How to Create a Custom Task Request in Windows Outlook

Creating and assigning tasks in Microsoft Outlook provides an easy method of delegating responsibilities. If you're working on a class project, for example, you can send a task to each member of the group by email, and then keep track of the progress on each task from your own Outlook task list. For the feature to work properly, the task recipients should also use Outlook as their email client.

Click "Tasks" at the bottom of your Outlook window, and then select "New Task" from the ribbon to open a new task window.

Enter a name for the task in the Subject field.

Select a start date if the task must be performed on a certain date. Select a due date if the task has a deadline. If you're assigning a task to be performed over several days, select both a start date and a due date.

Change the Priority setting to either Low, Normal or High, depending on how important you consider the task.

Click inside the message area, and then describe the task and any action required on the part of the recipient.

Click "Assign Task," and then enter the recipient's email address in the To field. You can assign the task to more than one person by entering multiple email addresses; however, if you assign the same task to more than one person, Outlook won't update the task on your task list.

Click "Send" to submit the task request. The recipient can either accept the task, decline it or assign the task to someone else. If the other person declines the task, it returns to you and becomes your task until you assign it to someone else.