of employment, and is an excellent foundation for performance reviews, etc.

How do you assign tasks to your employees? 

Assigning tasks is typically perceived as a time-consuming activity that focuses on removing items from task lists in order to keep the project moving forward. Task assignment, nevertheless, ought to be a more employee-focused procedure that calls for extra commitment and work, which produces excellent outcomes. 

Here are some tips to effectively assign tasks to your employees:

1. Delegate Positively

Don't just throw work at someone and expect them to deliver when they might not be qualified for that particular assignment. Maintain a mindset of doubting every assignment you gave and go over your personnel roster to see whether anyone else is capable of completing it as effectively as you can. They will be more likely to believe that they can do the assignment in the manner that the leader desires if they have a positive outlook. Employees won't feel inspired to start their assignment if you adversely assign them or have doubts about their competence. A little encouragement will make their day happier and encourage them to confidently do the tasks given to them.

2. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

To understand how your team performs, you should set clear goals and objectives before entrusting them with any responsibilities. When goals and objectives are not defined, it'll be harder for your team to see the big picture and perform tasks in a particular manner. 

3. Assign the Right Task to the Right Employee

This is the key to productivity. Who has the most expertise and experience should be given priority, but don't give that individual too much work. You should also think about who needs to develop their sense of responsibility. Also, take into account the passage of time and their eagerness to seize the opportunity. To do this, the manager should create a delegation plan that considers the various skill sets of each employee and assign tasks that are properly suited to each individual. On the other hand, when a task requires an extraordinary employee and there is a talent shortage, the leaders themselves should do the assignment in an emergency or without a workforce.

4. Obtain Inputs from Your Team and Set Up Meetings if Possible

Get suggestions from your team on what should be modified, who you could include, and how outcomes should be defined. Engage with the specific managers of the sub-teams if you are in charge of a large team or organization. A meeting with the entire team is necessary before assigning tasks to team members. You may obtain a clear picture of who is responsible for what and how purposefully they can do the assignment. Getting suggestions from your team members ensures that each of them will contribute to the task's accomplishment.

5. Conduct Training and Supervision

A project's completion necessitates the blending of various delegation techniques, a high degree of team member commitment, and effective planning and execution. It is essential to teach the team members and meet with the team every day in order to produce a skilled workforce. The training includes free access to resources for developing skills, such as courses from Upskillist ,  Udemy , or  Coursera . Following the training phase, the work must be supervised by a professional to ensure that the team learned from the training provided. Before and throughout the task assignment and execution among several team members, training and supervision are equally crucial.

6. Communicate Constantly

It doesn't mean that when you're done delegating the tasks, everything's good. No, it doesn't work that way. Constant communication is also the key to unlocking productivity. You need to collaborate with your team . Professionals at work must keep a close watch on their team members to learn about any challenges or issues they may be having.  For the task to be completed and the status of each team member to be tracked, communication is essential. Following up on tasks you assign to your employees helps them manage pressure and boost job productivity since problems like stress and pressure may tangle them and slow them down. Employee burnout is a result of micromanagement, which is not a good concept. It is best to let staff go free by following up casually.

7. Know who to Handover Authorization and Control

Decentralized power relieves employers of job management. Make sure to provide your staff some authority when you delegate tasks to them using management apps such as Trello , Asana , Edworking , Slack , and the like. Employees become empowered and responsible for completing tasks as a result of the control transfer. Giving them too little authority can cause issues because they lose interest in their work while giving them too much control might overwhelm them and cause them to forget basic responsibilities. The key to the team's success is giving each member the authority they rightfully deserve while also soliciting input.

8. After the project, assess the results

Ask yourself how you as the manager could support the success of your team members more effectively. Give constructive criticism and accept it in return.

The most vital phase in job completion is assigning tasks to team members. Due to the frequent mistakes made while delegating duties, it is imperative to use management tools when giving your team responsibilities. Project management solutions provide better work allocations by incorporating features like marketing automation. Employee development and time tracking are made easier by the task assignment guidelines, which also help keep workers interested. 

Allocating Vs. Delegating Tasks 

Now that you've learned about some tips to properly assign tasks, you may also have questions like, "what's the difference between allocating and delegating tasks?" 

As stated by Abhinav in a published article on LinkedIn, "The imbalance of responsibility and accountability is the main difference between Delegation and Allocation." What does it mean? Delegation gives a real opportunity for your team to upskill, grow, and develop. Allocating tasks is merely assigning tasks without the goal of helping your team grow.

