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Projects/Tasks Module

Updated

The Project/Tasks module is available in the Pro Edition of ChamberMaster/MemberZone. It helps you manage and track projects by allowing you to assign tasks to staff members, monitor the project's progress, and keep an eye on deadlines.

Use it for recurring, multi-step work — event planning, new-member onboarding, sponsorship fulfillment, board cycles, grant deadlines — anything with several steps, owners, and due dates.

Key concepts:

  • Project — A container for related tasks, with its own start date, target (end) date, and a Project Owner. Example: "2025 Annual Gala."
  • Task — A single unit of work. A task can live inside a project or stand alone. Each task has an owner, dates, a priority, a type, and an optional color.
  • Sub-task — A task nested under a parent task. The parent can be configured so it cannot be completed until its children are.
  • Template — A reusable project blueprint. Build the task list once, then apply it to any member, event, or stand-alone project so you are not rebuilding the same checklist every time.

Create a Project

  1. From the left-hand menu, select Project/Tasks.
  2. Select the Projects tab.
  3. Click New Project.
  1. In the Add Project window, complete the fields:
    • Project Name — Required. Special characters, including the ampersand (&), are supported.
    • Type — Choose the project/task type (used later for filtering and reporting).
    • Start Date — The date work on the project begins.
    • Target Date (End Date) — The deadline for the overall project.
    • Project Owner — The staff person ultimately responsible. Tasks set to "Project Owner" in a template will be assigned to this person.
  1. Click Done to save.

Tip: Set the Start Date and Target Date even if they are estimates. Relative task scheduling depends on these project dates, so filling them in now saves rework later.

 

Create and Assign Tasks

You can add tasks inside a project or create stand-alone tasks that are not tied to any project.

To create a task:

  1. From the Project/Tasks module, open the project you want from the Projects tab (or stay on the main Tasks view for a stand-alone task).
  2. Click New Task.
  1. In the Task Add/Edit window, complete the fields:
    • Task Name — Required.
    • Project — The project this task belongs to. Leave blank for a stand-alone task.
    • Start Date / Due Date — When the task begins and when it is due. Either can be set to a fixed date or to a relative date (see Section 4).
    • Assigned To — The staff person responsible. This can be left blank; unassigned tasks roll up under "Unknown User" in summaries.
    • Task Priority — Used for sorting and for focusing attention.
    • Task Type — Used for filtering the Task Calendar and for reporting.
    • Color — Optional. Color-coding makes the Task Calendar easier to scan. Changing a task's color updates that color everywhere the task appears.
  1. Click Done to save.

Notes:

  • "Assigned To" starts blank. You can assign it to a staff person at any time.
  • Use the Comments area on a task to leave notes for the assignee. You will be prompted if you try to close before saving an unsaved comment.

Working with Task Dependencies and Dates

Instead of hard-coding every date, you can schedule tasks relative to other tasks or to the project — so when one date shifts, the dependent dates follow.

Setting a relative date:

  1. Open a task and locate the Start Date field.
  2. If a fixed date is already entered, click the X button beside the field to clear it. Clearing the date reveals the relative-date options.
  1. Select Advanced Options. Choose what the date should be based on:
    • Another task's due date, start date, or completion date, or
    • The project's start date or target date.
  1. Enter the offset (for example, "3 days after project start date").
  2. Click Done to save.

Creating a sub-task (parent/child):

  1. Create the task that will be the child of a task.
  2. In the Parent Task field, select the search icon to connect the subtask to a Parent Task.
  1. The subtasks will display under the Parent Tasks. 

Important: If you delete a parent task, its child tasks are no longer assigned to that parent. Any dates that depended on the parent revert to using the project dates instead. Review affected tasks after deleting a parent.