In addition, White suggests making good use of the notes field. The Start Date, Status, and % Complete fields provide helpful information for those wondering about the standing of their request. He enters the requesting end userвЂ™s name in the Contacts field so the user can be easily kept up-to-date on the status of the request. He enters the taskвЂ™s due date and sets the priority to low, normal, or high. Then he fills in the other information in the task. Once the new task is created, White makes sure that the subject clearly states the work requested and makes any edits necessary. The body of the new task contains the text from the e-mail message, as shown in Figure A.Д¬lick and drag a message to the tasks folder to convert it. A new task automatically opens, and the subject of the original message is the subject of the task. You simply click, hold, and drag the incoming message to the Tasks folder. White uses an easy method to create an Outlook task from an e-mail request sent by an end user. The method also allows some rudimentary analysis of the support staffвЂ™s responsiveness to end users. White uses a public folder to store tasks so that both IT staff and end users can view the task and its status. While he has used more extensive work plan tracking when working in larger departments, heвЂ™s found Outlook to be a great way to keep up with the demands of his current users. Mark White, an IT manager with BorgWarner Air Fluid Systems in Water Valley, MS, is using Microsoft Outlook tasks in a public folder to track help desk requests and procedures. One TechRepublic member told us about a simple solution and how he implements it in his small IT shop. IT consultants have to be aware of those simple solutions and when they apply. Sometimes the simplest solutions are staring you right in the face. Take this tip from a TechRepublic member who uses Outlook to track his Help Desk tickets. Member uses OutlookвЂ™s tasks to track help desk ticketsДЄs an IT consultant, you often have to make the most of the tools your clients already have on hand.

Tracking tasks in outlook