Have you set up rules in your project tool that chase updates for you?

Asana, Monday, Jira and Smartsheet can remind task owners before deadlines and alert you when things are late, so you stop sending "any update?" messages.

How to automate it

How to automate “chase people for updates on their tasks”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

30 min

typically, every day

55%

of the time can be automated

Easy

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Software featureBest fix

Set up rules in your project tool to chase updates and move tasks

Asana, Monday.com, Jira, ClickUp and Smartsheet can remind owners before due dates, flag overdue work, and write AI status summaries, so you stop chasing by hand.

Typically saves about 45% of the time1 h to set up

1Make sure every task has one owner and a due date.
2Add rules: remind the owner two days before due, notify you when overdue, move tasks when a field changes.
3Turn on the tool's AI status summary (Asana AI, Monday AI, Jira or Smartsheet AI) for weekly roll-ups.
4Ask the team to update the tool, not you, and stop accepting updates by email.

Tools: Asana rules · Monday.com automations · Jira automation · ClickUp automations · Smartsheet workflows

Fix 2 of 2

Process fix

Replace the status meeting with a written update

Everyone posts three lines in a shared thread before a set time; you only meet when something is blocked.

Typically saves about 60% of the time15 min to set up

1Agree a format: done, next, blocked.
2Create a channel or a thread that repeats every week.
3Ask everyone to post by a set time; the lead reads them and replies to the blockers.
4Keep a shorter meeting only for the blockers, or cancel it outright.

Tools: Slack, Teams or email

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you set up rules in your project tool that chase updates for you?: Asana, Monday, Jira and Smartsheet can remind task owners before deadlines and alert you when things are late, so you stop sending "any update?" messages.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

Operations manager Project manager Program manager / PMO Operations coordinator

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