How do I import tasks from Excel
Answered
I can see how to import app content but I can't find a similar approach to importing tasks. There must be one!
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Hey Justin and Sebastian,
We think a bit differently about tasks, I would say that a task in Podio is a great thing for creating actionable things related to an app item. Read more here (if you haven't already): http://blog.podio.com/2011/06/10/podio-and-gtd/.
I would love to hear your use case for importing tasks as well, I think that maybe the tasks that you currently have in Excel would work really well as items in an app in Podio.
Let me know and we can continue the discussion!
/Gustav - Podio
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Hi Gustav
I have no problem with the way you think about tasks.
My problem is that I have already built a task management tool that our entire team uses in Zoho Creator.
I'm in the process of replicating it in Polio.
I've created a set of apps and I can import content into them (albeit workspace by workspace) but now I have hundreds of tasks that need to be transferred. How do I do this? Or, if I make sure the data is mapped properly, can you do it for me?
Justin
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Hey @Sebastian, I changed the link, it was my fault. Sorry about that. If you dislike scrolling up again to click, here's the right link again: http://blog.podio.com/2011/06/10/podio-and-gtd/
Printing is something that we're discussing I see your point for wanting it.
@Justin: I have done that misspelling a couple of times myself, no worries! :)
What are the tasks that you'd like to transfer about? Are they tasks as in "Call this person" or "Create website" with the related tasks "Draw wireframes" and "Design menus" as an example? I think the "Call this person" should be a task in Podio, and the others should be categorized and structured in a Deliverables app or similar.
Let me know your thoughts!
/Gustav - Podio
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We would like to be able to import tasks also! We currently have a checklist which is the same for each of our projects. At the moment I have to set these up as 'To-Do' items, but this is a little cumbersome.
We want to be able to see these items all on one list, the same as with tasks, with a checkbox to mark them as complete, the date completed, and the person who marked it as complete.
When setting these items up as To-Do's, if we want the information above we need a category box for complete/not complete, a date box for the date completed, and a contact box for the person marking it as complete.The point being, the person completing the to-do item has several fields to answer instead of being able to just check one box.
Thanks, Hannah
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Similar to Justin, I am trying to migrate to Podio from Remember The Milk where i have a lengthy list of tasks of a variety of types. ost of my work doesn't fit into the proscribed categories of Deliverables, etc. and I would really like to just be able to import the entire list (preferably with dates and tags.
Since you already have the ability to e-mail individual tasks to an app, how about e-mailing multiple tasks with one per line?
If I can't bring my tasks over here, then a large part of my brain will continue to live over there. :-(
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I agree with Patrick. I love Podio's flexibility. However, I have clients that have standardized "package" projects with standard deliverables and action items. I have used Basecamp in the past, and I created e-mail templates to forward into the appropriate Basecamp project. I submitted a ticket request, and Britt van Slyck offered the following three ideas.
email to app. This will allow you to create an item in an app from your email. E.g. a deliverable. See here: https://help.podio.com/entries/21714366-email-to-app
auto-tasks: Everytime you create a new item in that app (e.g. a new project) those tasks will be automatically assigned. To add auto tasks, modify the app and go to 'tasks
Save standard deliverable list in an excel sheet. Create the deliverables in the app, export to excel then import into a deliverables app again when needed. You can update dates, etc. within the excel sheet.
My ideal request would be the ability to create standard deliverables and action items like the following.
- Deliverable 1
- Action Item 1
- Action Item 2
- Action Item 3
- Deliverable 2
- Action Item 1
- Action item 2
- Action Item 3
I can then change due dates and responsible people, but the standard to-do items will apply to 85-90% of my projects.
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Sorry, I should have added the Basecamp link about e-mailing to-do lists into Basecamp. I create email templates for my standard milestones/deliverables.
http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3170-new-in-the-all-new-basecamp-email-in
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Thanks Dallon for your comments... I want to clarify a couple things from my comments and yours...
The auto-tasks thing is great for a very standardized project, but we have one projects app where we might be managing a web design project, a blog posting project, a website migration project in 3 different projects all in the same app. Obviously those each have their own set of standard tasks. This is where my idea of having a pre-defined "template/grouping" of standard tasks that could be added to an app item would be awesome. I don't want to have these in a separate "deliverables" app. Ideally, they should show up in the main stream of the app item view (not on the right side) and where they can be checked off as completed - each can be assigned and have due dates, etc... just like the tasks we already have, but just move them over into the main flow of the app item data fields... :)
I verified that we can in fact create tasks programatically using the API, so once I get my "podio help desk" functionality created using the API, I plan to try and address this issue using the API some day soon, where I can define my own pre-defined set of tasks and then be able to assign them to an app item... :)
Thanks for continuing the discussion... hopefully Podio is listening... :)
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I'm so glad I found this thread. This is exactly how I'd love to use Podio for our agency/business.
