{"id":69,"date":"2025-08-28T14:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/?p=69"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:04:08","slug":"creating-teams-and-task-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/creating-teams-and-task-types\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Teams and Task Types"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Teams<\/strong> and Task Types<\/strong> are ManagePH’s way of helping you organize work, track time more accurately, and understand where your team’s effort is being spent. Think of Teams<\/strong> as your project buckets, and Task Types<\/strong> as the specific activities within those projects. Here’s how to set them up effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Why Teams and Task Types Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before diving into setup, understand what these features accomplish:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Teams = Projects, clients, or departments<\/strong> (e.g., “Website Redesign”, “Client ABC”, “Marketing”)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Task Types = Specific activities<\/strong> (e.g., “Development”, “Design”, “Client Communication”, “Research”)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Time Tracking<\/strong>: Employees can select both when clocking in, giving you detailed breakdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Payment Tracking<\/strong>: Invoices can be organized by team\/project for clearer billing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Analytics<\/strong>: See where time is actually being spent vs. where you think it is<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Setting Up Teams First<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Navigate to Team Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Go to Settings<\/strong> in your left sidebar<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click the Teams<\/strong> tab<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Click New Team<\/strong> to create your first team<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Step 2: Team Creation Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Required Fields:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Team Name<\/strong>: Keep it clear and specific<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u2705 Good: “Website Redesign Q1”, “Client – Acme Corp”, “Social Media Management”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u274c Avoid: “Project 1”, “Stuff”, “Miscellaneous”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Optional but Recommended Fields:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Team Lead<\/strong>: Name of the person responsible (not a system user, just a text field)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Description<\/strong>: Brief explanation of what this team\/project covers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Step 3: Team Strategy Examples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • By Client<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Name: Client – TechStart Inc<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Lead: Sarah Johnson<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Description: All development and support work for TechStart’s mobile app<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • By Project<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Name: Website Redesign Q1<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Lead: Mike Chen<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Description: Complete company website overhaul including design, development, and content<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • By Department<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Name: Marketing Operations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Team Lead: Lisa Park<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Description: Social media management, content creation, and campaign execution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            Setting Up Task Types<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Step 1: Navigate to Task Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. In Settings<\/strong>, click the Tasks<\/strong> tab<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Click New Task Type<\/strong> to create your first task<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Step 2: Task Type Creation Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              Required Fields:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Task Name<\/strong>: Specific activity types your team performs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Optional Fields:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • Assign to Team<\/strong>: Link this task type to a specific team, or leave as “General Task”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Step 3: Task Type Strategy Examples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  General Tasks (No Team Assignment):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • Administrative Work<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Email & Communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Learning & Training<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Team Meetings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Team-Specific Tasks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • Website Redesign Q1<\/strong>: Frontend Development, Backend Development, UI\/UX Design, Content Writing, Client Reviews<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Client – TechStart Inc<\/strong>: Bug Fixes, Feature Development, Code Review, Client Communication, Testing & QA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n

                      Best Practices for Organization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                      Start Simple, Expand Later<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                      Begin with 2\u20133 teams and 5\u20136 task types. You can always add more as you understand your workflow better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Week 1 Setup Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \n
                      • Teams: “Client Work”, “Internal Projects”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Tasks: “Development”, “Design”, “Communication”, “Planning”, “Admin”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Naming Conventions That Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • Be Consistent: If you use “Client – CompanyName” format, stick to it<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Avoid Abbreviations: Choose “Development” or “Dev” and stay consistent<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Date Important Projects: “Website Redesign Q1 2024” helps with historical tracking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                          \n\n\n\n

                          Team vs Task Type Decision Framework<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                          Use Teams for:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • Different clients<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Major projects with multiple people<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Distinct departments<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Budget\/billing boundaries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Use Task Types for:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            • Different activities within the same project<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Skill-based work categories<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Billable vs non-billable distinctions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Granular time tracking needs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                              \n\n\n\n