Although assigning tasks has its merits, delegating tasks offers significant advantages in terms of employee growth and engagement. Because delegation when done well delivers diversity and other intrinsic motivational incentives that make work so much more meaningful, it will be even more rewarding for the manager and team members.

Task Tips and Best Practices 

In order to accomplish our objectives and SMART goals, we define a particular number of tasks that we must do each day. We frequently take on more than we can handle in the fight to remain at the top of our game and maintain our competitive edge.

Even while everything appears to be of the utmost importance, something is off in your struggle to finish everything while maintaining your composure. Some of us have a lengthy list of things we want to get done before a given age or period. Others devote so much effort to honing a particular skill that by the time it shines, it is no longer relevant.

Time management and balancing workload are not just skills of project managers or superiors. In reality, these abilities should be embraced at every level, particularly when working in a team. Research by Cornerstone found that when workers believe they don't have enough time in the day to do their jobs, work overload reduces productivity by 68%. What tips and best practices should you do so you don't only allocate tasks but delegate them effectively?

1. Prioritize. Make a to-do list according to the order of priority

Even if to-do lists are classic, they are still more efficient and effective than ever. People used to keep handwritten notes for ideas and tasks back in the day.  There are smart to-do lists apps and software that provide notifications and reminders prior to the task's due date. 

2. Maximize productivity and minimize procrastination

To start, delegate the tasks to the right people. Don't do it tomorrow or the next day. Do it today. Having a lot to accomplish may be stressful, which is sometimes worse than the actual task. If you struggle with procrastination, it's possible that you haven't come up with a good task management strategy. You might express your lack of starting knowledge by procrastinating. It could not be laziness, but rather a matter of setting priorities.

3. Be motivated

Procrastination and a lack of motivation are closely correlated. When you lack motivation, you tend to get distracted. If you want to meet milestones and deadlines, be motivated.

4. Delegate and be involved

The reality of being overburdened can have a negative impact on productivity if it is not properly managed. At the end of the day, we're still just humans. When it comes to having patience, resilience, working under pressure, or finishing a task quickly, each one of us possesses a certain set of skills. So, delegate the right tasks to the right person in your team, and don't just stop there. Be involved. Leaving the stadium just because you're done delegating is a big no. Keep in touch with them and follow up on the progress of the tasks assigned.

Task Vs. Subtask 

Tasks and subtasks are quite similar. The only difference is that a subtask should be completed as an element of completing a larger and more complex task.

For example, the task is to increase your company's social media presence. So, what should you do to accomplish those tasks? That's when you have subtasks such as creating optimized posts and content on various social media platforms, scheduling them, interacting with your audience in the comment section, etc. 

The additional stages that make up a task are called subtasks. They are essential while working on large projects with a wide range of tasks. In some task management tools, You may create as many subtasks as you need in the task view, but you must first choose the parent task before you can create a subtask.

Why You Should Assign Tasks Effectively to Team Members

Enhance team productivity.

Efficient task assignment can work wonders for your team's productivity. When each team member knows their role and is well-suited for their tasks, they can focus on delivering high-quality results. Imagine a well-oiled machine, with each cog spinning smoothly and in harmony - that's your team at peak productivity!

Consider these points:

• Match tasks to individual skills : Ensure tasks align with your team members' unique abilities and expertise.
• Set clear expectations : Be transparent about deadlines, deliverables, and objectives.
• Foster collaboration : Encourage communication and collaboration among team members.

Nurture a Sense of Ownership

Assigning tasks effectively helps to in still a sense of ownership and responsibility within your team. When individuals understand their role in a project, they are more likely to take pride in their work and strive for excellence. It's like planting a seed - with proper care and attention, it'll grow into a strong, thriving tree.

Key elements to foster ownership:

• Encourage autonomy : Allow team members to make decisions and take charge of their tasks.
• Provide feedback : Offer constructive feedback and celebrate successes.
• Support development : Invest in your team members' growth through training and development opportunities.

Reduce Work Overload and Burnout

Nobody wants to be buried under an avalanche of tasks. By allocating work effectively, you can prevent team members from feeling overwhelmed and burned out. Just as we can't run on empty, neither can our team members - so, let's ensure they have a manageable workload.

Strategies to avoid overload:

• Balance workloads : Distribute tasks evenly and consider individual capacities.
• Encourage breaks : Promote a healthy work-life balance and remind your team to take breaks.
• Monitor progress : Regularly check in with your team members to assess their workloads and stress levels.

