Monday, 8:40. In a model implementation at the nine-person Studio Kreska in Poznań, Marta uploads the files to the hosting server and has the software running 40 minutes later. But she started without a plan, so for the next three days no one else opens it. Your first week with Task Manager can look different: five days, 30 minutes a day, with one goal and one pitfall each day.
Before you start, put four things on your desk
Before installation, prepare your hosting access details, licence key, SMTP settings and list of users. That is all you need to go from an empty directory on the server to sending the first team invitations.
You need access to the hosting control panel, FTP details and the ability to create a MySQL or MariaDB database. Standard shared hosting is sufficient if it supports PHP 8.1 or later and the required extensions. You do not need Composer, Node.js, Redis or command-line access.
You will enter the licence key during installation. Also prepare the SMTP mailbox details: server, port, login and password. This mailbox will handle invitations, password resets and other messages. If you use Gmail, you may need an app password.
Finally, list the employees' names, email addresses and areas of responsibility. Marta has nine people who previously split their arrangements between email, instant messaging and a noticeboard. She does not try to migrate everything at once.
Day 1: install the software and log in as an administrator
On Monday, you install Task Manager on your own server and log in for the first time. The goal for the day is not to configure the entire company, but to get the software running at a single correct address.
First, Marta creates a MySQL database in the hosting control panel and notes down four details: the host, database name, username and password. She then uploads the files to the zadania.studiokreska.pl subdomain directory and opens that address in her browser.
The installer guides her through five screens. On the Requirements screen, it checks for PHP 8.1 or later, the pdo_mysql, openssl and mbstring extensions, and write permissions for the includes/, uploads/ and logs/ directories. If a critical component is missing, the installation cannot continue.
Marta then goes through the Database, Administrator, Application Settings and Mail screens. She enters the first account's details, the software address, licence key and SMTP settings, then sends a test message. The installer creates the configuration file and database tables automatically.
After logging in, Marta sees three columns: Workspaces, a list of Tasks and Chats, and the selected Thread. There is also a “Shared” chat in the software, which new users join automatically. The screenshot above comes from a demo instance.
You buy the licence once for a specified number of seats, and the right to use the software is perpetual. The price includes 12 months of updates. You can then purchase an annual renewal or remain on your current version - not renewing does not block anything. Read-only mode applies when there is no valid licence key, not when access to updates ends. For details, see the page about the Task Manager perpetual licence.
Remote installation costs 299 zł on the Starter plan and is included from the Classic plan upwards.
Day 1 pitfall: installing at an http:// address. HTTPS is required if you want to install the software as a PWA, which is an app with its own icon and a separate window without an address bar. Mixing http:// and https:// addresses can also return you to the login form because of a session cookie issue.
30-minute limit: if the installer reports a missing PHP extension, send your hosting provider a message with the name shown in the notification. Do not try to solve every server administration issue on the first day. You can find the order of the screens in the getting started guide.
Day 2: create Workspaces and invite your team
On Tuesday, create 3-5 Workspaces, test email delivery and only then invite people. Following this order ensures that invitations arrive and employees see the right Workspaces.
At 9:05, Marta creates four Workspaces: Clients, Studio, New website and Finance. A Workspace groups Tasks and Chats, so Marta adopts a simple rule: a department or project gets its own Workspace if it will last at least a month. She archives a fifth Workspace, created too hastily for a single minor item - it disappears from the list, but the data remains.
You can create a Workspace using the + button or a prompt to the AI Assistant. The “All” option shows Tasks and Chats from every Workspace at once.
Before sending invitations, Marta uses the System Mail test function. Only after receiving the message does she open user management and add the first people. She enters their email address, first name, surname and global role: administrator or user.
Permissions are set separately for each Workspace. They determine who can manage the Workspace, add tasks and create chats. The accountant can see Finance and Studio, while the designer works in Clients and New Website. Everyone only gets access to the Workspaces they need.
Each invited person sets their own password. If Ewa has not activated her account by 12:00, Marta does not create a password for her - she clicks “Resend” in the “List” tab.
Module permissions determine which features each person can see. If they do not have access to AI in tasks, AI in chats, the AI Assistant window, Mail or Automations, these elements disappear from their interface.
Day 2 pitfall: sending nine invitations without testing SMTP first. If the messages do not arrive, correct the System Mail settings, send a test message and resend the invitation.
30-minute limit: invite people from the first two Workspaces today. Add the rest once you have confirmed that the roles work as planned. The exact steps are shown in the Users and Roles guide.
Day 3: move current work, not the entire archive
On Wednesday, only move work that is active this week into Task Manager. Do not copy old emails or completed projects, because the team needs to start working, not organise the company’s history.
Marta finds 16 items from the last five days. 12 are added to the app: each one has either an owner or an expected outcome. The other four remain in the email archive.
An item with a due date and an owner becomes a task. Marta enters the subject, description, normal or high priority, a due date with or without a time, and the assignees. Conversations without a single outcome go into two topic-based chats, while informal updates remain in “General”.
The “Website project” task gets a four-item to-do list. As items are ticked off, the progress bar fills up, and each completed item shows who did it. Find more examples in the guide to checklists in tasks.
The colours let you assess the situation without opening any cards. Red indicates an overdue task, blue a task due today and green a task that is on schedule. Grey indicates an item without a due date or one that has been closed.
The “Due”, “Today”, “Overdue” and “Chat” tiles display totals and also work as filters.
Marta sets three naming rules:
- The subject starts with a verb and includes the client or project, for example, “Send mock-ups - Nord”.
- The due date means the date when the result must be delivered, not the day work begins.
- Each person can have no more than one high-priority task at a time.
At the end, everyone creates one task and posts one message with an @ mention. This is a quick test of whether the team can complete the basic workflow without Marta’s help.