- Is there any development on the subject yet? Can we import tasks in some way, to a deliverable?
- If not, how do other Podio users go about this? I've heard from multiple Podio users that they actually have to go with another PM solution to get a birdseye PM managment system (with gants, easy to use dependancies etc). I do not want to use more than Podio. There must be a way to make all happen here. I'm sure of it. Please tell us how you organize your projects in podio, and template that process for easy replication :)
Comment to Gustav Jonsson:_ "We think a bit differently about tasks, I would say that a task in Podio is a great thing for creating actionable things related to an app item."_
I get it. In Podio the deliverables are the todo's. Tasks are the small bits and pieces that needs to be done - to complete the deliverable (todo).
But other PM systems allow you to structure todo's in multiple levels. Fine, so Podio don't support multiple levels. No problem. But there should definitly be possible to populate a todo/deliverable with a set of templated, replicated tasks.
Scenario:
Say I use Podio to create a deliverable for "Set up Wordpress for client". There are a bunch of small tasks to be done to make sure that the Wordpress-site is configured correctly. All these tasks will be the same in other projects.
It's obvious that I want to import a templated task-list to my "Wordpress setup" deliverable app. I don't want to create these tasks manually each time I create the deliverable.
So what's best practice in this scenario, Gustav?
Thanks for listening and answering, all of you. I'm setting up Podio for our agency as we speak. All tips and advice are really appreciated.
Best regards, Alex
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Hey Alex, have you tried the auto-tasks?
Maybe that could work, if you have an app called Wordpress setup and then you create auto-tasks in that app?
/Gustav - Podio
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Any progress with this function?
I can do with the task import / project template function too. Much like Alexander's case. We have a set list of tasks we must do for different projects, it would be great if we can just re-create that same list of tasks/deliverables instead of having to redo the list of 103 tasks each time.
It was bit of a surprised to find out this isn't already a part of Podio. Thanks
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Related to how @alexander.
FYI: @gustav
i think the podio approach is near to GTD concept (not true but follow) - so task from my point of view is action the most granular part to deliver project scope deliverables. GTD say if something is not actionable in one step it is gtd project. For me setup wordpress should consist from more granular actions/tasks: i.e. call to the admin, book support in server house etc. But from my point of view "setup wordpress" a project task and part of a complex project which consist from deliverables (project must deliver to customer) and should depends on other project task "implement mainframe" - > so project tasks obviously structures depends and should have type milestone for example.
another example - from the GTD perspective to create quotation for the "project change request" should consist from more actions - todo's. (task 1. request for the project resource/load report, task 2 present price quote to PM, task 3 send quotation 4. follow up call) .....
so from deliverables/project tasks you can create a gannt chart.
this is my approach to podio task manager !
what you mean ?
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Hey all,
I have come to this discussion late, but want to add my name to the list of those requesting simple IMPORT OF TASKS to the list of features we need.
I read the post above and I now have a better understanding of best practices for projects, deliverables, and tasks. However, it seems to me that deliverables (in GTD terminology) is "what done looks like". As mentioned above, in GTD methodology, if there is more than one action items… it's a project. I can easily see deliverables being the "sub-projects" under main project. And the TASKS attached to projects or deliverables as action items "to do".
example.
small biz server for client = project
Apple mac mini server = 1 of several deliverables
task attached to deliverable like … spec server … order server … confirm delivery onsite etc
All that to say @gustav that we really need a task spread sheet import …. even if only to server "switchers" to the podio platform who are wanting to take their current task list and bring into this fantastic software / service w/out having to re-enter data.
Just my 2¢. Hope it is useful.
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Hey Miha, no news at this point. If you need an urgent solution you can use our developer API to access them: https://developers.podio.com/ - if you don't have a developer in-house we can direct you to a Podio Partner to assist you: https://company.podio.com/partners-find
//Sara - Podio
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You can get Excel to Podio Tasks using Google Docs & Zapier.
Zapier is a service that lets you automate common tasks on the web by connecting platforms/services that currently do not on their own. Though Zapier does not work with any Microsoft Office programs, they do provide a tremendous number of automated processes or Zaps (as they call them) through Google Docs.
- Imported the spreadsheet to Google Docs via Import or Cut & Paste
Login or Signup with Zapier,.com.
Link to: https://zapier.com/zapbook/google-docs/podio/3034/create-podio-task-from-spreadsheet-row/
- This will allow you import colums with: Task Name, Task Descrptions, Task Labels (they need to be separated by a comma), Due Date, Responsible, and Reminder Date.
It's not perfect since it does not allow you send them to a specific workspace, project or deliverable. But its the best I have found to date.
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