Creating Tasks for a Project
This guide walks you through the complete workflow of getting from "a new project just opened" to "a fully configured, assigned, date-aware task list ready to work with." It's practical — with real decisions to make at each step.
Overview of the process
From catalog setup through day-to-day work, the flow looks like this:
Set up your Task Catalog
One-time work, usually by a catalog admin: create the catalog, add Active items, and link it to the right workspace and blueprints.
Create your project and fill in key fields
Create the project from a blueprint that has your catalog linked. Enter dates, user fields, and any properties your rules and assignees depend on.
Generate tasks
Use Generate Tasks on the project, Generate Tasks for Project on the catalog, or Generate Task for Project on a single catalog item — depending on whether you need the full catalog or one task.
Review and adjust the generated tasks
Scan for missing dates, gaps in assignments, and applicability issues; edit tasks on the project as needed.
Assign tasks using Assign by Role
If your catalog uses role labels instead of (or in addition to) dynamic assignees, batch-assign roles to people on the project.
Start working
Update statuses, complete work, handle approvals, and let dates follow the project when reference dates change.
Step 1 in this list is a setup task done once, not for every project. Steps 2–6 happen for each new project.
Step 1: Set up your Task Catalog
If you're starting fresh, you need a Task Catalog with Active items before you can generate any tasks.
If your organization already has Task Catalogs set up, skip to Step 2. Most users never create catalogs — they just use the ones the PMO or admin team maintains.
Create the catalog
Open Task Catalogs
From the sidebar, go to Task Catalogs, then start New Catalog.
Name the catalog
Pick a name that reflects the project type it serves. Examples: Hotel Opening — Full Service, Hotel Renovation — F&B Only, Pre-Opening Technology Setup.
Assign the workspace
Set the Workspace so the right teams can access the catalog.
Add Task Catalog Items
For each task you want in your list:
Add an item
Click Add Item in the catalog.
Fill in the basics
Enter title, description, category, and priority.
Set timing
Choose what the due date is relative to and how many days of lead time apply.
Add applicability rules
If the task does not apply to every project, add rules so it only generates when conditions match.
Configure assignees
Use dynamic assignees pointing to project fields wherever possible.
Add subtasks and flags
Add subtasks for checklist-style work. Set flags (Will Delay Project Completion, Major Milestone, Delay Will Raise Flag) as needed.
Save and activate
Save and set status to Active when the item is ready for generation.
Start with your most important, always-applicable tasks first. You can add rule-driven items later.
Publish the catalog
Items must have status Active to be included in task generation. While you're building, items are in Draft. When an item is ready, change its status to Active.
Step 2: Create your project and fill in key fields
Create a new project using the blueprint that has your catalog linked.
Critical fields to fill in before generating tasks:
Primary target completion date
This is the main reference for relative dates — most task timelines depend on it.
Other reference dates
Fill in Secondary Target Completion Date and Risk-Adjusted Completion Date if your catalog uses them, plus any custom date fields referenced by task timings (e.g. Construction Handover Date).
User fields for assignees
Complete any user fields referenced by dynamic assignees (e.g. Restaurant Manager, Finance Director).
Properties for rules
Enter project properties that applicability rules evaluate (e.g. Brand, Region, Category/Scale).
The more fields you fill in before generating tasks, the better your initial task list will be. Applicability rules can only evaluate fields that have values; dynamic assignees can only be resolved if the user fields are filled in.
If you generate tasks before entering the project's completion date, all relative due dates will be blank or defaulted. It's much cleaner to fill in the date first.
Step 3: Generate tasks
There are three ways to generate tasks, depending on whether you need one catalog item or the whole catalog.
Generate a single task from one catalog item
Open Task Catalogs → your catalog → select the Task Catalog Item. In the top right, click Generate Task for Project. Choose the project in the dialog. Only that item is evaluated and a task is created on the project (you do not need to run full catalog generation).
Generate the full catalog from the project
Open the project in single-project view. At the top, click Generate Tasks and select the catalog if prompted. Compass runs full catalog generation for that project.
Generate the full catalog from the Task Catalog
Open Task Catalogs and open the catalog. In the top right, click Generate Tasks for Project. Choose the project. This runs the same full catalog generation as starting from the project.
When you run full catalog generation
Generate Tasks (on the project) and Generate Tasks for Project (on the catalog) both follow the same process:
Evaluate applicability
Compass evaluates every active catalog item's applicability rules against your project's fields.
Create tasks for items that apply
Items that pass produce a task on the project.
Calculate dates
Dates are calculated from the project's dates and each item's lead time and duration settings.
Resolve dynamic assignees
Dynamic assignees are filled from the project's user fields.
Apply configuration rules
Configuration rules are evaluated and applied.
See tasks in the list
New tasks appear on the project's task list.
When you use Generate Task for Project on a single catalog item, only that item goes through this logic — not the entire catalog.
