Using Omnifocus to manage others

OmniFocus
#1

In my new role I will be in charge of a number of different writers who will all be working on creating content which will be due on different dates in different projects.

They will not have omnifocus but ideally I would love to use omnifocus as my central tool to notify me when an article is due, to notify me perhaps three days in advance of when it’s due so I can check in with the writer to confirm everything is on schedule.

Anyone got any ideas the best way of setting this up in omnifocus if indeed it is even possible?

Many thanks in advance

Peter

#2

OF3 allows you to create multiple notifications. There is a preference to set new tasks to automatically have notifications at defer date, due date, and your own custom notification date/time.

Nagging notifications will come later.

Using OF3 on an iPad, you can learn to create a TaskPaper template with presets and have Drafts send it over to OF3.

When Drafts comes to the Mac, you can use the same template to send from Drafts for Mac to OF3 for Mac.

1 Like
#3

I only support a small team (four direct reports), but I also collaborate with many others, none of whom have OF. Here are the tactics I have found to be successful.

  1. I set multiple discrete actions for following up with others, ad make sue I have enough actions for my own comfort with the progress of things. Each of these can be timed in accordance with the action itself (not just due when the deliverables are). This might include T-minus check-ins, emails, conversations, etc.
  2. I have People tags for my direct reports and for people I collaborate with regularly. Tagging everything relating to a particular person makes it easy to have a list of relevant things ready when I see them.
  3. I also have Tags for kinds of actions that relate to others (thanks to multiple Tags in OF3):
    • Comms: send an email, call, Slack, set meeting with
    • Waiting On: action is with someone else
    • Agenda: I have a set of tags relating to regular meetings (team meeting, project meeting, other forum) so that at these meetings, I have an easy/ready list of relevant things to discuss, ask, check in on, etc.

Hope this helps!

ScottyJ