{"id":7434,"date":"2024-05-21T14:48:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T14:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:40:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:40:28","slug":"improving-task-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/improving-task-ownership\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving Task Ownership: A 5-Step Tutorial to Help Your Team Thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you dream of a project where everything runs smoothly and every team member understands their role in the project?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To achieve this, people have to know exactly which tasks they\u2019re responsible for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on and learn 5 simple steps to help you establish clear task ownership and improve accountability in your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Task<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Break down the project into manageable tasks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Projects are complex endeavors, and they almost always include a lot of people, and sometimes even multiple teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the first step towards improving accountability is breaking down the project into manageable tasks<\/a> that can be handled by a single person. That way, there is no confusion as to who is working on what since a task is assigned to one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This allows for clear responsibilities and, in turn, clear accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The easiest way to break down projects into tasks is to use a project management tool<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Plaky<\/a> by CAKE.com<\/a>, you can create a board for each project, and add as many tasks as you want in each board. This will provide you with an overview of the entire project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Tasks
Tasks in Plaky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Manage your tasks in Plaky<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide on task owners for each task<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve created a list of tasks, it\u2019s time to decide who will be responsible for which task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Bryan Berthot<\/a>, Project Manager, Scrum Master, and Doctoral Candidate at the University of South Florida explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bryan<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cOn project teams, it is essential that every deliverable, every task, is assigned an owner who\u2019s responsible for completing it. This doesn\u2019t mean that the owner is charged with doing all the work, but the task owner is who the project leader holds accountable for delivery.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This is easy to do through Plaky \u2014 you can assign a team member to each task in a matter of seconds. All you need to do is create a \u2018person\u2019 field and type the name of the teammate and click on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not limited to only one \u2018person\u2019 field. So, if more than one person is working on the task, and you want to distinguish the task owner, you can create 2 fields and name them \u2018Assignee\u2019 and \u2018Task Owner\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Task
Task owners in Plaky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When deciding who to assign to a new task, the filter option can be very useful. You can filter tasks to show the ones owned by a certain team member to see how busy they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you need to assign a task to test a new feature on your app, you can first check how many tasks all your QA testers have \u2014 and assign the newest one to someone whose schedule allows it. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Filter
Filter option in Plaky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Keep tabs on your team’s workload in Plaky<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add a deadline to each task<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every task owner should know the due date of a task before they even start working on it. This way, they can organize their time to ensure they deliver the results on time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, make sure you add a deadline for each assignment as soon as possible \u2014 and, most importantly, make the deadline realistic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are not sure how long it would take to finish a task, talk to the task owner to hear what time frame they feel comfortable with. Or, if they don\u2019t have enough experience with that type of task, ask someone in the organization who does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Plaky, you can add a deadline simply by adding a date field to the task.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Due
Due date field in Plaky <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Alternatively, you can add a timeline field, where you choose a start and end date of the task, and you\u2019ll get a visual representation of the timeline. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Timeline
Timeline in Plaky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Set clear deadlines with Plaky<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep track of the task\u2019s progress <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assigning a task owner to a task doesn\u2019t mean your job is done. You have to be in the loop with how things are going and be available for any questions from the person in charge of the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Bryan Berthot points out, it\u2019s important for leaders to follow up on the task\u2019s progress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bryan<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not enough for a project manager to assign task ownership and forget about it. Once the task ownership and a baseline due date are established, the project manager must follow up. If I see a deadline approaching and I\u2019m not hearing from the task owner that progress has been made, then I drill down and start asking questions about any task blockers and technical obstacles.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Following up on tasks is easier with the right team collaboration software<\/a>. In Plaky, project managers can leave comments directly on tasks and discuss any potential problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you see that the deadline is approaching, or if you notice the task owner changed the status to \u201cStuck\u201d, you can leave a comment to offer assistance. You can even @mention the task owner if you want. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Task
Task is marked as stuck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Monitor task progress in Plaky<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on improvement and praise, not punishment <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final, but crucial step to improved accountability is to focus on the positives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President and COO at Hennessey Digital, Scott Shrum<\/a>, explains why the way we approach accountability matters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Scott
Scott Shrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cCulturally, it’s important to make accountability less about punishment and more about coaching and improvement. Not everyone hits every goal — if goals are challenging enough, the team will inevitably fall short sometimes. The key is to approach it with a mindset of, \u2018What did we learn? What can we do differently next time?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This mindset shift helps both managers and employees come into these conversations with a much more open mind towards feedback, helping them perform better over time, which is the goal of accountability systems!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Praising your employees can be as simple as leaving a comment on a task to show you\u2019ve noticed they did a good job. Or, you can conduct a meeting after a project to discuss what was done well and where there is room for improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Giving
Giving praise for a job well done<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Manage task ownership and accountability with Plaky by CAKE.com<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Task
Task ownership in Plaky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you want to be able to organize task ownership quickly and have an overview of all tasks with their owners in one place \u2014 Plaky by CAKE.com is the task management software<\/a> you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try Plaky for free<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a powerful, yet user-friendly tool, Plaky offers an effective way to establish clear accountability. You can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n