Boost Employee Engagement

An engaged employee is a happy and productive one. When you assign tasks effectively, you're laying the groundwork for increased engagement. Think of it as a dance - with the right choreography, everyone knows their steps and performs in harmony.

Steps to enhance engagement:

• Align tasks with goals : Ensure tasks contribute to the overall goals of your team and organization.
• Offer variety : Mix up tasks to keep things interesting and provide opportunities for growth.
• Recognize achievements : Acknowledge hard work and accomplishments.

Improve Overall Team Morale

Finally, effective task assignment can lead to a happier, more cohesive team. When everyone feels valued and supported, team morale soars. Imagine a choir, each voice blending harmoniously to create a beautiful symphony - that's a team with high morale.

Ways to uplift team morale:

• Empower decision-making : Encourage team members to contribute their ideas and be part of the decision-making process.
• Foster a positive atmosphere : Cultivate an environment of open communication, trust, and support.
• Celebrate successes : Acknowledge both individual and team achievements, and celebrate them together.

Tools to Simplify Task Assignments in Teams

Microsoft outlook: not just for emails.

Yes, you heard that right. Beyond sending emails, Outlook has task features that allow managers to assign work to team members. You can set deadlines, prioritize, and even track progress. Think of it as your digital task manager. How cool is that?

Google Docs: Collaboration Made Easy

A favorite for many, Google Docs allows real-time collaboration. Need to distribute tasks ? Create a shared document, list down the tasks, and voila! Everyone can view, edit, or comment. Ever thought of using a simple shared document as a task distribution board?

Trello: Visual Task Management

For those of us who are visual creatures, Trello is a game-changer. Create boards, list assigned duties , and move them across columns as they progress. Remember playing with building blocks as a kid? It’s pretty much that, but digital and for grown-ups!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assigning tasks effectively is a skill that every leader must master to ensure team productivity and employee satisfaction. While the tips provided earlier can help you get there, being aware of common mistakes in task assignment is equally crucial. Avoiding these pitfalls can save you from derailing your projects and hampering your team's morale.

1. Overburdening Skilled Employees

It's tempting to give the bulk of the work to your most skilled team members, but this can lead to burnout and decreased productivity in the long term.

2. Lack of Clarity in Instructions

Vague or unclear instructions can result in misunderstandings, leading to poor quality of work or project delays. Always be specific and clear about what is expected.

3. Micromanaging

While it’s essential to oversee the progress of tasks, hovering over your team members can undermine their confidence and create a stressful work environment.

4. Failing to Prioritize Tasks

Not all tasks are created equal. Failing to prioritize can lead to poor allocation of resources, with less important tasks taking away time and energy from critical objectives.

5. Ignoring Team Input

Ignoring suggestions or feedback from your team can result in missed opportunities for more effective delegation and stronger team cohesion.

6. One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Remember that each team member has unique skills and limitations. Assigning tasks without considering these factors can lead to ineffective results and frustrated employees.

7. Neglecting Follow-Up

Assigning a task is not the end but part of an ongoing process. Failing to follow up can result in delays and could indicate to your team that the task wasn’t that important to begin with.

8. Fear of Delegating

Sometimes managers avoid delegating tasks because they feel that no one else can do the job as well as they can. This not only increases your workload but also deprives team members of growth opportunities.

A significant aspect of a leader's duties is delegating assignments to team members effectively. The secret to a manager's team functioning like an efficient machine is wise delegation.

Because of delegation, you won't have to spend hours on work that someone else can complete more quickly. Trying to handle everything on your own can quickly wear you out, regardless of your knowledge or expertise. Effectively delegating tasks enables you to keep on top of your own work while assisting team members in acquiring new abilities and developing a sense of comfort with taking ownership of tasks. 

Proper delegation of tasks also provides managers and team members with a learning opportunity since it enables everyone to build trust and become accustomed to exchanging comments and showing each other respect and appreciation.

Less is more when attempting to boost your team's output. Your team may become burned out if you try to increase their production too rapidly. In contrast, if you're too aggressive, your team can lose interest in their work and productivity might drop. Keep in mind that everyone will be more productive if they are part of the decision-making and execution process.

