Task Status & Priorities: To Do, Doing, Done
Loopapa's task board updates itself: To Do, Doing, Done. Priorities surface the right work first, and a task only moves to Doing when staff are clocked in.
A live picture of the shift
The goal is simple: by the time the shift ends, every task that mattered is done — on time — without anyone having to chase people to find out.
That only works if you can trust what you are looking at. On most task boards the numbers are whatever someone last remembered to update, so a manager still has to walk the floor and ask.
Loopapa gives you one live picture instead. As the day runs, the board fills in by itself from what is actually happening — what is still to do, what is in progress right now, and how much is already done — so a glance tells you whether the shift is on track.
Underneath that picture are three task states — To Do, Doing, and Done — and a priority order that decides what gets handled first. Here is how they work, and why the board stays accurate on its own.
Online
0
0h 00m
To Do
1211
Doing
23
Total
15
Tasks
Done
1 task completed2 tasks completed
6%13%
What do To Do, Doing, and Done actually mean?
Every task in Loopapa sits in one of three states — To Do, Doing, or Done — tracking it from not yet started, to in progress, to finished. The difference from an ordinary board is that a task moves between them based on what people actually do, so the state a task is in is always true, not just what someone last remembered to set.
- To Do
- The task is waiting and no one has opened it yet. It stays here until the right person starts it.
- Doing Seen 09:02
- Someone opened the task while clocked in, so it is in progress now — stamped with the exact time it was seen.
- Done
- The person responsible marked it finished. It leaves the active board and is saved as a completed record.
How does a task move from To Do to Done?
A task moves with two actions from the person doing it: they open it, which puts it in Doing, and later they mark it Done. There is no separate step to claim it or set a status — opening the task is starting it, and Loopapa records the exact moment it happened.
-
1
Open the task
A team member taps the task to see what it needs. The moment they open it, it leaves To Do.
-
2
It becomes Doing, automatically
The task moves to Doing and is stamped with the time it was seen, so everyone can tell it is being handled right now.
-
3
Mark it Done
When the work is finished, the same person marks it Done. It leaves the active board and is saved as a completed record.
Restock supplies
A task moves from To Do to Doing to Done — recorded as it happens.
What if someone is not clocked in?
If a team member is not clocked in, opening a task does not change anything. The task stays in To Do and they are prompted to clock in first, so Doing always reflects someone who is genuinely present and on shift. See how attendance works.
Restock supplies
To DoWhich task should be done first?
Loopapa ranks every task by priority, so the team always knows what to handle first. Priorities follow the Eisenhower matrix — how urgent a task is, and how important — and each task carries one of four levels: Critical, Routine, Opportunity, or Idea. The priority is chosen when the task is created, and can be suggested automatically when you add a task by text or voice.
Do these first. They cannot wait and they matter most.
Plan time for these. The steady work that keeps things running.
Handle quickly or hand off. Time-sensitive, but lower stakes.
Keep for later. Worth noting, but nothing rides on it today.
The board is sorted by these levels, so the most important, most urgent work rises to the top instead of getting buried in a long list. A team member opening their tasks sees the right thing first, not whatever happens to be on top.
Where do you see active tasks?
Active tasks live in the Active tab, which shows To Do and Doing together — so what is waiting and what is in progress sit side by side in one view. When you want just one, a Status filter narrows the list to To Do or Doing.
Managers can jump straight in from the live dashboard: tapping a status count, like the To Do or Doing number, opens the Active list already filtered to that status. And when you open a To Do task and it moves to Doing, it does not vanish from your current filter — it stays in view until you leave or refresh, then settles into its place, so a task you are working on never disappears on you.
When does a task count as Done — for one person, or everyone?
It depends on how the task is assigned. An Any task is done for the whole team the moment the first person completes it. An Every task gives each assigned person their own copy, and reaches Done only once every one of them has finished. You pick this when you assign the task to everyone, anyone, or just yourself.
First person to finish completes it for everyone.
Each person finishes their own copy — Done when all are done.
What happens when a task is overdue?
A task becomes overdue when its scheduled day passes, or its reminder time passes, measured against your operational day. Overdue tasks are flagged, not hidden — they stay on the board with an Overdue marker, so nothing quietly slips away.
If a task genuinely cannot be done on time, the person responsible can propose a new time. The task updates and the manager is notified that the time changed — so rescheduling is visible, never silent.
Refill napkins
10:00What does this look like across a real shift?
Take a hotel on a morning shift. The front desk, housekeeping, and events team each have tasks, set at different priorities and assigned in different ways. Here is the same board mid-morning — and how status and priority keep the shift moving without anyone chasing updates.
By mid-morning, the shift lead has not walked a single floor. One look at the board tells the story: the Critical breakfast setup was handled first, housekeeping is working through the floors as an Every task, and the one job that could not be done on time — the linen count — was rescheduled to the afternoon with the manager notified. The lower-priority items wait their turn without being forgotten. Nothing was chased, and nothing quietly slipped.
How status and priorities connect to the rest of Loopapa
Task status sits at the center of how work runs day to day, so it touches almost everything else. Here is where it links up.
Is this included on the free plan?
Yes — everything in this article is on the Free plan, with no credit card. The To Do, Doing, and Done flow, all four priority levels, overdue flagging, per-person progress on Every tasks, and the rule that a task only moves to Doing while someone is clocked in are all free to use. Paid plans add depth around the edges, but the task board itself is fully yours on Free.
Free
Start free, no card- To Do → Doing → Done status flow
- Four priority levels: Critical, Routine, Opportunity, Idea
- Overdue flagging and per-person progress
- Doing only while clocked in
Pro
Try Pro free for 14 daysWhen you need to take the record of completed work out of the app — work hours, HACCP logs, and AI usage as PDF or CSV for payroll or inspectors — that lives on Pro. Everything else about running tasks stays free.
More on exports for payroll and compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Does a task become Doing the moment it is opened?
Yes. Opening a task is what starts it — it moves to Doing and is stamped with the time it was seen, as long as the person is clocked in. There is no separate "start" button to remember.
What happens if a staff member is not clocked in?
Opening a task does nothing until they clock in. The task stays in To Do and they are prompted to clock in first, so Doing always reflects someone who is genuinely on shift.
When does a shared task count as Done?
It depends on how it is assigned. An Any task is done for everyone the moment the first person finishes it. An Every task gives each person their own copy and is only Done once all of them have finished.
What do the four priority levels mean?
They follow the Eisenhower matrix of urgent versus important: Critical (urgent and important), Routine (important, not urgent), Opportunity (urgent, not important), and Idea (neither). The board sorts by them so the most important work rises to the top.
What happens to a task when it becomes overdue?
It is flagged as overdue, not hidden — it stays on the board with a marker so nothing slips away quietly. If it genuinely cannot be done on time, the person can propose a new time, and the manager is notified of the change.
Your task board, always up to date — without anyone updating it
Status that reflects who is really working, priorities that surface the right job first, and a live picture of every shift. Start with your whole team today.
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