What is Open Space in Task Manager?
On Tuesday you close a task and change its status to "Done". Yet it's easy to lose track of how many such matters you've managed to bring to completion. Open Space turns part of your daily activity into points: you earn them for closed tasks, work finished ahead of the deadline, and activity on a given day. You don't fill in any extra form or send a weekly summary.
It's a game, not an employee evaluation system. Points can't be lost. An overdue task takes nothing away, nor does a week with fewer closed tasks. If you don't want to appear on the leaderboard, you can hide from it and still collect points for yourself.
How are points earned?
Closing a task with the status "Done" earns you +10 PB and +5 paperclips. Closing it ahead of the deadline earns an extra +5 PB. The first activity of the day is worth +2 PB, and five consecutive working days with activity earns +10 PB for the streak. A weekend doesn't break it: Friday and Monday keep the continuity.
BP, or Office Points, determine your character's level. The thresholds are 100 BP for level two, 250 for level three, then 450 and 700 BP for the next levels. The thresholds continue to rise after that. Paperclips are already accruing, although you can't spend them yet. In the next stage, you'll be able to use them to decorate your character and desk.
Not every completed task earns points. It must have a due date or come from someone else: either someone else created it or other people are assigned to it. A personal note without a due date won't earn points. Each task scores points only once, so reopening and completing it again won't increase your score. The daily limit for points from tasks is 100 BP.
When you complete a task, you get a notification in the “Open Space” category, for example: “Great! +15 BP and +5 📎 (ahead of schedule!)”. Separate notifications let you know when you've earned a streak bonus or reached the next level, which also gives you +10 paperclips. Points for an “office day” accrue without a notification; you'll see them in the history on your player card. If the app is closed, the notification waits until you open it again.
What do you gain?
You don't have to rely solely on memory when you want to recall your recent achievements. On the player card you can see your ten most recent achievements with the date and reason. Work finished ahead of the deadline doesn't get lost among the other completions either.
You can track your own working-day streak without keeping a separate spreadsheet. At the same time, you don't have to compare your results with others: you can earn points privately. A difficult week won't take away what you've already earned.
You don't have to worry about losing the points you've earned, even if an administrator turns off the game for the whole company. Your points will return when it's turned back on.
Use case: customer support team
The support team handles simple tickets as they come in. More complicated threads, however, can carry over from week to week. Open Space doesn't distinguish between tasks by difficulty: every task that meets the requirements earns +10 BP when completed. Completing it before its due date increases that to +15 BP.
On the player card, everyone can check their streak of working days with activity as well as the history of recent achievements. The table shows the date, the reason and the number of points. Two people on the team have hidden themselves from the leaderboard, yet they still collect points for themselves. The office leaderboard shows the top 3 and your own position. It only includes people who have earned points and haven't hidden themselves from the list.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Space a system for evaluating employees?
No. Open Space is a motivational game, not an employee evaluation system. Points can't be lost, not even for overdue tasks.
Can I earn points without appearing in the leaderboard?
Yes. There's a “Hide me from the leaderboard” toggle on the player card. You still earn points, but you won't appear on the office leaderboard.
Can the game be turned off for the whole company?
Yes. An administrator can turn off Open Space with a single toggle in the advanced settings. The card disappears for everyone, points stop accruing, and any points already earned return when the game is turned back on.
What are paperclips for if I can't spend them on anything?
Paperclips are already accruing, but you can't spend them yet. In the next stage of the game, you'll be able to use them to decorate your character and desk. That's when the shop and isometric office will be introduced.