Reconsider "Run on subtasks" meaning in a My Tasks view.

[Bastien_Siebman]

Dear community,

Who wants to play a game? Let’s consider this situation below, with a task assigned to me, two subtasks unassigned, and the second one is blocked by the first one.

Let’s consider as well that I have this pretty standard rule in My Tasks.

My question to you is: what’s gonna happen when I complete “Subtask 1”?

“Subtask 2” will get assigned to me! Yes, that’s right. Unbelievable right? Well, not if you consider the meaning of “run on subtasks” that Asana has for My Tasks rule. They consider that a subtask of a task assigned to you should trigger the rule, even if not assigned to you. That’s pretty unexpected isn’t it?

We actually found out by doing a lot of investigation after we saw random tasks being reassigned to other team members. The engineering team (thanks to them!) did investigate as well and provided the above reason.

[Stephen_Li]

I feel like “run on subtasks” shouldn’t even be available in My Tasks, given every level of task that’s assigned to you is treated as a “task” in My Tasks anyway

[Phil_Seeman]

@Bastien_Siebman

“Subtask 2” will get assigned to me! Yes, that’s right.

Whoa.

@Stephen_Li

I feel like “run on subtasks” shouldn’t even be available in My Tasks

I haven’t thoroughly (over)thought this through for several hours/days, but I think I agree here.

[lpb]

Note: Not a solution but marked as such to elevate a key reply. And I hope you don’t vote for this request!

Asana is helping us in a very thoughtful manner, and you’re all being ungrateful! Let me explain.

Pause that typical blocking rule and add this one (as Active) instead, temporarily, as I just did:

Re-run the same test, marking Subtask 2 complete. What happens? The due date is updated, of course. And the subtask is not assigned to you.

Every bit of this makes sense to me and I congratulate the designers and developers.

Starting with the test rule: That operates as expected as I suggested above. Asana can carry out your wishes without assigning the subtask to you and it does.

Now for your example with the regular blocking rule: What Asana does in My Tasks in consistent to its behavior in projects for “Runs on tasks and subtasks” there. In projects, the subtask is not in the project but rules run on it because it’s a subtask. Similarly, in My Tasks, the subtask is not in My Tasks (assigned to me) but rules still run on it because it’s a subtask. We’re surprised that Asana assigned it to you, but it only did so because you asked to move it to a My Tasks section, and to do so it helped you out by assigning it to you to allow your wishes to be carried out.

I tested the blocking rule in a project (instead of in My Tasks) and sure enough it behaves consistently there: If the rule asks to move it to a section of the project, then it kindly does so–by homing the subtask into the project, the only way it can honor your wishes!

By the way, I guessed wrong to your test; I guessed that Asana would run the rule, but fail to make any change as a result of it because the subtask wasn’t assigned to you already, but I didn’t have enough faith in Asana and glad they handled this case. And if anyone wants to prevent it, just add a condition to the rule to only run if you’re the subtask assignee.

Don’t forget to pause or delete the new test rule and make active the original blocking rule.

Thanks,

Larry

[Phil_Seeman]

Thank you for thinking this through, @lpb, as I indicated I had not yet done.

@lpb

by homing the subtask into the project, the only way it can honor your wishes!

This is the key, and you’re absolutely right: in order to put the subtask into a section, Asana had to add it to the project, and in the unique case of My Tasks, this meant assigning it to you.

So I now agree, it has to work this way, and you pointed out an easy way to prevent this behavior if you don’t want it (i.e. add the condition).

[lpb]

Exactly, @Phil_Seeman!

Thanks for reading through my confusing post; I was afraid it might be 100% unintelligible since it’s so in the weeds.

[Bastien_Siebman]

@Phil_Seeman

in order to put the subtask into a section, Asana had to add it to the project, and in the unique case of My Tasks, this meant assigning it to you.

That’s right, this is consistent with what happens in projects: the same rule would multi-home the subtask in the project.

Ok so we all agree this is maybe weird but consistent. I’ll move back to “Tips & Tricks” and mark as solved, thanks guys!