What the colours and deadlines mean

Green, orange and red in your task list: what each one means for you as the person doing the work.

Every task has a progress bar. Its colour is the fastest thing you can learn about a task without opening it.

The colours

Green — everything is fine, you are on schedule.

Orange — either the deadline is close or it has already passed. The task needs attention.

The bar does not show how much work is done. It shows how the task is doing against its dates at the current step.

When orange appears

Not at the moment things go wrong, but earlier. The cases that concern you:

  • The day before work starts, if the task is ready to go

  • The day before the end date, if work is under way

  • After a day, if an invitation came to you and you have not answered

  • After a day, if the site manager sent your specification back with comments

  • After one to three days, if your report was returned for corrections

The system warns you in advance, leaving time to do something about it.

What to do when the bar is orange

First look at which step the task is stuck on. The causes differ, and so do the actions.

If an invitation is waiting for your answer, accept or decline it — do not leave it hanging.

If the specification came back with comments, open the site manager's note and make the corrections.

If work was due to start and the materials are not there, write in the stage chat. The task is highlighted so the manager sees the problem, not to blame you.

If work is under way and you are not going to make it, say so before, not after. A date can be moved; spoiled work is harder to undo.

What the colour does not mean

An orange bar blocks nothing. You can keep working, and the buttons stay where they are.

And it is not always about you: a task can be waiting on a delivery, on the client's decision, or on approval from the site manager.

Next

Writing a task report

You have been invited to a task