Do you know how to deal with tasks with a ticking clock ⏰?
SysAdmins get through many tasks in a day. These tasks are generally prioritized based on their importance, but some tasks will have a due date - or a ticking clock ⏰. It's important to have a system in place to make sure these tasks are done on time.
Otherwise, you might not get a new starter's account created before their start date, or you might not give a dev the access they need to complete their Sprint goal.
Of course, this does not just apply to SysAdmins - use this rule for any teams or tasks that fall outside of Scrum.
Option 1: Using Outlook
Everyone receives tasks in their inbox, so it's good to know how to set a due date on your emails. Just like following up effectively, there are a many ways to do this - let's look at 3 ways:
A. followupthen.com
followupthen.com is a simple way to get an email reminder when you need to start working on something.
Just email {{ TIME/DATE }}@followupthen.com, and you'll get an email in your inbox when you need it. Of course, you'll need to give yourself time to complete the task before it's due!
Note: You can BCC @followupthen.com on any email with other people, and the reminder will only go to you.
To Myself
Sophie Belle starts work tomorrow.
- Get their account set up today
Thanks!
B. Follow up flags
Follow up flags are Outlook's built-in way to set a due date on an email. Add a follow up flag from the red flag icon in the ribbon, or by right-clicking on an email | Follow up. From there you can also set a custom reminder.
The only downside is that you only get a notification (not an email) - so you might miss it.
Figure: Outlook | Follow up flag | Custom reminder
C. Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is available within Outlook, as a separate app, or on the web. It's a great way to keep track of tasks, reminders and other lists. It can also integrate follow up flags from Outlook.
Figure: Microsoft To Do within Outlook
Option 2: Using Zendesk
SysAdmins will mostly work out of a ticketing system like Zendesk. Other ticketing systems likely have similar functionality to the below.
In Zendesk, it's easy to add a due date to a task. Agents can do this in their Agent workspace. You can also give users the ability to set their own due date from the web interface or the Teams app.
Figure: Zendesk | Agent workspace | Due date and time
Then, you can set up an automation to send an email reminder a certain number of hours before the task is due. See Zendesk's documentation for how to set it up.
Figure: Zendesk Admin Center | Automations | Send email 24 hours before due date