Looking for task-list software better then Outlook

[jonfklein]

I am looking for software that handles task lists better then Microsoft
Outlook. Does anyone in this group have any suggestions?

I have tried using Outlook and I am frankly stunned that it is a
product of the largest software company in the world. My specific
gripes are

1) Outlook allows you to assign tasks to multiple categories. However,
it is difficult to only select specific categories of tasks to view at
once. You have to view all categories at the same time. So, if a task
is in two or three categories it appears on the screen multiple times.
If you have a large number of tasks you might only want to look at a
few categories at once.

2) Formatting for printing task lists is limited, so say the least.
a) It is not possible to have the subject line word wrap to a second
line, in table format. So if your subject line is long and you are
printing a table format list to a small page (for example a Day Runner
Running mate page), the subject line gets cut off.

b) The preview of the task notes is limited to two or three lines and
the formatting elliminates line breaks. It should allow you to select
the size of the preview text and if you want line breaks ellimiated.

c) It is not possible to insert page breaks before a new category
heading so that new categories appear at the top of the page.

3) It is not possible to select the order that categories are
displayed. You can select the order that individual tasks are
displayed, but not categories.

4) You cannot view multiple task folders in the same task list. I
prefer to keep different categories of tasks in folders and sub
folders. But it is not possible to view the tasks from multiple folders
or even sub-folders in a single list. So I have to use one folders for
all tasks and use categories to organize them.

These are major deficiencies in my opinion. I can see why people
consider MS software inferior, because it is.

-Jonathan

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Very few people are as demanding of the Tasks feature (least used in
Outlook) as you are. If you are judging all of Microsoft based on this one
not very useful feature, then you are a candidate for writing your own
software that meets your exacting needs.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, (e-mail address removed) asked:

| I am looking for software that handles task lists better then
| Microsoft Outlook. Does anyone in this group have any suggestions?
|
| I have tried using Outlook and I am frankly stunned that it is a
| product of the largest software company in the world. My specific
| gripes are
|
| 1) Outlook allows you to assign tasks to multiple categories. However,
| it is difficult to only select specific categories of tasks to view at
| once. You have to view all categories at the same time. So, if a task
| is in two or three categories it appears on the screen multiple times.
| If you have a large number of tasks you might only want to look at a
| few categories at once.
|
| 2) Formatting for printing task lists is limited, so say the least.
| a) It is not possible to have the subject line word wrap to a second
| line, in table format. So if your subject line is long and you are
| printing a table format list to a small page (for example a Day Runner
| Running mate page), the subject line gets cut off.
|
| b) The preview of the task notes is limited to two or three lines and
| the formatting elliminates line breaks. It should allow you to select
| the size of the preview text and if you want line breaks ellimiated.
|
| c) It is not possible to insert page breaks before a new category
| heading so that new categories appear at the top of the page.
|
| 3) It is not possible to select the order that categories are
| displayed. You can select the order that individual tasks are
| displayed, but not categories.
|
| 4) You cannot view multiple task folders in the same task list. I
| prefer to keep different categories of tasks in folders and sub
| folders. But it is not possible to view the tasks from multiple
| folders or even sub-folders in a single list. So I have to use one
| folders for all tasks and use categories to organize them.
|
| These are major deficiencies in my opinion. I can see why people
| consider MS software inferior, because it is.
|
| -Jonathan

 

[jonfklein]

Take another read through your response and then consider this: Perhaps
the reason tasks is a "not very useful feature" of Outlook and the
"least used in Outlook" is because it is POORLY WRITTEN!!

Also, I'd appreciate if you would explain to me what is so exacting
about the complaints I have above. IMO, all of them are common sense
features that should have been included in the software.

 

[Neal]

Just beacuse features you want are not there, does not mean a piece of
software is poory written. I happen to think that the features you want are
reasonable - but very specific. You can not say MS software is inferior.
Inferior when compared to what? What is Excel inferior to? What is Outlook
inferior to? Are you really saying that the task feature of Outlook is
inferior to the task feature of another specific program?

anyway...

1) have you tried the Group By box? Group by Category, then you can sort
and expand or collapse the ones you want. Also, in all of Outlook, leave
the Find 'toolbar' open. In there, type in the categories you want to view
such as gliding; shop and you will see only the categories you want (acts
like a filter).

2) a) b) and c). Yes.

3) You can by Ascending/Descending. Group by Category.

4) So tell me... you say you prefer to keep different catetgories of tasks
in different folders, yet you have some tasks in more than one category.
Does that mean you have tasks in more than one folder?

Neal

 

[jonfklein]

Ok, inferior or not inferior, poorly written or not. I can't prove any
of these statements in the amount of time I want to discuss this so I
will take them back. But my general impression is that non-Microsoft
software is more user-friendly. Perhaps I should have said I am simply
dissapointed with the usability of Outlook tasks and I think there is a
lot of room for imporvement.

1) Yes I am using Group By. The main problem I have with this is that
Outlook always shows all categories and orders them in ascending or
descending alphabetical order. So if you have several groups you still
have to sort through all the groups, to find the one you want which may
be several screens down. There is no easy way, that I have found so
far, to view only one specific group on the screen at once.

