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Tasks & views

Inside every project, your team tracks work in two related ways:

  • A task is a single piece of work — a bug, feature, chore, or subtask — with an ID, owner, status, and optional dates and labels.
  • A view is a saved way to look at those tasks — filtered and laid out so you can open "my work", "blockers", or "this release" without rebuilding filters every morning.

Think of tasks as the backlog and views as the lenses your team reuses for standup, triage, and release planning.

This page is about day-to-day delivery in the Projects app — not company billing, model catalogs, or connecting GitHub (see Projects overview and GitHub integration).

What this page is for

You want to…Tasks & views helps you…
Know what a task isSee fields, statuses, and how work moves to Done
Know what a view isSave list, board, timeline, or calendar layouts for the team
Run standup or triageOpen a shared view grouped by person or status
Track bugs and featuresCreate tasks, assign owners, set priority
Connect agent work to a ticketLink agent runs so reviewers see context
Split big workParent tasks and subtasks on the same board
Tasks live inside a project

You only see tasks for projects you belong to. Org admins see all projects; everyone else sees work scoped by Project members.

Understand tasks and views at a glance

TermPlain meaningExample
TaskOne unit of work in the project"Fix login timeout" → ATL-42
SubtaskSmaller step under a parent taskATL-42-a — "Add retry logic"
StatusWhere the task is in the workflowBacklog → In progress → In review → Done
CategoryType of work (for reporting)Bug, feature, chore — does not change permissions
PriorityHow urgent it is to triageUrgent, high, medium, low
ViewSaved filters + layout your team reopens"Eng standup", "Release blockers"
Personal viewOnly on your account"My week"
Shared viewEveryone on the project can open it"Blocked work"

Typical path for one piece of work:

  1. Create a task in the project (title, category, priority)
  2. Assign an owner when someone picks it up
  3. Move status as work advances — In progress → In review → Done
  4. Link an agent run or PR when automation or code review is involved
  5. Use a view so the team sees the same slice in standup without manual filtering

Most contributors spend their day in one or two views and update tasks as status changes.

Tasks vs views

These are easy to confuse:

TaskView
What it isA work item — something to doA saved screen — how you look at many tasks
You create when…New bug, feature, or chore appearsYou find a filter layout the team should reuse
Changes when…Work progresses (status, assignee)You adjust filters or retire an old layout
Shared with team?Yes — everyone on the project sees project tasksShared views yes; personal views only you
ExampleATL-184 — Implement retry backoff"Blockers" — board grouped by assignee

You need tasks to track work. You need views so nobody rebuilds the same filters before every standup.

Start with three shared views

Teams that ship smoothly usually pin My active work (personal), Blockers (shared), and Release candidate or This cycle (shared). Add more only when a ritual needs its own lens.

Choose the right layout

Pick a layout for what you are trying to do, not just what looks nice:

I need to…Use this layoutGroup / sort by
Triage a long backlogListPriority or due date
Run standup or KanbanBoardStatus or assignee
Plan a release or milestoneTimelineMilestone or cycle
See what's due this weekCalendarDue date
Find blocked work fastBoard or ListStatus = Blocked; group by assignee
Review agent-ready workListLabel or category for automation; status Backlog

Save the combination as a view once the team agrees on it.

Status, category, and priority

Three fields often get mixed up:

FieldAnswers…Changes workflow?
StatusWhere is this in delivery? (Backlog, In progress, Done…)Yes — move it as work advances
CategoryWhat kind of work? (Bug, feature, chore…)No — for reporting and filters only
PriorityHow urgent is triage? (Urgent → low)No — helps sorting; you still move status

Example: A bug (category) can be urgent (priority) and in review (status) at the same time. Update status when the PR merges; keep category for reporting.

Who can see and change what

RoleTypical access
Project memberCreate and edit tasks; save personal views
Project adminSame as member; usually publishes shared views
Project leadAccountable for delivery — often owns shared standup views
Org adminFull access to all projects in the organization

Shared views appear in everyone's view picker. Personal views stay on your account. Some orgs limit who can publish shared views — ask a project admin if save is disabled.

Why tasks and views matter

Without structured tasks and viewsWith tasks and views
Work lives in chat threads and docsOne backlog per project with clear owners
Standup starts with "let me filter…"Open Blockers or Standup view in one click
Hard to connect agent output to a ticketRuns linked to a task — summary and PR on the ticket
Large epics never finishSubtasks break work into reviewable chunks
Nobody agrees what's "done"Done and Canceled statuses keep history clear

How tasks and views fit together

PieceWhat it doesLearn more
TaskUnit of work — status, assignee, dates, labelsThis page
SubtaskSmaller chunk under a parentSame statuses; same board
ViewSaved filters + layout + group + sortViews below
Agent runAutomated work in the projectCloud agents, CLI
ProjectContainer for tasks, repos, membersProjects overview

Typical flow: create taskassign and prioritizemove through statuslink agent run or PRDone.

