Tasks are individual pieces of work that need to be completed by your team. In Float, tasks are optional and can be created at both the project and phase levels.
Setting up tasks within a project or phase helps you:
Group related allocations
Track work more accurately
Improve reporting visibility
Separate billable and non-billable work
Project tasks
Project tasks live in the Tasks section within the project settings. This list includes only project-level tasks. It does not include phase-specific tasks, which are listed under their corresponding phases.
Add project tasks
You can add new tasks before assigning them to your team or when allocating time on the Schedule directly. Any task assigned to a team member on the Schedule is automatically added to the Tasks list within the project menu.
💡 Here's a tip: Already scheduled tasks have a green dot displayed next to them.
Phase tasks
Similarly, phase tasks are listed under the Tasks section of each project phase. This list does not include project-specific tasks.
Add phase tasks
Just like project tasks, phase tasks can be added before assigning them to your team or when allocating time on the Schedule. Any phase task assigned to a team member on the Schedule is automatically added to the phase Tasks list.
Tasks settings
Rename a task
Update an existing task name
To rename a task:
Go to the relevant project or phase.
Open the Tasks tab.
Click the task name.
Edit and save.
Any changes you make will automatically apply to all scheduled and logged records linked to that task, including both past and future entries.
No task allocation
If you schedule time without selecting a task, the allocations are grouped under No task allocation in the project or phase settings. You can convert these allocations into a named task at any time.
Go to the relevant project or phase.
Open the Tasks section.
Open the task action menu next to No task allocation.
Select Convert to named task.
Enter the new task name and save.
Once converted:
All previously scheduled allocations under No task allocation will be reassigned to the new task.
All logged time entries associated with those allocations will also update to the new task name.
Set tasks as billable and non-billable
By default, all tasks on the billable project and project phases are set as billable. You can choose to set individual tasks to non-billable.
Click the action menu next to the task name.
Select Set as non-billable.
Non-billable tasks:
Display with Non-billable label.
Do not use the project budget.
Are excluded from billable budget calculations.
Can still be tracked in a Report to monitor internal costs.
To revert the task to billable, click on the action menu and select Set as billable.
Merge tasks
You can select two or more tasks and merge them. When tasks are merged, all instances of the tasks, including previously scheduled and logged time, will update to the new task name. It's important to note that this action is irreversible—you cannot split previously merged tasks.
To merge tasks:
Go to the relevant project or phase.
Open the Tasks section.
Select two or more tasks
Click Merge
Enter the new task's name
Confirm with Merge tasks.
Delete a task
To remove a task:
Go to the relevant project or phase.
Open the Tasks section.
Open the task action menu
Select Delete.
Confirm using the bin icon.
If the task has scheduled or logged time, Float will ask for confirmation. Deleting a task permanently removes:
All scheduled allocations associated with this task
All logged time associated with this task
This action cannot be undone.
If this is not your intention, consider reassigning the allocations from that task before deleting it or using the merge option instead.
View task using filter
The View using filter option automatically applies Task is, Project is (and Phase is if applicable) filters so you can review your team's work on these on the Schedule, Project plan, and the Report pages.
Locking the task list
The Tasks section on the project level has the Only managers with ‘manage projects’ permission can add to this list setting which allows locking the task list.
Locking the project task list applies to all phases of the project.
The task list is locked by default for all new projects, but it can be unlocked whenever needed.
Locking the task list ensures your team only schedules and logs tasks from the approved list. When allocating time on the Schedule or logging time on the Log time/Log team pages, they will see the padlock icon next to the Task field, forcing them to choose one of the existing tasks.
If Only managers with ‘manage projects’ permission can add to this list is enabled, Managers who are contributors to the project (but not the Project Owners) can add new tasks in the project settings. When allocating time on the Schedule or logging time, they still need to select one of the existing tasks.
Allocate time
In Float, every allocation must be assigned to a project. You can optionally assign it to a project task, phase, or phase task. If the task list is locked for that project, selecting one of the existing tasks is required when scheduling time.
Allocate time to the project (No task)
If you allocate time to a project without selecting a task:
It appears under No task allocation in the project’s Tasks section.
It can be reviewed in the project’s Report.
It can later be converted into a named task.
Allocate time to the project task
When allocating on the Schedule, select a project and:
1) If no tasks exist yet:
Click Add task.
Type the task name.
It will be added to the Tasks list in the project settings automatically.
2) If tasks already exist:
They are grouped by Billable and Non-billable in the Task dropdown.
If the task list is locked, selecting one of the existing tasks is required.
If unlocked, users with project edit rights can create a new task directly.
Allocate time to the phase (No task)
If the project you are allocating time to has phases, you can allocate time to one of them. A phase can be selected underneath the project's name on the allocation menu.
If No phase is selected, time will be allocated directly to a project. It can also be assigned to a specific project task. If the project task list is locked, choosing a task is obligatory.
Allocate time to the phase task
If the phase you are allocating time to has no tasks, you can create one directly in the allocation menu.
If a phase already has tasks:
Select a phase task from the Task field drop-down.
If the task list is locked, selecting a task is required.
If unlocked, selecting a task is optional - you can leave the Task field empty, select one of the existing tasks, or add a new one.
If you do not assign the phase allocation to any specific task, it will be automatically grouped under No task allocation within the Tasks section of the phase settings. It can later be converted into a named task.
Additional notes
Currently, there is no limit to the number of tasks per project or phase.
Copying tasks between projects or phases is not currently supported.
Bulk deletion of tasks with allocations is not available (tasks must be deleted individually).
The No task used filter is currently not supported for the logged time records.
There is currently no way to filter unused tasks (tasks without allocations or logged time).
Bulk deletion of tasks with associated allocations is currently not available. Each task needs to be removed individually.