Ok, I haven't looked at using the search folder yet. Perhaps I can make
it more usable if I figure that out.

2) Another quibble I have with the printing options is that when you
print the tasks on small dayrunner or daytimer pages, three pages to a
letter or A4 paper, it would be nice if the page boundaries and ring
hole positions were also printed so that it is easy to cut the pages to
the appropriate size and punch the holes in the right place so that the
pages fit in the organizer. To me this seems like a fairly obvious
feature when a little thought is put into it.

3) see comment in 1)

4) Basically what I had envisaged is having the ability to store tasks
in separate folders according to a primary category, such as a project
title. But also have the ability to see tasks from multiple folders at
once. For example all tasks that are due today regardless of what
folder they are in.

Like I was saying above, perhaps what I want to accomplish can be done
with the search folder and having all tasks in one folder in one
gargantuan task list. I haven't looked into this yet.

-Jonathan

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

1) To see just one group on the screen, filter the view. Create a new named view if you need to see that group often.

You might want to read up at http://blogs.msdn.com/melissamacbeth/ about what's coming in Outlook 12.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[jeffdchapman]

Hi Jonathan,

You may also want to take a look at the more generalized category of
PIM software. I'll slip a "plug" in her for orGenta (since I have a
personal interest in the product), but there are lots of other
organizers out there. Your choice may be swayed by how well such
organizers integrate with eMail, or their time-tracking abilities.

-- Jeff

 

[rick.olson]

I would have to agree that the task list in outlook seems to be the
lacking in a few areas that would otherwise make it a great tool.

The one problem I tend to have with tasks is (and perhaps this is
because I haven't figured it out yet) that other users aren't able to
view my various task folders. I too like to have multiple folders
dedicated to the various "large-scale" projects that I need to do. If
a user tries to connect to my tasks, they are presented only with the
default folder, not any of my subfolders.

I'm also not able (or not knowing how) to synchronize task sub-folders
onto my PocketPC using the standard ActiveSync software.

I'm not in the corner of "MS is inferior", as I love their software,
but I think in the next major update to Office they could improve on
the functionality of tasks a little more.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

To access a shared folder that isn't one of the folders listed on the File | Open | Other User's Folder dialog, the mailbox owner needs to grant "folder visible" permission to the root of the mailbox and any other parent folders of the shared folder, as well as appropriate permission -- at least Reviewer -- on the shared folder itself.

The user who needs access then goes into Tools | E-mail Accounts or Tools | Services (depending on the Outlook version), brings up the properties for the Exchange Server service, and on the Advanced tab, adds the mailbox.

For more information on folder permissions, with how-to screen shots, see http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/permissions.htm and http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/preview.aspx?AssetID=HA011134811033

Improving task managing is a major goal for Outlook "12." Visit http://blogs.msdn.com/melissamacbeth/ to see what's coming.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[jonfklein]

Do you have a solution to the other problem mentioned by the previous
poster;

"I'm also not able (or not knowing how) to synchronize task sub-folders
onto my PocketPC using the standard ActiveSync software."

I am trying to figure out how to do the same thing. I suspect it isn't
possible, which would be another limitation on the usability of tasks
in Outlook. Please prove me wrong.

-Jonathan

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

This is an ActiveSync limitation, not an Outlook limitation. Since synchronizing task subfolders is not a feature of ActiveSync, you'd have to either consolidate the data into the default Tasks folder or look for another sync utility. (That's not a product area that I follow.) Maybe it's time to revisit the question of why you're using subfolders for tasks?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[jonfklein]

The limitation is caused by ActiveSync but the end result is it limits
how I can use Outlook tasks.

Why do we use subfolders for email? The same reason I want to use them
for tasks: Organization.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Repeat after me - "Categories, Categories, Categories!!!!"

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, (e-mail address removed) asked:

| The limitation is caused by ActiveSync but the end result is it limits
| how I can use Outlook tasks.
|
| Why do we use subfolders for email? The same reason I want to use them
| for tasks: Organization.

 

[Johann Backer]

Ok, inferior or not inferior, poorly written or not. I can't prove any of
these statements in the amount of time I want to discuss this so I will
take them back. But my general impression is that non-Microsoft software
is more user-friendly. Perhaps I should have said I am simply dissapointed
with the usability of Outlook tasks and I think there is a lot of room for
imporvement.

1) Yes I am using Group By. The main problem I have with this is that
Outlook always shows all categories and orders them in ascending or
descending alphabetical order. So if you have several groups you still
have to sort through all the groups, to find the one you want which may be
several screens down. There is no easy way, that I have found so far, to
view only one specific group on the screen at once.

Ok, I haven't looked at using the search folder yet. Perhaps I can make it
more usable if I figure that out.

Outlook is no different than the bible or the law: you
have to figure it out. I chose to remove it. Actually, after a
nightmare-in hell, I un-installed, re-installed (MS Office 2003) and
unchecked/unticked--- OUTLOOK.

Perhaps OUTLOOK in Office 2007 will be an improvement?

http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/pricing.mspx#EW

 

[Lou P]

You are not alone in your disappointment:
http://blogs.msdn.com/melissamacbeth/archive/2006/01/13/512780.aspx

In the 3+months that has passed, have you come up with any insights?
-Lou