If you want to delegate tasks with ease and convenience, go for Edworking . This management tool lets you assign tasks and oversee your team's progress in a specific task. You can also conduct meetings to meet your team.`

Know that productivity greatly matters. With the right knowledge of assigning tasks to your team members, you can maximize productivity. Thus, achieving the goals and objectives of your organization.

What is the best way to assign tasks to team members?

Recognizing and understanding each member's unique strengths and expertise is paramount. Instead of assigning tasks randomly, it's always better to match each job with the individual’s skill set. Consider open dialogue, seek feedback, and ensure the assigned tasks align with both team and individual goals. It's a bit like giving everyone their favorite role in a play; wouldn't they shine brighter?

How do you assign tasks to a team in Teamwork?

In Teamwork, tasks can be assigned effortlessly. Start by creating a task list, then add individual tasks. Within each task, there's an option to 'Assign To.' Simply choose the team member you wish to assign the task to. Think of it as passing the baton in a relay race – each person knows when to run and when to pass it on!

Why is it important to assign tasks to your team members?

Assigning specific tasks helps in streamlining the workflow, ensuring accountability, and reducing overlaps or gaps in responsibilities. It also empowers team members by giving them ownership of their work. Have you ever seen a football team where everyone runs after the ball? Without clear roles, it's chaos!

How do you politely assign a task?

Start by acknowledging the individual's capabilities and expressing confidence in their ability to handle the task. Then, clearly explain the job's scope, expectations, and its importance in the overall project. Think of it as offering a piece of cake, not dumping a plate on their lap!

How do short term goals differ from long term goals?

Short-term goals act as stepping stones towards achieving long-term goals. While short-term goals focus on immediate challenges and tasks (think weeks or months), long-term goals look at the bigger picture and can span years. It's like comparing a sprint to a marathon. One's quick and intense, the other's about endurance and the long haul.

Synonyms of assignment

• as in lesson
• as in appointment
• More from M-W
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Thesaurus Definition of assignment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• responsibility
• undertaking
• requirement
• designation
• appointment
• authorization
• installment
• installation
• destination
• emplacement
• investiture
• singling (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dethronement

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun assignment contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assignment are chore , duty , job , stint , and task . While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

When is it sensible to use chore instead of assignment ?

While the synonyms chore and assignment are close in meaning, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

When is duty a more appropriate choice than assignment ?

Although the words duty and assignment have much in common, duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

When might job be a better fit than assignment ?

The synonyms job and assignment are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

When could stint be used to replace assignment ?

In some situations, the words stint and assignment are roughly equivalent. However, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

When can task be used instead of assignment ?

The meanings of task and assignment largely overlap; however, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

Thesaurus Entries Near assignment

assignments

Cite this Entry

“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assignment. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on assignment

Nglish: Translation of assignment for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assignment for Arabic Speakers

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• Our Mission

A Late Work Policy That Works for Teachers and Students

Creating clear boundaries around when students can submit assignments after the due date can boost morale for everyone.

When the end of a term approaches, educator social media is full of images and commentary on the sheer amount of grading that will be coming their way. From images of monstrous waves or an exhausted teacher grasping a large cup of coffee, the stress is palpable. So how do we make this better for everyone, including teachers, students, families, case coordinators, and everyone else struggling at the end of the term?

As educators, we want to be considerate of the fact that students have yet to acquire excellent management skills. But we also need to protect our own mental health and teach students the responsibility that comes with completing assignments and turning in work. 

Designing a Late Work Policy With Students

Some years back, I had a high school world language class with a wonderful group of students—but getting work from them was challenging on a good day. After one particularly exhausting end of the term when I received a monumental amount of late work, I flatly said, “We can’t do this again.” Shockingly, they agreed. I gave the class 30 minutes to discuss as a class what they thought could be a fair policy. The requirements were simple: 

1. Simplicity. This policy had to be easy for me to manage as a teacher.

2. Accountability. It couldn’t be a free-for-all with no accountability. 

I could easily write a separate article on how to have students design class policies, but that is for a different time. Here is what the students came up with as a proposal:

Assessment as final deadline: All homework and classwork is accepted full credit until the assessment—then it is not accepted at all. This also counts for any retakes (or corrections) to other activities or smaller assessments. 

The 55 percent rule: If a student does the large majority of the assignments up until assessment, they do not get less than 55 percent on any assessment. This gives students an incentive to get their work done and make arrangements with the teacher to keep on track. It should be very unlikely that a student will do the majority of assignments related to an assessment and get below 55 percent. However, if it does happen, they know that there are policies in place to help them.

