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Setup — Task Settings

Define how your team uses tasks and who can see them.

Setup — Task Settings

Define how your team uses tasks and who can see them.

Who this is for

Builders, estimators, and subcontractors. Builders and estimators typically configure this; subcontractors will see the task types and permission levels you set here.

What this module is for

Task Settings controls two things: the types of tasks your team can create (like RFI, Defect, or Site Issue), and the default permission level for new tasks. If your site supervisors need to assign defect tracking tasks to subbies, or your estimators need RFI management built into projects, you set that up here.

Things worth knowing upfront

  • Task Types come with four defaults: General, RFI, Issue, Defect. You can't delete these, but you can add your own.

  • Default Task Permissions sets what permission level new tasks get automatically. Individual tasks can override this when created.

  • The four permission levels are: Admin (full control), Editor (can edit and comment), Commenter (can comment only), View Only (read-only).

  • Changes here apply to all new tasks going forward; existing tasks keep their current permissions.

How to get there

Setup (top menu) → Task Settings (left menu)

What you'll see

Two tabs at the top of the screen: Task Types and Default Task Permissions. Task Types is the default tab that loads. You'll see a list of task types (the four defaults plus any custom ones you've added), with a "New Task Type" button above the list. Each row in the list is clickable to edit.

Step-by-step: managing task types

  1. Click Setup in the top menu bar.

  2. Click Task Settings in the left menu.

  3. Make sure the Task Types tab is active (it loads by default).

  4. You'll see four built-in task types: General, RFI, Issue, Defect. These cannot be deleted.

Adding a new task type

  1. Click the New Task Type button at the top of the list.

  2. A panel opens on the right side with a text field labelled "Task Type Name".

  3. Enter the name for your new task type (e.g., "Site Deficiency", "Change Request", "Inspection").

  4. Click Save at the bottom of the panel.

  5. Your new task type appears in the list immediately.

Editing an existing task type

  1. Click any task type row in the list to open its edit panel.

  2. Change the name in the text field.

  3. Click Save to confirm.

Note: The four default task types (General, RFI, Issue, Defect) cannot be deleted, but you can rename them. Any custom task types you add can be edited at any time.

Step-by-step: setting default task permissions

  1. Click the Default Task Permissions tab.

  2. You'll see a radio button group with four options:

Permission Level

What it means

Admin

Full control. Can create, edit, delete, assign, and change permissions on tasks.

Editor

Can edit task details and comments, but cannot delete or change permissions.

Commenter

Can add comments and updates, but cannot edit task details.

View Only

Can read tasks but cannot make any changes.

  1. Select the permission level you want as the default.

  2. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.

  3. Your selection is saved immediately. All new tasks created after this point will start with this permission level.

Note: This only sets the default for new tasks. When you create a task in a project, you can always change its permission before saving. Existing tasks are not affected by changes to this setting.

Worked example

You're a site supervisor at Coastal Homes. Your builder has set the default task permission to "Editor" and you need to track site deficiencies separately from general issues. Here's how you'd add that task type:

  1. Go to Setup → Task Settings.

  2. Click the New Task Type button.

  3. Type "Site Deficiency" in the Task Type Name field.

  4. Click Save.

  5. You now see "Site Deficiency" in your task type list, ready to use in any project.

Later, when you create a task in a project and want it to start as View Only (so subbies can see it but not change it), you select "View Only" when you create that specific task. The default permission stays at "Editor", but you override it for this one task.

Tips

  • Naming convention: Use clear, site-relevant names. "Site Deficiency" is better than "SD1". Your team will scan these quickly on a job.

  • Keep it simple: Four or five task types is usually enough. Too many and your team won't use them consistently.

  • Test your permissions: After setting a default permission, create a test task to confirm it behaves as expected.

  • Permissions talk to Tasks & Communication: The permission level you set here affects who can see and edit tasks in the Tasks & Communication module. If a subbie is seeing tasks they shouldn't, check this setting and the task-specific permissions together.

Troubleshooting

Symptom

Cause

Fix

I added a custom task type but it doesn't appear in the project task creation form

The task creation form caches the task type list when the page loads. The new type hasn't been picked up yet.

Refresh your browser. The project will reload and pull the latest task type list from Task Settings.

My team can't see a task I created, even though I set it to Editor

The task may have been created with a permission level lower than Editor (e.g., View Only). Permissions are set per task, not globally.

Open the task in Tasks & Communication and check its permission. If it's wrong, edit the task and change the permission level to Editor.

I can't delete the four default task types

General, RFI, Issue, and Defect are built-in and cannot be removed.

If you don't want them in your workflow, just don't use them. Add custom types for what you need. The defaults won't clutter the list if they're never selected.

The default permission isn't being applied to new tasks

You may be overriding it when creating tasks, or the task was created before you set the default.

Check a new task created after you set the default. If it still has the wrong permission, verify you clicked Save after selecting your preferred level.

Related articles

  • Tasks & Communication — Create and manage tasks across projects using the task types you've defined here.

  • Projects — Understand how projects connect to tasks and where you assign permissions per task.

Still stuck?

Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.

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