# Task Scheduling

The Task Scheduler: dragging tasks from the Unscheduled Tasks grid onto the Schedule Calendar, moving and resizing them, the Scheduled Task dialog, leave on the calendar and the Employee Filter.

Source: https://getjobbook.com/help/task-scheduling
Last updated: 2026-09-17

## Key Concepts

The Task Scheduler is Job Book's crew scheduling calendar, where you assign and manage your team's workload. It shows all schedulable tasks alongside your team's availability.

You can move tasks from the Unscheduled Tasks grid onto the calendar to schedule them, and then adjust dates and assignments by dragging and dropping tasks directly on the calendar.

## Navigating to the Task Scheduler

On the dashboard, in the **Tasks / Scheduling** card, click **Task Scheduler**.

## Understanding the Layout

The Task Scheduler has two panels: the Unscheduled Tasks grid at the top and the Schedule Calendar below it.

*   **Unscheduled Tasks (Drag to Schedule)**: the label on the top panel. It lists all tasks that are ready to be scheduled but have not yet been given a date or an employee.
*   **Schedule Calendar**: A calendar of each employee's scheduled tasks, so you can see who is working on what and when.

A splitter runs between the two panels: the short horizontal handle in the middle of the boundary. Drag it up or down to give more room to whichever panel you are working in.

### The Unscheduled Tasks Grid

![The Unscheduled Tasks panel](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/scheduler-unscheduled-grid.BQgTULqz.png)

*The pool of work waiting for a date and a person.*

The grid has these columns:

*   **Client**: The client on the task's job.
*   **Related to**: The job number. Click it to open that job's page.
*   **Reference**: The Project Name.
*   **Ordered**: The date the job was ordered.
*   **Due**: The job's overall due date.
*   **Task Due**: The specific due date for the task, if one was set in the [Task Plan](https://getjobbook.com/help/task-plans).
*   **Task**: The name of the schedulable task. A task that sits under a main task is written as the path to it, such as "Field Survey / Set Boundary Monuments".

Click a column header to sort the list. The funnel in a header opens the same Filter panel, with the same operators, that the [Report Grids](https://getjobbook.com/help/Report_Grids#filtering) reach through their column menu.

### The Schedule Calendar

The calendar shows all the tasks scheduled for your team. By default it opens in the week view, with one row per employee showing their tasks for the week.

![Schedule Calendar](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/scheduler-calendar.D4tgnroE.png)

*Who is doing what, and when. Drop a task on a day in someone's row and it is scheduled and assigned in one move; that only works in the Week view.*

To move around the calendar:

*   Use the **<** and **>** buttons to move one week or month at a time.
*   Click **Week** or **Month** to switch views.
*   Click the **Today** button to jump back to the current date.
*   Click the calendar icon to open a date picker and choose a date to view.
*   The label beside the calendar icon spells out the span on screen in full, such as "Sunday, September 06, 2026 - Saturday, September 12, 2026" in the week view, or "September, 2026" in the month view.

![Scheduler Month View](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/scheduler-month.CNfCZPwk.png)

*The Month view is for seeing further ahead. You can move a task to another day here, but scheduling a new one needs the Week view.*

Tasks on the calendar are colour-coded by status:

*   **Not Started**: Blue
*   **In Progress**: Orange
*   **Completed**: Green

## Scheduling a Task

To schedule a task, drag it from the Unscheduled Tasks grid and drop it onto the calendar.

1.  Find the task you want to schedule in the **Unscheduled Tasks** grid.
2.  Click and hold the task's row.
3.  Drag the task down to the **Schedule Calendar**.
4.  Drop it on the date you want, in the row of the employee you are assigning it to.

- *Note: Scheduling by dragging and dropping only works when the calendar is in the **Week** view.*

## Modifying a Scheduled Task

Once a task is on the calendar, you can change its dates or assignment.

*   To reschedule or reassign a task in the **Week** view, drag and drop it to a new date or a different employee's row.
*   In the **Month** view, you can drag and drop a task to a different day.
*   To change the length of a task, hover over its start or end edge until the cursor changes, then click and drag to extend or shorten it.

    In the week view a task cannot be extended beyond the current week; use the [**Scheduled Task** dialog](#editing-task-details) for that.
*   To unschedule a task, hover over it to reveal an **x** button in the corner. Click the **x** and confirm to remove the task from the calendar and return it to the Unscheduled Tasks grid.

## Editing Task Details

For more detailed changes, you can open the task's own dialog.

Double-click any scheduled task on the calendar. The **Scheduled Task** dialog opens.

![The Scheduled Task dialog](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/scheduler-task-detail.CVjCoh5t.png)

*The dialog is for the changes dragging cannot make.*

From this dialog, you can:

*   View a summary of the task, including the job number, client and task name.
*   Adjust the dates in **Start Date:** and **End Date:**.
*   Set a **Start Time (optional):** to control the order of tasks on a given day.
*   Add notes in the **Schedule notes...** box, which the assigned employee sees on their personal schedule.
*   Take the task off the calendar again with **Unschedule Task**.

Click **Save** to apply your changes or **Cancel** to discard them.

## Leave Tracking Integration

The calendar can show your team's time off from the [Leave Tracking module](https://getjobbook.com/help/leave-tracking-overview) alongside their work.

This is controlled by the **Show Leave** checkbox in the calendar toolbar, immediately to the left of **Employee Filter:**. It is ticked when the scheduler opens, so leave is shown by default. Clear it when you want the calendar to show scheduled tasks only, and tick it again to bring leave back.

While **Show Leave** is ticked, an employee's approved time off appears on their row as a pale blue bar with an aeroplane icon and an **On Leave** label, spanning the days they are away.

![Approved leave shown on the Schedule Calendar](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/leave-on-the-schedule-calendar.ZP_3eHea.png)

*With Show Leave ticked, approved time off sits in the employee's row, so you do not book work onto someone who is away.*

## Filtering the Calendar

Both the week and month views can be filtered by clicking the **Employee Filter:** field. You can narrow the calendar in three ways:

*   Select one or more individual employees to see only their schedules.
*   Offices are listed at the top of the filter and are identified by an 'office' icon. Selecting an office shows schedules for all employees assigned to that location.
*   Any Employee Groups your company has set up are listed with a 'group' icon. Select one to see the combined schedule for that crew or team.

An employee group selects several employees at once. For example, you might create groups for "Crew 1" or "Office Staff." To manage your employee groups, go to the **Settings** panel (top-right of the screen) and select **Groups**. There you can create new groups or add and remove employees from existing ones.

![The Employee Filter list, open](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/scheduler-employee-filter.DLGxVS3x.png)

*Filter to one office, one group or a few people when the whole company is too much to read.*

## Related Guides

- [Tasks and Scheduling: Overview](https://getjobbook.com/help/tasks-and-scheduling-overview)
- [Task Templates](https://getjobbook.com/help/task-templates)
- [Task Plans](https://getjobbook.com/help/task-plans)
- Task Scheduling
- [Personal Task Management](https://getjobbook.com/help/personal-task-management)
- [Task Dashboard](https://getjobbook.com/help/task-dashboard)
- [Leave Tracking: Overview](https://getjobbook.com/help/leave-tracking-overview)