If a student does get below 55 percent and has done the large majority of the work, this forces me as an educator to consider the cause. Did other students have similar troubles? If so, was the assessment reflective of the work done in class? If this student was an outlier, perhaps they simply had a rough day (which does happen)?

Assessment as proof of competency: If a student is missing an assignment and they get above a certain score on the assessment, they can get partial credit for any missing work related to the assessment. The students were very clear that this was not a reason to not do work, but rather it was to allow students to focus on critical assignments if they get behind. 

Assessment as redo attempt: If a student does well on a final unit assessment, they can have their grade raised for smaller assessments leading up to that larger one. This was because they showed understanding in areas where they had struggled before. 

Once this policy was created, I shared it with all my sections. Students overwhelmingly supported it. So, we decided to implement it on a trial basis. Once that was a success, I shared this with colleagues, and they implemented it in their classrooms as well. It is now a regular course policy and is shared in all of my course syllabi.

a policy that works for teachers and students

After we set this policy up in my classroom, I observed a variety of benefits.

Morale boost for teacher and students: There was an immediate turnaround for both me and my students. Students who felt that failure was inevitable were motivated and engaged. And I felt better about giving students another chance-–but with boundaries. 

Increased accountability: Students held each other accountable for their own success and admitted when they were not putting in their effort. Parents were highly supportive; it was clear why a student was not successful, and this saved a lot of time responding to parent emails.

Better-quality work: Work was less rushed, which led to better quality, deeper learning, and stronger assessment scores. Students told me they had often rushed through work so it wouldn’t be marked late, but this gave them time to do quality work and therefore learn in the process.

Students did the work: Very few students used the “proof of competency policy” as a chance to simply not do work. Rather, this policy helped students prioritize missing work if they got really behind. Although I worried that this policy might be taken advantage of, only a small handful of students tried—and they realized very quickly that this was not a recipe for success. 

Range of grades: There was still a wide range of grades. Highly skilled students who had an excellent understanding of the content still earned excellent grades. Those who struggled earned grades that weren’t quite as high, but they felt empowered with the recognition of their efforts.

So why does this policy work? I believe there are two main reasons. The first is assurance. Provided they do “their part,” students feel that they can be successful and are assured that their efforts do matter. If they make mistakes, life events make submitting work challenging, or the content gets particularly hard for them, there are structures in place to help them. Second, there is a sense of control for the students. Students crave the opportunity to have control over their future, and they are able to recognize what is fair and how they (and their classmates) should be held accountable for their responsibilities.  

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• Implementing Global Human Resources

Configure Flexfield Parameters in Value Sets for Worker Assignments

You want to use assignment or work relationship attributes as input parameters when creating a value set for a flexfield segment.

Using parameters, you have the flexibility to control the list of values in the assignment descriptive flexfields (DFF) based on the assignment or work relationship attributes. Consider the following use case:

The Vision India company wants to capture the job and the job specialty at the worker's assignment and filter the job specialty value based on the selected job. To achieve this, the company does these things:

Defines the job specialty using the job extensible flexfield (EFF) and provides a one-to-many relationship between the job and the job specialty.

Allows the user to select from the list of job specialties at the worker's assignment. The job specialties are defined using the job EFF for the selected assignment job.

Summary of Tasks

Set up the job EFF.

Set up the assignment DFF.

Set up Job EFF

Define a multi-row EFF at the job level using these values:

Name : Job Specialty

Type : Multi-Row EFF

Data Type : Character

Table Column : JEI_INFORMATION1 (You can use any available column)

After you define the EFF, populate it with the value you want for different jobs.

Set Up Assignment DFF

Create the value set to be used in the assignment DFF by using the job as the parameter.

Go to the task Manage Value Set .

In the Create Value Set page, enter these values:

Value Set Code : Job Speciality

Module : Search and select Employment

Validation Type : Table

Value Data Type : Character

In the FROM Clause field, enter the following syntax:

In the Value Column Name field, enter JEI_INFORMATION1 (or the column which is defined while creating the job EFF).

In the WHERE Clause field, enter the following syntax:

Create the assignment DFF by using the value set defined in the previous step.

In the Setup and Maintenance work area, go to the following:

Functional Area: Workforce Information

Task: Manage Employment Descriptive Flexfields

On the Manage Employment Descriptive Flexfields page, select the PER_ASG_DF row and click Edit on the Actions menu.

Select the Assignment Attributes row and click Edit on the Actions menu.

