Creator, owner and assignment

In shared projects, each task can have up to two people associated with it: who created it and who owns it right now.

Creator and owner

• Creator: who created the task. This never changes.
• Owner: the person who has to carry out the next action. It can change when the task is assigned to someone else.

Unassigned and assigned

• Unassigned: the default state when a task is created in a shared project. Its default owner is the creator, and the creator or anyone with Editor access to the project can assign it.
• Assigned: the task has a specific owner. The current owner or anyone with Editor access to the project can change who owns it.

Who can see and edit a task

• Only the owner (the assigned person) can edit a task: change its title, notes, dates and priority, and also complete it, delete it or re-clarify it. Reference material tasks cannot be completed; if one stops being information and starts requiring action, clarify it again.
• You cannot edit tasks assigned to other people. They appear read-only (greyed out, with no action buttons).
• What you can still do even if you are not the owner: if you have Editor access to the project, assign or reassign the task; and follow or unfollow the task with the icon shown on the right of the task.

Note: assigning is not the same as delegating. Assigning a task changes who owns it and nothing else. Delegating means assigning an owner and, additionally, tracking the task. See Assign vs delegate and Delegations.