How to use the Task Dictionary

The Task Dictionary is a library of reusable tasks you build once and apply to any job. This article covers how the dictionary works, how to set it up, and how to use it when starting a job.

The Task Dictionary lets you pre-build your recurring tasks — inspections, closeout steps, permit pulls, or anything your jobs routinely need — and store them in a central library. When you start a job, you pull from that library instead of creating tasks from scratch.

Each dictionary task carries:

• A description (required)
• Notes — additional context or instructions for whoever's doing the task
• Default assignees — one or more team members pre-assigned to the task
• Tags — for organizing tasks by job type, trade, or category

When you add dictionary tasks to a job, you can keep the defaults or adjust the assignee and due date for that specific instance. The dictionary task itself doesn't change.

How to Set up your Task Dictionary

Before you can add tasks to jobs from the dictionary, you need to build it out. Once you do this, the tasks will be available across all your jobs.

1. In the left navigation, click Tasks.
2. Click the Manage task dictionary tab at the top of the screen.
3. Click + Add new dictionary task in the top right.
4. In the Description field, enter the task name. This is the primary identifier for the task. Keep it specific enough to be actionable (e.g. "Schedule rough-in inspection" rather than "Inspection").
5. In the Notes field, enter any instructions or context the assigned person will need. This is optional but recommended for tasks where the steps aren't obvious.
6. Under Tags, click + Add tag to apply any relevant tags. Tags help you filter and find tasks when your library grows.
7. Under Allocated to, click + Add resource to assign one or more default team members to this task.
8. Click Save. → The task appears as a new row in the dictionary table.
9. Repeat for each recurring task you want in your library.

How to add tasks to a job from the dictionary

Once your dictionary is set up, use it whenever you're starting a new job or need to add a standard set of tasks to an existing one.

1. Open the job in Knowify and go to the Summary tab.
2. In the Tasks section, click Add from dictionary. A modal will open showing your full dictionary.
3. Check the box next to each task you want to add to this job. You can select multiple tasks at once. Click Done to proceed.

4. Knowify will pull in the details from the Task Dictionary, but before adding them to the job will prompt you to finalize a few details for how you want the tasks completed for this specific job. 

   You can edit the task description, update the assigned resources, add a deadline, and assign the tasks to a phase. 

   Click Save to finalize the task details and add them to the job. The selected tasks will be added to the job, and each assigned user will receive an email notification and a mobile push notification alerting them of the task assignment

5. To review the task list and monitor progress throughout the project, go to Plan & Track > View dates and progress.