Click the Create (+) icon in the Global Segments area and create a segment by entering these values:

Name : Job Speciality

Use the value set defined in the previous step.

Deploy the flexfield.

In the assignment section of the employment flows, verify that the values in the newly defined flexfield are filtered based on the selected job and job specialty values defined in the job setup.

FTX Controversy Derails Top Law Firm’s Bid for Binance Role

By Sabrina Willmer and Ava Benny-Morrison

The Department of Justice is retreating from picking an elite New York law firm for a key assignment overseeing cryptocurrency exchange Binance Holdings Ltd. because of its work for FTX , according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Sullivan & Cromwell was close to winning approval to serve as independent monitor for Binance on behalf of both the Justice Department and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Bloomberg reported in February. The monitorships were a condition of the $4.3 billion deal by which Binance pleaded guilty to violating US money-laundering regulations and trade sanctions.

But Justice Department officials ...

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ChatGPT essay cheats are a menace to us all

Students who outsource their thinking to ai tools pose a risk to future employers and more.

The number of students using AI tools like ChatGPT to write papers was a bigger problem than the public was being told. Photograph: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

The other day I met a British academic who said something about artificial intelligence that made my jaw drop.

The number of students using AI tools like ChatGPT to write their papers was a much bigger problem than the public was being told, this person said.

AI cheating at their institution was now so rife that large numbers of students had been expelled for academic misconduct — to the point that some courses had lost most of a year’s intake. “I’ve heard similar figures from a few universities,” the academic told me.

Spotting suspicious essays could be easy, because when students were asked why they had included certain terms or data sources not mentioned on the course, they were baffled. “They have clearly never even heard of some of the terms that turn up in their essays.”

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But detection is only half the battle. Getting administrators to address the problem can be fraught, especially when the cheaters are international students who pay higher fees than locals. Because universities rely heavily on those fees, some administrators take a dim view of efforts to expose the problem. Or as this person put it, “whistleblowing is career-threatening”.

There is more at stake here than the injustice of cheats getting an advantage over honest students. Consider the prospect of allegedly expert graduates heading out into the world and being recruited into organisations, be it a health service or a military, where they are put into positions for which they are underqualified.

So how widespread is the cheating problem?

Panic about ChatGPT transforming educational landscapes took off as soon as the tool was launched in November 2022 and since then, the technology has only advanced. As I type these words, colleagues at the Financial Times have reported that OpenAI, which created ChatGPT, and Meta are set to release souped-up AI models capable of reasoning and planning.

But AI’s exact impact on classrooms is unclear.

In the US, Stanford University researchers said last year that cheating rates did not appear to have been affected by AI. Up to 70 per cent of high school students have long confessed to some form of cheating and nearly a year after ChatGPT’s arrival that proportion had not changed.

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At universities, research shows half of students are regular generative AI users — not necessarily to cheat — but only about 12 per cent use it daily.

When it comes to the number of student essays written with the help of AI, rates appear relatively steady says Turnitin, a plagiarism detection software group that has a tool for checking generative AI use.

It says students have submitted more than 22 million papers in the past 12 months that show signs of AI help, which was 11 per cent of the total it reviewed. More than six million papers, or 3 per cent of the total, contained at least 80 per cent of AI writing.

That is a lot of papers. But the percentage of AI writing is virtually the same as what Turnitin found last year when it conducted a similar assessment.

“AI usage rates have been stable,” says Turnitin chief executive Chris Caren. And as he told me last week, just because you are using ChatGPT does not necessarily mean you are cheating.

“Some teachers and faculty allow some level of AI assistance in writing an essay, but they also want that properly cited,” he says. “AI can be incredibly useful for doing research and brainstorming ideas.”

I’m sure this is correct. It is also true that university faculty are increasingly using AI to help write lesson plans and I know of some who have tested it to mark essays — unsuccessfully.

But I still find it worrying to think a sizeable number of students are using tools like ChatGPT in a way that is potentially risky for employers and wider society.

Some universities are already increasing face-to-face assessments to detect and discourage AI cheating. I am sure that will continue, but it would also be useful if academics were encouraged to expose the problem and not deterred from trying to fix it. As the scholar I spoke to put it, the purpose of going to university is to learn how to learn. These institutions are supposed to teach you to think for yourself and evaluate evidence, not just recite facts and figures.

Anyone who outsources their thinking to a machine is ultimately going to hurt themselves the most. — Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024

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