What we learned about getting stuff done

5 Key data backed insights

Setting some context: Flock is a team chat product aimed at increasing your team’s productivity.

To help with that mission, Flock provides various apps and integrations that are built using the Flock OS. One of these productivity apps is the Shared To-dos app, which is available by default to all users (both Free and Premium Plans). Shared To-dos helps you create shared task lists within any channel or conversation. You can also assign tasks to other team members and set due dates.

And here’s the thing. The Shared To-dos app is THE most popular app on our platform. This has given us some interesting insights into how To-dos are used in a collaborative scenario and how people get stuff done. Sharing some of them here.

Insight #1: It’s not just vanilla task management

We launched To-dos with the clear target of getting ‘quick short tasks’ done. These tasks were supposed to be shared, one liner, and completed in a day or two. The focus was on ease and speed, without the distractions of a traditional project management system. I’m talking about tasks like “Book a cab to go to the venue”.

As part of the first version of the app, we did not build due dates or a system to assign a task to anyone. The app was a hit — our customers loved it.

Wherever due date or assignment was required, people creatively used ‘List names’ to specify them.

After seeing to-do usage explode internally and externally, we found that Shared To-dos were no longer being used just for “quick” tasks, but for so much more. Some of the uses we found (via internal and external surveys) were:

1. Bug logging during bug bash: In a bug bash, people would simply log the bug as a to-do in the bug bash channel instead of in JIRA. The QA would then remove all duplicates, non-bugs, and log the rest of them in JIRA. Many tiny bugs would be resolved even before the bug management process could start.
2. HR profile reviews: We have been hiring aggressively and needed to review hundreds of profiles. The HR team would create to-dos for all interviewers from profile reviews and interview feedback, making sure we did not drop the ball and they didn’t have to keep reminding us :)
3. Finding the right person: At Flock, at any given point of time, multiple apps and integrations are being developed. Sometimes, it becomes hard to find the right person at the right time. To solve this problem, we create Shared To-do lists in common channels with the singular purpose of telling people who is working on what. If you have a question on any app, all you need to do is see the To-do list, rather than go to JIRA or ping random people until you reach the correct person. These to-dos are not for “Completing” and typically remain open until the app/feature is live.
4. Order management: Typically, smaller e-commerce companies(<20 users) use to-dos to track orders.
5. Appraisals: Some companies use Shared To-dos to measure employee productivity and feed that data into the annual appraisal process.

Insight #2: Accountability matters

Based on multiple customer requests and to-do usage, we decided to take the next logical step in the evolution of to-dos.

Due dates and task assignments.

The moment we introduced this feature, we saw our weekly to-do usage jump by a whopping 131%. Clearly, an ability to set accountability made Flock To-dos much more relevant for the users

We intuitively know that the propensity of completion of a to-do that is assigned is higher but by how much?

According to our stats, about 28% of to-dos that were assigned to someone were completed within a day of creation, compared with only 13% that were not assigned.

Insight #3: Work does get done faster

If a due date is assigned, the task is almost always done on or before the due date. There is hardly any slip.

To-do completion starts as early as 10 days before the due date, peaks on the due date, and falls rapidly post the due date. The trend is similar irrespective of whether the to-do is assigned to someone or not.

Interestingly, if a to-do does not have an assignee, it tends to get completed earlier than a to-do that does have an assignee.

The peak at the due date could also be because the App does not let you drop the ball. It sends you a daily digest of all To-dos due on you "Today"

Insight #4 Email is not dead

In Shared to-dos, in addition to the Bot message, we also send you your daily task list via an email.

Our unique open rates for Daily Task emails are about 50%, with people opening it twice on average.

Email is not going away anytime soon

Insight #5: Tuesdays are productive days

One oft repeated tip in social media marketing is that if you want to send an email, send it on a Tuesday for better open rates.

Tuesdays are supposed to be productive days, as your Monday blues are gone and Friday is too far for weekend preparations to start.

The same is visible in to-do completion rates as well. Even though to-do creation is pretty much constant across all weekdays, completion spikes on a Tuesday.

Takeaway

Want to get a to-do done?

→ Assign a due date, then assign the task to someone — in that order

→ Expect closure on Tuesdays

Want to run a similar analysis of your team’s to-dos?

Flock lets you download reports on to-do usage in all conversations you’re part of.

1. In your Shared To-dos sidebar, select the ‘All conversation’ view
2. Click the Download Report button at the very bottom of the sidebar

What next

Currently, the Shared To-dos app allows:

1. Creation + completion of tasks
2. Assignment
3. Setting of due dates
4. Downloading of reports

We plan to release personal to-dos soon.

Other things we are considering at the moment are:

1. Better reporting
2. Converting messages to to-dos
3. Support for rich attachments
4. Comments on to-dos

Like the Shared To-dos app? Want some new feature added? Let us know in the comments below.

Disclaimer: I work as a Senior Product Manager @Flock

Originally Published on Flock Blog