Task following is a collaboration feature that helps you stay updated on your team members' work. When you follow a task, you get notifications about comments, updates, and progress—but the task doesn't appear on your main task list alongside your own assignments.
This is perfect for managers supervising team members, senior accountants mentoring juniors, or anyone who needs visibility into specific tasks without taking ownership of them.
Why Follow Tasks Instead of Being a Task Member?
Understanding the difference between task members and followers helps you organize your workflow effectively:
Task members are directly responsible for completing the task. These tasks appear on their dashboard alongside their other work.
Followers monitor the task's progress and receive updates but aren't responsible for completion. Followed tasks can be filtered separately from regular tasks.
Example scenario: You're training a new accountant on month-end closing. Assign the task to them (making them a member), then mark yourself as a follower. You'll see all their updates and can provide guidance without the task appearing in your regular workload.
How to Follow a Task
1: Follow When Creating a New Task
Click the + button in the top right corner to add a new task
Fill in the task details (title, client, dates, etc.)
In the Members section, add the team member(s) who will complete the task
Check the "Follow" checkbox below the members section
Click "ADD" to save the task
You're now following the task without being assigned to it.
2: Follow an Existing Task
Open the task you want to follow from your dashboard or task list
Look for the "Follow" checkbox in the Members section (right side panel)
Check the box to start following
The change saves automatically—no need to click anything else
3: Follow Tasks from a Client's Task Plan
If you want to monitor recurring tasks for a specific client over a longer period:
Navigate to the client's profile
Go to the Task Plan tab
Open the recurring task you want to follow
Check the "Follow" checkbox
The change saves automatically
This is especially useful when you need ongoing visibility into a client's regular accounting tasks (like monthly bookkeeping or quarterly VAT returns) handled by other team members.
How to Add Other People as Followers
Sometimes you need to make sure someone else monitors a task's progress—like making a partner aware of a complex engagement or keeping your manager informed about a client issue.
Open the task
In the Members section, click on "Followers (1)" or the number showing current followers
A dropdown menu appears showing all team members
Select the people you want to add as followers
Click OK to save
The selected team members will now receive updates about this task.
Finding Tasks You Follow
Uku provides several ways to quickly access tasks you're following:
Using the "I Follow" Filter
Go to your Dashboard (Tasks view)
Click the filter icon (funnel symbol) in the top right
Click the "+" sign
Select "I Follow" from the filter menu
Only tasks you're following will appear on your dashboard
Pro tip: Save this as a "Saved view"! After applying the filter, click the Save icon and name it something like "Tasks I Follow" so you can return to this view anytime.
Read here: How to save the Dashboard view.
Notifications for Followed Tasks
When you follow a task, you'll receive notifications when:
Someone adds a comment
The task status changes
Files are attached
The due date is modified
Someone mentions you in a comment
Best Practices for Task Following
For Managers and Team Leads:
Follow all client onboarding tasks for new team members to provide guidance
Follow complex or high-risk tasks to monitor progress without micromanaging
Follow tasks during training periods to catch issues early
For Senior Accountants:
Follow junior staff's month-end tasks during their first few months
Follow tasks you've delegated to ensure smooth handoff
Follow client communication tasks for quality control
For Team Collaboration:
Follow tasks where you need visibility but aren't directly involved
Follow tasks waiting on your input even if someone else completes them
Follow tasks affecting your work (like a colleague's task that must finish before yours starts)
Managing Your Followed Tasks
To Stop Following a Task:
Open the task
Uncheck the "Follow" checkbox
The change saves automatically
Bulk Management:
Currently, Uku doesn't support bulk following/unfollowing. You must follow or unfollow tasks individually.
Task Following vs. Other Features
Task Following vs. Task Delegation:
Following = monitoring someone else's work
Delegation = assigning your task to someone else
Task Following vs. Task Comments:
Following = ongoing monitoring with automatic notifications
Comments = one-time communication about the task
Task Following vs. Being a Task Member:
Following = visibility without responsibility
Task member = direct responsibility for completion
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Will followed tasks appear on my main dashboard?
A: Followed tasks don't automatically appear on your main dashboard with your assigned tasks. You need to use the "I Follow" filter to see them. This keeps your workspace focused on your own responsibilities while still allowing access to tasks you're monitoring.
Q: Can I follow tasks from multiple team members at once?
A: Yes! You can follow as many tasks as you need from any team members. However, be mindful of notification overload. Focus on following tasks that genuinely require your oversight.
Q: Do followed tasks count toward my workload in reports?
A: No, followed tasks don't count toward your tracked time or workload in reports. Only tasks where you're a member and have tracked time will appear in your personal reports.
Q: Can clients see who is following their tasks?
A: No, task followers are only visible to internal team members within Uku. Clients in the client portal can only see task members (assignees) and cannot see the follower list.
Q: What happens if I follow a recurring task?
A: When you follow a recurring task from the client's task plan, you'll automatically follow each new instance of that task as it's created. This is perfect for ongoing monitoring of regular client work.
Q: Does following a task notify the task assignee?
A: No, when you follow a task, the assignee doesn't receive a notification that you're now following. However, they can see who's following by clicking on the Followers count in the task details.
Getting Help
If you have questions about task following or need assistance setting up your workflow:
Contact uku@getuku.com for support
Visit the Uku Help Center for more guides
Check out Uku Updates for the latest features