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Design a task assignment form for an app.

– The Scenario: You and I are part of the same team, and you’re designing a form feature that allows you to assign me a task to complete.- For the form, you’re provided an email field for the assignee. What other fields should be added to the form design?

– What errors need to be acounted for, and are there any drawbacks?

  • Related to Product Design
  • For Generalist PM
  Microsoft
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Answers (1)

Clarify:

What is this app about? – App for managing outcomes and conclusions from sprint planning meetings

Is task assignment in an office or non-office setup? – Office setup

Is this a desktop app or a mobile app? – Desktop & Mobile

Any specific country this app is for? – This app is used by teams across the globe

Target users:

Program managers (alike) – who summarize outcomes and assign tasks to devs, product owners

Devs/ Product mgrs (alike) – who are assigned a task and have to take action, respond

Managers – who need an overview of pending actions, status, person assigned to

Scope: 

Program managers

             Desktop app

User journey:

Summarize outcome – > List action points – > Identify owners for action points – >  Put down ETA – > Follow up for task completion – > Update action point status

Pain points

  • Misses key action points/ tasks
  • Ends up identifying the wrong owner for a task
  • Don’t get a reply from action owners. Needs a lot of follow up
  • Don’t understand the grey areas/ status of a task that are currently in flight.
  • Miss focus on key blockers

 Evaluation criteria: Impact on timelines (IT), Impact on productivity/ cost (PC), Likelihood of happening (LH)

Misses key action points/ tasks – IT High, PC Medium, LH Medium – P2

Ends up identifying the wrong owner for a task – IT High, PC Medium, LH Medium – P3

Don’t get a reply from action owners. Needs a lot of follow up – IT High, PC Medium, LH High – P1

Don’t understand the grey areas/ status of a task in mid way – miss focusing on the correct problems – IT Medium, PC low, LH Medium – P5

Miss focus on key blockers – IT High, PC Low, LH Medium  – P4

Solutions:

Evaluation criteria: 

Impact on timelines (IT), Impact on productivity/ cost (PC), Effort required to build

  1. Quickly type and validate task list with participants – via recommended text, click and select options, one click participant selection – IT medium, PC Low, EF Low
  2. Set up frequency of reminder notification to action owner for task completion – IT High, PC Medium, EF Low
  3. Mark tasks as critical blockers – IT High, PC Low, EF Low
  4. Allow provision for escalation to manager if ETA is not met – IT High, PC Medium, EF Low
  5. Review user record of timely task completion, recommend buffer in ETAs – IT High, PC Low, EF Medium

 Final solution of task assignment form:

  • Create/ assign tasks  to users
  • Set up frequency of reminder notification to action owner for task completion
  • Mark tasks as critical blockers – accordingly update notification subject, mark to manager for critical tasks
  • Review user record of timely task completion, recommend buffer in ETAs

KPIs:

North star: % tasks completed within ETA

Feature level KPIs:

#tasks assigned per month

# notifications setup

#tasks by criticality

#escalations to manager

#resolutions within ETA post escalations to manager

Change in task completion rates within ETA from users at different ratings