Subtasks let you capture the individual pieces of work that need to happen before a story or bug is done, such as writing a migration script or updating the API docs.

At its simplest, the subtask list is a checklist: add tasks and check them off as you go. Each subtask also has a status and an assignee if you want to track the work more closely.

Add a subtask

You can add subtasks to existing stories and bugs, but not to drafts or epics.

Below the item's content, click Add subtask.
Type a title and press Enter, or press Esc to remove the new subtask.

The new subtask is added to the bottom of the list with the 'To do' status and no assignee. After you press Enter, you can type the next title right away, so it's quick to add several subtasks in a row and fill in their descriptions later.

Add a description

Click a subtask row to show or hide its description, then click in the 'Add description' field to add or edit text.

Descriptions are optional and support the same text formatting as acceptance criteria, including bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, inline code, and links. They're limited to 1,000 printable characters, and formatting markup doesn't count toward the limit.

View subtasks

Subtasks appear below the content of a story or bug, above the Activities list. The number next to 'Subtasks' shows how many subtasks the item has, not counting any marked 'Won't do'.

Subtasks marked 'Done' have their titles struck through, and subtasks marked 'Won't do' are dimmed, with their checkboxes disabled.

Subtasks aren't shown when you view bugs in Bug triage. Open the bug to see its subtasks.

Track progress

The progress meter at the top of the subtask list shows the percentage of subtasks that are 'Done'. Subtasks marked 'Won't do' are excluded from both the total and the completed count, so they don't skew your progress.

Manage subtasks

Each subtask row always shows its checkbox, status, and assignee, and the drag handle and ellipsis (...) icon appear when you hover over the row.

Use subtasks as a checklist

Click a subtask's checkbox to mark it 'Done'. Clicking it again returns the subtask to its previous status, either 'To do' or 'In progress'.

Change the status of a subtask

Subtask statuses are separate from your team's workflow, so changing a subtask's status affects only its checkbox and the progress meter, not where the story or bug sits in your team's workflow.

Click the subtask's current status.
Select a different status.

Status	Description
To do	Default status for new subtasks. Work hasn't started.
In progress	Work is underway.
Done	Work is complete.
Won't do	The subtask has been intentionally skipped.

Assign a subtask

On the subtask row, click the assignee (dashed circle) icon, or the current assignee's avatar.
Search for or select a user, or select No assignee to unassign the subtask.

The list puts members of the team the item is assigned to near the top, and you can assign a subtask to anyone in your workspace. The exception is items on a private team's backlog, where you can assign subtasks only to members of that team.

If a subtask was assigned before its item moved to a private team's backlog, or the private team's membership changes later, the assignee keeps the subtask but might not be able to view it.

Reorder subtasks

Reorder subtasks to show their sequence or priority.

Hover over the subtask you want to move.
When the drag handle appears, click and drag the subtask to a new position in the list.

Edit a subtask's title

Hover over the subtask and click the ellipsis (...) icon.
Select Edit title.
Make your changes in the title field.

Delete a subtask

Deleting a subtask can't be undone.

Hover over the subtask and click the ellipsis (...) icon.
Select Delete subtask.
If the subtask is 'In progress' or 'Done', click Delete in the confirmation dialog to confirm, or click X to cancel.

Subtasks with other statuses are deleted right away, without a confirmation step.

Complete a backlog item with unfinished subtasks

If you move a story or bug to a workflow step in the 'Done' category while it has unfinished subtasks, Atono asks you to confirm. Click Continue to move the item anyway, or click X to cancel. This applies whether you change the workflow step from inside the item or move the item in a list or board view.

Subtask activity

Atono records subtask activity in the item's Activities list, including when subtasks are created, assigned or reassigned, their status changes, or they're deleted. Each entry includes the subtask's title. Changes to a subtask's title, description, or position in the list aren't recorded.

To show only subtask activity, filter the Activities list by the 'Subtasks' type.

For more details, see Filter by type.