Some tasks are simply ‘one and done’, but a large variety of tasks we do for work are recurring tasks. Whether that’s a standardized process like onboarding or simply a weekly meeting with your team, getting these tasks set up efficiently will help your company’s processes run smoothly and productively.
What does recurring mean?
There is a subtle difference between the words recurrent and recurring. Recurrent suggests the return of something that existed before and is often used in medical terminology, whereas recurring simply means a repeated occurrence, such as task which is performed over and over again (for example a weekly project status reporting or a regular meeting).
What is a recurring task and how do you set up a recurring task?
A recurring task is created once and repeated over a certain period. Setting up a recurring task will significantly reduce manual input each time you carry out the task, and it will keep you on the top of what needs to be done, by when and by whom. Simple recurring tasks such as a weekly (or daily, monthly or a customized period) meeting can be scheduled in your calendar as a recurring event (series). A more complex recurring task, for example in software development, testing, or staff onboarding, usually requires attention of other members of the team or different departments involvement. The coordination, visibility and progress tracking of these types of tasks is achieved by using a task software management tool or ERP system.
How to use recurring tasks
Use your recurring tasks to manage your work schedule and to minimize admin work. Some of the recurring tasks need to be completed before a following task can begin, so you can track the workflow progress. All areas of a business that apply specific processes on a regular basis such as HR, sales, acquisition, testing, or any that need to carry out regular checks on any matter can use recurring task management software to their advantage.
What is recurring task management software?
Recurring task management software lets you create recurring task templates and set them to occur at your chosen frequency for a selected period of time. To find the best suited software application, you can compare variety of products, read reviews, ratings and explore product features. Asana, Jira, Wrike, beSlick, Trello, Vault ERP or Outlook Calendar are just a few examples. Every task management software will have different features to organize your workflow, but typically you should be able to categorize, color code, view status, attach files, assign and share tasks with team members. To handle recurring project tasks, setting recurrence duration and frequency are important features, and additionally editing and changing assignments when required is something you might come to appreciate later in the process.
Which areas of business can you use recurring tasks in?
1. Recurring tasks in project management
Attending a monthly project briefing with a client, generating a quarterly project report, and a weekly team meeting are some of the recurring tasks in project management. Using checklists for various stages of software development will ensure that your team pays attention to items and follows processes like approval workflow or project templates.
2. Recurring tasks in testing
Using repetitive tasks in checklists will minimize errors in testing and reduce the possibility that something important has been missed. The checklists help you to create guidelines and determine the points to be improved and finalized. For example, you could create a checklist for quality assurance.
3. Recurring tasks in HR management
There are many recurring tasks that HR departments handle, such as HR reviews and supervisions, payroll, hiring, legal compliance, new staff onboarding or offboarding, mandatory training and more. Creating checklists for these processes will ensure consistency and transparency. Recurring task management software can automate many of these processes and save time on admin input.
Read on: Automate your leave management with the right system.
4. Recurring tasks in operations management
Operations management is the process used to oversee and manage the behind-the-scenes work. It includes strategy, planning, business analysis, finance and resources, among other things. Business data is collected and evaluated on a regular basis, client contracts signed and board meetings held. Implementing recurring task management software in operations will help structure and optimize your workflow, and free up time for creative tasks that focus on the growth of your business.
5. Recurring tasks in sales management
Sales management includes recurring tasks which, when missed, could result in missed opportunities. You can organize and optimize your sales efforts by creating weekly prospective lead checklists consisting of tasks such as reviewing your posts in social networks, categorizing your prospective leads and passing them on to the team, weekly sales performance evaluation and highest volume channels in your CRM review.
6. Recurring tasks in financial management
Recurring tasks in finance departments make up the core set of financial activities. Setting up the recurrencies in your task manager software will minimize human error and ensure kept deadlines and compliance. Whether it be tax input and returns, account reconcilliation, invoice processing and expenses, or purchasing or chasing up of unpaid invoices, creating checklists to schedule and track progress of these tasks will give you peace of mind knowing they are taken care of by the assignees.
7. Recurring tasks in IT departments
Infrastructure teams carry out maintenance and security reviews and monitor the number of users, licenses and their expiration – all recurring tasks that can be created in a checklist to enhance the department workflow.
Business areas where recurring task management software can be used are nearly unlimited, and the advantages of its implementation speak for themselves:
- Increased productivity and efficiency
- Minimized human error
- Reduced manual input, automation, optimization
- Increased transparency and visibility
- Improved team collaboration
- Task ownership.
Read on: How Vault can support IT companies.
How to manage recurring tasks in Vault ERP
Vault ERP is a highly efficient software application for managing all of your tasks. Creating recurring tasks in a checklist to capture every step of a specific process ensures guidelines are followed and tasks are completed on time. The Checklists Module in Vault allows you to set task priorities, set a time estimate for completion, assign tasks, set deadlines, attach files, change assignees, set repetition cycles and track time against a checklist. If a checklist is complex, you can add subsections to related tasks to improve its structure. Checklists integrate with other ERP modules where checklists have been enabled, so you will be able to quickly access to-do-lists and checklists from other modules as well. If you have multiple companies, you can select which a checklist applies to, or make generic processes applicable to all.
You can explore the features of Vault ERP and how it can help you to manage your recurring tasks on our Knowledge Base. If Vault ERP sounds like it might be the right fit for your company, get in touch to schedule a demo.
