Subtaken

When handling project tasks, you can often benefit from splitting the workload into smaller sub-tasks, making it easier to track progress and manage the work.

Odoo’s sub-task feature is particularly useful in some of the following cases:

  • The task workload is too big to handle in one record.

  • There’s a clear sequence of steps to follow.

  • Some parts of the workload fall under the scope of different projects and/or assignees.

The original task to which sub-tasks are linked is referred to as the parent task. The sub-tasks of the parent task are known as child tasks.

Creating sub-tasks

To create a sub-task:

  1. Open the Project app, then go into your desired project.

  2. Click the task where you want to add the sub-task, then click the Sub-tasks tab.

  3. Click Add a line, then fill in the Title.

  4. Click the (save) icon to save the task manually.

Tip

You can edit several fields of a sub-task directly from the parent task’s sub-task tab without opening the individual sub-task. By default, those are: Title, Priority, Status, and Assignees. Use the (sliders) icon to add or remove fields.

Once the new sub-task is created, the following changes occur in the parent task:

  • A smart button displays the total number of sub-tasks, as well as the number of closed (done or canceled) sub-tasks. Click the smart button to access the list of the sub-tasks.

  • The Allocated time displays the amount of time allocated to the parent task, as well as time allocated to the sub-tasks. This can be used to ensure that the time allocated to sub-tasks does not exceed time allocated to the parent task.

  • The Timesheets tab includes a breakdown of time spent on the parent task as well as sub-tasks.

Click View to open the sub-task you created. The sub-task form is identical to the task form.

Tip

  • A smart button allows to navigate back to the Parent task.

  • The Sub-tasks tab allows for further creation of sub-tasks.

  • Selecting a Project will trigger this sub-task to be displayed in the Kanban view of the selected project.