Day 3 pitfall: moving the entire archive. Old items increase the numbers but do not teach the team how to work day to day.
30-minute limit: create 10-15 tasks and 2-3 chats. Add the rest to the app only when someone actually starts working on it.
Day 4: connect the AI Assistant to real tasks
On Thursday, you can connect your own AI key and test it on one real task. Task Manager works without AI, so you can postpone this stage if the team is still learning how to use tasks and chats.
Marta chooses one of four providers: OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude or xAI Grok. She creates an API key with the provider and sets a spending limit. She pays the provider directly for usage, with no Task Manager mark-up.
Under Settings → AI, she selects the provider, pastes the key, retrieves the list of models from her account and selects a model. Once saved, the AI Assistant automatically appears for the other users within about a minute. If someone still cannot see it, Marta checks their separate permissions for AI in tasks, AI in chats and the AI Assistant window.
The team gets five prompts to start with:
- “Show my overdue tasks”.
- “Create a task called Prepare the quote, due Friday, and assign it to Ola”.
- “Summarise the Client Arrangements chat from this week”.
- “Change the status of the Website Project task to in progress”.
- “Create a PDF summarising the Website Project task”.
When creating a task, the AI Assistant opens a form with the fields already completed. The link to the generated document is private, works for authorised users and expires after 24 hours.
The app and its database remain on your server, but the question and the selected context are sent to your chosen AI provider using your key. If you do not want to send the contents of a task, message or attachment, do not select them as a knowledge source. Conversations with the AI Assistant are private - even the administrator cannot see them.
The charging model is explained on the AI costs with your own key page.
Day 4 pitfall: simply pasting in the key will not change how the team works. People need ready-made prompts related to what is on their list today.
30-minute limit: spend 10 minutes on configuration and the remaining time on one real task. Do not test dozens of models and random questions.
Day 5: set up the view that starts your morning
On Friday, set up the Notification Centre, Calendar and Board so the team can see the plan without a morning status meeting. The goal is to create one clear starting point for the day, not to enable every possible notification.
At 8:55, Marta places the Notification Centre island by the side edge of the screen. She keeps the task and mention counters for the morning, as both indicate items that require attention. She can disable the other categories separately, while the Ctrl+. shortcut opens the centre without having to find it on the screen.
The Calendar offers 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7-day views, as well as a List panel. Dragging an item changes its due date, times snap to 15-minute intervals, and Ctrl+Z undoes up to 20 changes. The bar at the top shows team absences.
On the Board, each Workspace creates a column with Favourites, Tasks and Chats sections. Marta rearranges the columns, moves the most urgent cards to Favourites and opens the first thread next to the docked Board. The layout is remembered.
She also asks the team to enable browser notifications and set their absence under Settings → Profile tab → Availability Status section; this allows the AI Assistant to warn users when someone assigns a task to a person who is absent. Notifications can be delivered in the app, by email and in the browser. When the app is closed, reminders are sent by email; background delivery requires an optional CRON job on the server.
Day 5 pitfall: disabling all notifications because there are too many. First, move the island or disable one category that does not require your attention.
30-minute limit: do not configure Mail, Files or Automations yet. These are Pro features to cover in the second week.
Your first week with Task Manager comes down to five decisions
Over five days, you decide on the installation address, the structure of Workspaces and roles, the set of current items, the AI configuration and the team’s morning work view. Each decision produces a result you can check without an additional report.
| Day | What you do | Outcome at the end of the day | Pitfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Go through the installer’s five screens | Log in as an administrator and invite your team | Installation over http:// |
| Tuesday | Create Workspaces and roles | The first people activate their accounts | Invitations without an SMTP test |
| Wednesday | You add current tasks and chats | The team works on 10-15 real cases | Copying the archive |
| Thursday | You connect your own AI key | The team knows five commands for the AI Assistant | No ready-made examples |
| Friday | You set up notifications, Calendar and Board | Everyone can see what to start their day with | Turning off all notifications |
What to do next Monday morning
Next Monday at 9:00, open the Board, find two overdue tasks and move them to Favourites. Under each one, write a message mentioning the person responsible with @.
You can spend the second week on Mail, Files and your first rule in Automations if you use the Pro plan. First, however, check whether the team logs in to the application and updates tasks without being reminded. If you want to practise this kind of morning review beforehand, open the Demo.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get started with Task Manager so your team actually uses it?
Start with five short stages: installation, Workspaces, current tasks, optional AI and a daily work view. Do not migrate your archive or configure every module on the first day.
Do I need an IT specialist to install Task Manager?
No, provided you can create a database in your hosting control panel and upload files via FTP. The installer runs in your browser, checks the requirements and creates the configuration and tables automatically; remote installation costs 299 zł on the Starter plan and is included from the Classic plan upwards.
Does Task Manager work without an AI key?
Yes, Task Manager works without AI. Tasks, Chats, Calendar, Board, Notes and notifications do not require an OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude or xAI Grok key.
Why did the team not receive their invitations?
First, check the System Mail settings and send a test message. Once you have corrected the configuration, open the “List” tab under users and click “Resend”; each person sets their own password.
What happens after a year if I do not renew access to updates?
The software will continue to work on the installed version because the licence is perpetual. Annual renewal gives you access to new versions, while read-only mode applies when there is no valid licence key, not when update access has not been renewed.
Sources
The Task Manager Team - we write about teamwork, AI in business and keeping tasks organised, using examples from Task Manager, software installed on your own server. Task Manager has been developed by Blue Creation Group (Piotr Łącz) since 2013 and is used by organisations including Neonet, the Military University of Technology and Polpharma - read customer reviews. We check our articles against the user guide and the latest version of the software.
