Microsoft Outlook 2010 : Working with Tasks - Assigning a Task to Someone Else

4/29/2013 1:51:22 AM

If you manage others and use Outlook in your organization for e-mail and collaboration, you probably want to assign tasks to others. Outlook sends the task assignment as an e-mail message, and the assignee has the option of accepting or rejecting the task. When you assign a task, you define a status update distribution list. The people on that list receive status reports when the assignee makes changes to the task.

Assign a Task

Click New Items on the Home tab.
Choose Task Request.

Try This!

If you want to pass the buck and reassign a task that was assigned to you to someone else, accept the task, open the task, click Assign Task in the Manage Task group of the ribbon’s Task tab, and assign it by typing someone’s name or selecting a name from your address list.

Tip

When you assign a task to another person, a copy of the task request message goes into your Sent Items folder. If you open the message, its form shows a status message indicating that Outlook is waiting for a response from the assignee. This message changes after the assignee either accepts or rejects the task.
Use the fields on the Task tab to define the task.
Select Keep An Updated Copy Of This Task On My Task List to have Outlook keep track of the assigned task with a copy on your own task list that updates as the assignee works on the task.
Select Send Me A Status Report When This Task Is Complete to have Outlook send you a status report when the assignee completes the task.
Type the assignee’s name, or click To and select the person to whom you want to assign the task from your Contacts list.
Click the Details button.
Add other information for the task.
Click Task to return to the task form.
Click Send.

Accept or Reject an Assigned Task

Click the Mail icon on the Navigation Pane and open the Inbox.
Click the Task Request message to select it. If the Preview Pane is not open, double-click the message to open it.
Click Accept to accept the task or Decline to decline the task.

Tip

When you accept or reject a task, Outlook deletes the task request message from your Inbox. You can’t control this behavior to prevent Outlook from deleting the message. However, Outlook keeps copies in your Sent Items folder of task requests that you create.

Tip

When you reassign a task that someone has assigned to you and that third person accepts the task, Outlook sends an acceptance notice to you and to the task’s originator. The status update list then includes the originator’s address and yours, so you receive status updates along with the originator.

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Microsoft Outlook 2010 : Working with Tasks - Assigning a Task to Someone Else

Assign a Task

Try This!

Tip

Accept or Reject an Assigned Task

Tip

Tip