Subtasks vs. To-Dos
A task offers two ways to break work down, and they are not variations of the same thing.
A to-do is a checkbox
Section titled “A to-do is a checkbox”A to-do is just a line of text on this task. That’s the whole record: the task it belongs to, and the words you typed.
It has no assignee, no dates, no status of its own, and no time can be logged against it. It exists to be ticked off.
A subtask is a whole task
Section titled “A subtask is a whole task”A subtask is a full task that happens to have a parent. It carries everything any task carries:
- Its own assignees
- Its own status and due date
- Its own time allotted and fee type
- Its own description, comments, and logged time
It appears in task lists, on the task board, and on people’s dashboards like any other task, because it is one — with a note naming its parent.
A subtask’s hours are part of its parent’s, not extra. If the parent is allotted 6 hours and 3 hours are logged on a subtask, the parent shows 3 hours spent and 3 remaining, and the entry appears on the parent’s Activity tab too. If the subtasks together are allotted more hours than the parent, you’ll see a warning.
Choosing between them
Section titled “Choosing between them”One question settles it:
Does someone else need to own it, or does time need to be logged against it?
- Yes → subtask. Anything else can’t be assigned or tracked.
- No → to-do. A checklist of steps you’re doing yourself doesn’t need five tasks’ worth of overhead.
A useful rule of thumb: if you’d be annoyed to see it appear as a separate line on someone’s task list, make it a to-do.