In practice

You want to…Do this
Log a new bug or featureNew task → title, category, priority
See only your open itemsPersonal view: assignee me, active statuses
Run standupOpen shared Board grouped by Assignee or Status
Escalate blockersShared view: status Blocked, group by owner
Plan a releaseFilter by milestone; Timeline or List by priority
Tie agent work to a ticketStart run from project; link to task ID
Break up a large epicAdd subtasks under one parent
Clean up old ideasCanceled (keeps history) rather than deleting

Task status

Move tasks and subtasks through statuses as work progresses:

StatusMeaningTypical next step
BacklogCaptured but not scheduledPlanned when prioritized
PlannedCommitted for an upcoming cycleIn progress when someone starts
In progressActive workIn review when PR or design is ready
In reviewReview in flightDone when accepted
BlockedWaiting on a dependencyIn progress when unblocked
DoneCompleted and accepted
CanceledWill not be done; kept for history

Priority and dates

PriorityWhen to use
UrgentProduction incident or release blocker
HighCurrent cycle commitment
MediumImportant but schedulable
LowNice-to-have or cleanup
NoneNot yet triaged

Optional start, due, and target dates power Timeline and Calendar views. Use milestone or cycle fields when your team plans in fixed iterations.

Subtasks for large work

Break epics into a parent task and subtasks (for example ATL-184 and ATL-184-a). Each subtask moves through the same statuses and shows on the board under the parent.

Create and update tasks

  1. Create a task

    In the project, choose New task. Add a title, category (bug vs feature), and priority. Assign an owner when someone commits to it.

  2. Move status as work advances

    Update status when work starts, enters review, blocks, or completes. Keep assignee current so shared views stay accurate for standup.

  3. Add context

    Use description, labels, dates, or milestone so the next person — or the agent — knows what "done" means.

  4. Link agent or PR work

    When an agent run addresses this task, link it so reviewers see summary and PR context on the ticket.

  5. Close the loop

    Move to Done when accepted, or Canceled if it will not ship — history stays in the project.

Views

A view = filters (which tasks) + layout (how they look) + group + sort.

LayoutBest for
ListDense triage, bulk edits, scanning many items
BoardKanban — columns by status, assignee, or priority
TimelineMilestones, dependencies, date-driven planning
CalendarDue dates across the team
Group byExample use
StatusClassic Kanban columns
AssigneeStandup — what is everyone holding?
PriorityEscalation or weekly planning
Milestone / cycleRelease or sprint scope
CategorySeparate bugs from features

Save a view for the team

  1. Filter to the slice you need

    Example: status In progress or Blocked, assignee me, due this week.

  2. Pick layout and grouping

    Board by Status for Kanban; List by Assignee for standup.

  3. Save and name it

    Save view → name it clearly ("Eng standup", "Release blockers"). Choose personal or shared with project.

  4. Keep the picker useful

    Retire views nobody opens. Two or three shared views plus personal ones is enough for most teams.

Views teams often reuse

View nameWhat it showsWho uses it
My active workAssignee = me; Planned, In progress, In review; listIndividual contributors
BlockersStatus = Blocked; board by assigneeLeads, standup
Release candidateCurrent milestone; timeline or list by priorityPM + eng lead
Agent queueBacklog items tagged for automationTeams using agent handoff

Agent and tasks

Agents run inside the project — same linked repos, models, and policy as human contributors. Tasks connect planning to automation:

Use the agent to…What you get
Summarize blockersShort list from the Blocked view — dependencies and owners
Draft a planSequenced steps for High / Urgent tasks
Write status updatesBlurb for Slack or a weekly report from In review items
Implement a taskRun linked to the task ID — output and PR visible on the ticket
You stay in control

Agent suggestions for task fields are advisory. Accept or edit in the task UI. Nothing moves to Done until your team agrees.

Runs from the desktop agent, CLI, or cloud agents can attach to a task so reviewers are not searching chat for context.

Fix common issues

When tasks or views feel wrong, check in order:

  1. Can you see the project at all?

    If not, you may not be on Project members — ask a project admin to add you.

  2. Is the task in the project you expect?

    Tasks belong to one project. Open the correct project from the Projects app.

  3. Are filters hiding work?

    Clear filters or switch views — a saved view may exclude Backlog or other statuses.

  4. Is assignee or status stale?

    Standup views depend on accurate assignee and status. Update tasks when ownership shifts.

  5. Shared view missing or can't save?

    Some orgs restrict shared views to leads and admins. Use a personal view or ask project admin.

  6. Agent work not on the task?

    Link the run when starting from the project. Confirm GitHub is connected if you expect PR links — see Troubleshooting.

Questions about tasks and views?

QuestionAnswer
What's the difference between a task and a view?Task = work item; view = saved way to see many tasks
What's the difference status vs category?Status = workflow stage; category = type (bug vs feature)
I don't see a taskWrong project, filters, or you're not a project member
Who can create shared views?Usually any member; some orgs limit to leads and admins
Should I delete old tasks?Prefer Canceled to keep history
How do subtasks work?Same statuses as parent; for breakdown, not a separate project
Agent updated the wrong fieldEdit in UI — agent output is a suggestion
Too many views in the pickerArchive unused shared views; keep 2–3 team defaults
What is the task ID for?Stable reference in standup, handoffs, and agent links (e.g. ATL-42)
Can I use tasks without agents?Yes — tasks and views work fully for human-only teams