Action Item Terms

Here is a glossary of the terms you see with each action item.

Accept - Do this when an action item is assigned to you. When you accept an action item request, you are indicating to the owner/requestor that you are willing to perform the request.

Action - On this site, an action is something you assign to yourself. An interaction is something you assign to someone else. An action is an item where the owner and executor is the same person.

Action Item (brief) - The action item brief is a short (one sentance or phrase) description of the action item. When we send an e-mail, this is like the subject of the e-mail. The action item brief is commonly used as the web page title as well.

Activity Log - The activity log is a running log of all comments recorded by either the owner or executor of an action item. Comments are optional. Add comments to help remind you about details of the action item or reminders of what remains to be done.

Assign To - An interaction is assigned to another person. Specify that person using their e-mail address. The site remembers past typed e-mail addresses and presents them as a pull-down selection for your convenience.

Close - Do this when you are the owner and the action item is complete and no longer serves any purpose to track in the various reports. A closed action item is removed from most reports (except the closed action item report).

Complete - Do this when you are the executor and the action item is complete. An e-mail is sent to the owner to let them know you have completed the action.

Deadline - A deadline is set by the owner of the action item, but not shared with the executor. A deadline is handy for tracking progress of an action item. If the executor expects to complete the action after your deadline, you will recieve an e-mail telling you so. When a deadline passes, you will receive an e-mail daily.

Defer - Do this to hide an action item for several days. It is like the Snooze button on an alarm clock. The action item is temporarily removed from reports until the defer date arrives. When the defer date arrives, the executor is sent an e-mail reminding them of the action item.

Delegate - Do this so you can track an action item, but assign it to someone else. A copy of the action item is created and assigned to the person you designate. The owner of the original action item continues to see you as the executor of the action item. This is a way of claiming responsibility without performing the action item.

Desription - This is the descriptive text of the action item, including all relevant details to perform the action item. When sending a request e-mail, consider this like the body of the e-mail.

Executor - The executor is the doer of the action item. The executor performs the request being made. An executor may accept it, reject it, reassign it, delegate it, defer it, mark it complete, set the priority, set the status, add comments, and add subitems.

Expected Completion - The executor may project when the action item is expected to be complete. This is handy so this site can remind the executor when the date is near or past. This is also handy for reports that show action item projected completion dates.

Interaction - On this site, an interaction is something you assign to someone else. An action is something you assign to yourself. An interaction is an item where the owner and executor is not the same person.

Job - A collection of action items may be grouped together under a single job. A job title is just the name of the collection of action items.

Magnitude - Each action item can be classified as strategic, tactical, or day-to-day, however you wish. The distinction is used in action item reports. A strategy is a long term goal or mission. A tactic is a short term objective. A day-to-day item is a small, quick activity. Most action items used on this site are day-to-day items.

Notes - This is the descriptive text of the action item, including all relevant details to perform the action item. When sending a request e-mail, consider this like the body of the e-mail.

Owner - The owner of an action item is the person who created the action item and assigned it to an executor (the executor may be the owner). The owner of an action item may reassign it, close it, edit the description, and add comments to the activity log.

Priority - Four priorities are provided for your use: Low, Medium, High, and Highest. For priorities to be meaningful, you should have very few Highest priority items, a couple High priority items, a bunch of Medium priority items, and possibly many Low priority items. Use these according to your own style.

Reassign - If you, the executor, are finished with your portion of the action item, reassign it to the next person to work on the action item. Or, if you are not the appropriate person to handle the request, then reassign it to the appropriate person.

Reject - The executor may reject an action item. Perhaps the request is unreasonable or perhaps the request cannot be performed. Either way, the owner of the action item will be informed to reassign it to someone else.

Reopen - If an action item is prematurely completed (or closed) and it needs to be active again, reopen it.

Status - Various status messages are provided for your (executor's) optional use. This can be used to remind you of its state or communicate to the action item's owner.

Subitem - On this site, any action item can be divided into additional sub-action items, without limit. When an action item is assigned to an executor, the executor may choose to break the task into smaller tasks. The smaller tasks can be actions or interactions. Create as many as desired.

Timeout Notify - When you create an action item and assign it to an executor, you can set an activity timer. If the executor fails to accept the request or otherwise update the request (change its status, add comments, etc.) within the timeout period, you will be notified of the inactivity. This is handy to prevent requests from getting lost.