                              How Employees Use Teams and Tasks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                              During Time Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                              When employees clock in, they can optionally select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \n
                              1. Team (if applicable to their work)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              2. Task Type (what kind of work they’re doing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              3. Both, one, or neither \u2014 it’s flexible<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                During Payment Requests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                                When submitting invoices, employees can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  \n
                                • Specify which team\/project the hours were for<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Auto-calculate hours based on time tracking data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Organize their work for clearer billing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                  Employee Experience Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n
                                  • Team: Website Redesign Q1<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Task: Frontend Development<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Time: 9:00 AM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                    \n\n\n\n

                                    Managing Teams and Tasks Over Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                    Editing Existing Items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                                      \n
                                    • Teams<\/strong>: Can be edited anytime \u2014 changes don’t affect historical data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Task Types<\/strong>: Can be disabled rather than deleted to preserve time tracking history<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Historical Data<\/strong>: Past time entries keep their original team\/task associations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      When to Create New vs Edit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                                        \n
                                      • Create New When<\/strong>: Starting a different project, client changes significantly, or billing changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Edit Existing When<\/strong>: Clarifying names, updating leads, or making small scope adjustments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                        Disabling vs Deleting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                                          \n
                                        • Disable Task Types<\/strong> when projects end \u2014 preserves history and reporting accuracy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • Delete<\/strong> only if you want to permanently remove all historical associations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                          \n\n\n\n

                                          Common Setup Scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                          Scenario 1: Agency with Multiple Clients<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                            \n
                                          • Teams: Client – RetailCorp, Client – TechStartup, Internal – Business Development, Internal – Admin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Tasks: Strategy & Planning (General), Development (per client), Design (per client), Project Management (General), Client Communication (General)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                            Scenario 2: Product Company<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                              \n
                                            • Teams: Product Development, Customer Support, Marketing, Operations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                            • Tasks: Feature Development \u2192 Product Development, Bug Fixes \u2192 Product Development, Customer Tickets \u2192 Customer Support, Content Creation \u2192 Marketing, Social Media \u2192 Marketing, Administrative \u2192 Operations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                              Scenario 3: Consulting Business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                \n
                                              • Teams: Project Alpha, Project Beta, Business Development<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Tasks: Research & Analysis, Client Workshops, Documentation, Presentation Prep, Travel Time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                \n\n\n\n

                                                Monitoring Usage and Analytics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                                Watch For:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                  \n
                                                • Unused teams\/tasks \u2192 Remove or consolidate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                • Generic time entries \u2192 If employees aren\u2019t selecting, ask why<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                • Billing clarity \u2192 Do invoices match your intended structure?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                                  Red Flags:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                    \n
                                                  • All time going to “General” tasks (too vague)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                  • Too many micro-categories (overly complex)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                  • Team names that don\u2019t match client billing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                    \n\n\n\n

                                                    Troubleshooting Common Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                                    “Employees aren’t selecting teams\/tasks”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                      \n
                                                    • Make selections optional at first<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                    • Provide clear guidance on usage<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                    • Keep the list short and simple<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                                      “Too many options, employees confused”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                        \n
                                                      • Start with 3\u20135 total options<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                      • Use jargon-free names<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                      • Group related work under broad categories<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                                        “Time tracking doesn\u2019t match how we bill”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                          \n
                                                        • Align team names with billing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                        • Match task types to service offerings<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                                        • Consider billable vs non-billable task distinctions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                          \n\n\n\n

                                                          Next Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                                          Once you have teams and task types set up, your employees can start using them during time tracking. This gives you richer data about where work is happening and makes client billing more transparent and accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                          \ud83d\udca1 Pro Tip<\/strong>: Start lean and expand based on actual usage patterns. It’s easier to add categories than to get people to use overly complex ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                          Teams and Task Types are ManagePH’s way of helping you organize work, track time more accurately, and understand where your team’s effort is being spent….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-help"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manageph.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}