What you'll typically see:
Dated and assigned tasks
Many tasks already have due dates and assignees if the catalog and project fields were set up well.
Tasks without an assignee
Some tasks may have no assignee if the corresponding project user fields were left empty.
Tasks deferred by creation rules
Some tasks appear later automatically when creation rules say they should be added.
Step 4: Review the generated task list
Take a few minutes to review:
For a full playbook — dashboard setup, missing vs. unexpected tasks, and verifying titles, dates, and assignments — use the Task Validation Playbook.
Check for missing dates
If a task has no due date, the "Relative To" field may point to a project date that is not filled in. Go back to the project's Details, add the missing date, and let tasks recalculate where configured.
Check for unassigned tasks
No assignee often means the dynamic assignee field on the project is empty — fill it and the task can update. Otherwise the task may use static assignment (assign manually) or Assign to Roles (use Step 5).
Check applicability
If you expect a task and do not see it: confirm the catalog item is Active (not Draft), review applicability rules against your project, and verify fields like Brand and Region are correct.
Adjust individual tasks if needed
You can edit any generated task on the project — dates, assignees, subtasks, and more. Changes apply only to this project, not the catalog template.
Step 5: Assign tasks using "Assign by Role"
If your catalog uses Assigned to Roles labels (rather than fully automatic dynamic assignees), use the Assign by Role feature to batch-assign tasks.
Select tasks
In the task dashboard, select all tasks (or filter to the ones you want to assign).
Open Assign by Role
Click Assign by Role. A dialog lists every role label used by the selected tasks.
Map roles to people
For each role, pick someone from your project team — for example, Finance Leader = Sarah Chen, Spa Leader = Marco Ricci, General Manager = John Park.
Apply
Click Apply. All tasks for each role label are assigned in one operation.
All tasks with "Finance Leader" are instantly assigned to Sarah, all "Spa Leader" tasks to Marco, and so on — in one operation, regardless of how many tasks each role has.
Dynamic assignees (pointing to project user fields) are fully automatic — fill in the field, task is assigned. Zero extra steps after project creation.
Assign by Role requires a manual step after generation but is more explicit — you see exactly who is taking each role for this specific project and make conscious decisions.
Many organizations use both: dynamic assignees for clear 1:1 field relationships, and Assign by Role for roles that might be split across people or need project-specific decisions.
Step 6: Start working
With tasks generated, dated, and assigned, the team can now work. Here's what day-to-day task work looks like:
Use statuses day to day
Each task has a Status. Pick the status that matches where the work stands:
| Status | When to use |
|---|---|
| Not Started | Default; work hasn't begun |
| In Progress | Actively being worked on |
| Waiting on 3rd Party | Blocked by an external party |
| Need Resources | Blocked internally — needs staffing, budget, etc. |
| Awaiting Approval | Completion request submitted, pending approval |
| Re-Opened | Was complete, then re-opened |
| Completed | Done |
| Not Applicable | Was included in generation but turned out not to apply |
Complete tasks that need approval
If Task Completion Requires Approval is on, assignees click Submit for Completion instead of completing directly. Approvers see the request in their queue; after approval, the task moves to Completed.
Track milestones
Milestone progress updates automatically as related tasks are completed — no manual percentage tracking.
When the project timeline shifts
If the opening or reference date changes, tasks with Adjust Dates if Reference Changes recalculate automatically. Others keep their dates until you change them. Update the date on the project's Details page.
Common scenarios
"I need to add a task that wasn't in the catalog"
Create it directly on the project's task list (it won't have a catalog item link). Go to Tasks → New Task and fill it in manually.
"A task was generated that doesn't apply to this project"
Set its status to Not Applicable. This closes it without marking it as completed work.
"The catalog was updated — how do I get the update on my project?"
If a catalog owner updated a catalog item and chose "Sync with all tasks" or "Sync with not-started tasks," the update may already be on your project. Check the task to see if it's updated. If not, consult with your catalog admin.
"I need to generate tasks from a second catalog for the same project"
Use Generate Tasks at the top of the project, or open the other catalog and click Generate Tasks for Project, then select the same project. Tasks from both catalogs will exist on the project. If any items in the two catalogs overlap or conflict, review carefully — there's no automatic de-duplication.
"Tasks were created without dates"
The project's reference date fields weren't filled in when tasks were generated. Fill in the missing project dates, then re-evaluate: tasks with "Adjust Dates if Reference Changes" will update automatically. Others may need manual date entry.
Tips for a smooth task setup experience
Fill in project fields before generating
The more context the system has at generation time, the better the initial task list.
You can run generation more than once
Generating again from the project or from the Task Catalog only adds tasks that are not already on the project — existing tasks are left as-is, so you avoid duplicates.
Use dashboard filters after generation
Filter by Unassigned or No Due Date to clear the biggest gaps quickly.
Invest in the catalog
The quality of the generated list follows the catalog: clear applicability rules, dynamic assignees, and precise timing reduce cleanup on every project.