Work Item*

Reading time: 7 minutes

In short: In this article, you’ll learn how Work Items in Timebook are essential for organizing and tracking your Team’s tasks, from small issues to large epics. It covers how to create, manage, and customize Work Items, set dependencies, and use Work Item cards effectively. The article also explains the concept and the dedicated [Work Items] module.

What are Work Items?

In Timebook, Work Items are the backbone of your team’s work, capturing everything from the smallest tasks to the biggest epics. Whether you're tracking bugs, tackling new features, or writing up user stories, all Work Items serve one purpose—getting things done.

Work Items can vary greatly in scope. A simple task might take just a few hours, while an epic can span weeks or even months. But no matter the size, Timebook has you covered. Every Work Item plays a role in the execution phase of your planning, helping you break down work into actionable steps, track progress, and keep your team on course.

You can personalize certain aspects of your Work Items and how they behave in Timebook. For more information, see Work Item preferences*

As a Team Owner or Admin, you can customize the [Work Items] module in Team settings. You can create custom statuses, enable Sprints, or increase automatization by integrating with Git.

For more information, see Work (Team settings)*

Managing Work Items in a dedicated module

Each has a dedicated module for managing Work Items, offering multiple perspectives through different data layouts. The [Work Items] module is designed to focus on the execution phase of product development, making it ideal for analyzing and tracking all tasks assigned to the Team.

[Backlog] is a pre-configured data view of the [Work Items] module. It is just above the list of your Work Items.

The [Backlog] view shows all the uncompleted Work Items not planned for . This means you can find all the unplanned and unfinished work from the entire team in one place. With [Backlog], you can plan and track work with less effort.

As a Team Leader, you can use the [Work Items] module to organize and prioritize tasks for others, reassign work, or link Work Items to Goals at the Team or Workplace level.
As a Team Member, you can use the [Work Items] module to stay focused on your individual tasks, provide updates on collaborative work, and mark the progress of your assignments.

The [Work Items] module holds all the work-related data for your Team, which you can customize using various layouts, filters, and grouping options. Additionally, you can save these customized views as public for all members to access or keep them private for your personal use.

We have dedicated articles that explain how to manage data views and layouts in several Timebook modules, including this one.

For more information, see Layouts & views*

In the [Work Items] module, you can efficiently manage many items at once using the [Edit multiple items] button. After clicking it, an overlay will appear, allowing you to select multiple or all items and apply specific actions to them. This feature lets you quickly move items in bulk to a different Sprint or Project, assign them to others, or delete them permanently.

Creating a Work Item

You can create Work Items in the [Work Items] module in any Team. You can also create them contextually in other places in Timebook, like , and the process is nearly identical to the one explained below.

To create a Work Item:

Click the [+] button at the top of the list of Work Items. The button placement may vary depending on your chosen data layout.
Give your new Work Item a meaningful name. At this stage, you can also:
Change the type of this Work Item (to "Task" or "Bug", for instance).
Add a short description.
Define basic properties.
Click [Create...] to save your changes. The new Work Item is added to the list.
Open the Work Item to edit its details and access all the available options and properties.

After you create a Work Item, you can use its [Related] section to connect it to other Timebook items. This way, you can easily align your work with the work of others.

See below for more information.

Work Item cards

In Timebook, each Work Item has its own card that displays all the options and properties you can use to manage it. In different layouts, you can also use cards to move your Work Items around. For instance, you can drag and drop a Work Item card to:

Mark the status and progress of the Work Item in the .
Change the Work Item's position in the List layout.

After you open a Work Item card, you can manage and navigate using the options in the top bar.

Options available in the Work Item's top bar

[Navigation arrows] These arrows help you navigate between recently opened objects. Use the arrows to quickly return to the previous object and then move back to the original one. This is especially useful when navigating between linked objects or parent and sub-objects.
[Parent object indicator] If your Work Item has a defined parent object, we will show the parent's type and name here. You can click the indicator to open the parent object's card.
[Item ID] This field shows the unique number of your Work Item in Timebook. Click the ID field to copy it for future reference.
The following options are available in the top-right corner of the card:
- [Collapse/Expand] This button lets you show or hide the right-side drawer. The drawer contains all the properties of your Work Item, such as Assignee, Status, Priority, and more. Expand the drawer to modify properties or collapse it to focus on the description or attachments.
- [Copy link] Use this button to copy a link to your Work Item for quick sharing with others.
- [Watch] This feature is useful if you are not the creator or assignee but still want to track changes. When you start watching a Work Item, we will notify you about all important changes. You can also assign others to watch a Work Item.
- [...] Use this additional menu for more options. You can [Duplicate] your Work Item to create an identical copy in the same location, [Link parent] to select a parent object for your Work Item, or [Delete] it if it's no longer needed.

You can safely close a Work Item card by clicking out of it. We will save all the changes you made to the Work Item.

Work Item card: sections

When you look at the left side of a Work Item card, you'll notice several sections. Each section has a specific purpose: to help you describe your work, categorize it, or add supporting resources.

Here’s an overview of the sections of a Work Item card and their purpose:

Name

You can edit this field at any time to rename your Work Item. Next to this field is a switch that lets you change the type of your Work Item. Click the icon next to the name to select a different type.

Work Item card: tabs

When you look at the right side of a Work Item card, you'll notice several tabs. Each allows you to further define your Work Item, schedule the actual work, or provide an update.

Here’s an overview of the Work Item card tabs and their purpose:

Tabs of a Work Item card

[Properties] You can use multiple fields in this tab to fine-tune, categorize, or track your Work Item. You can start by changing the priority or status, but the flexibility of our properties can handle even the most complex cases. For more details, see our separate article dedicated to Properties*
[Schedule] This tab shows the time slots dedicated to actual work. You can schedule more by using the [+] button and clicking anywhere on the calendar grid. This will create a tile representing the time slot scheduled for this Work Item. This tab is your go-to when you want to check how much time was spent on a specific Work Item.
[Comments] This tab allows Workplace members to communicate, share updates, and collaborate directly within the Work Item. They can ask questions, provide updates, or offer feedback, making it a central hub for work-related communication. You can mention others using the @ symbol and notify specific people directly. For more information on how comments work in Timebook, see Pages*
[Activity] This tab tracks all actions and changes made to a Work Item, providing a detailed history of events. It displays all events in chronological order, showing when changes were made and by whom. The information in this tab is generated automatically, usually including status updates, priority changes, reassignments, and comments.