The getting-work-done glossary.

Task ownership means one named person is responsible for delivering a task’s result by its deadline. Others can help, but one person owns the outcome.

A deskless worker is someone whose job doesn’t happen at a desk, such as a technician, cleaner, driver, nurse or site worker. Most of the world’s workforce is deskless.

A frontline worker is someone who does the hands-on work of a business, often directly with customers, products or sites, rather than in an office.

A recurring task is a task that repeats automatically on a schedule, such as daily, weekly or monthly, with the same owner and steps each time.

A shift handover is the transfer of open work, information and responsibility from one shift to the next, so work continues without gaps.

A snag list, also called a punch list, is a list of defects or unfinished items that must be fixed before a construction or fit-out project is handed over.

Proof of work is evidence that a task was completed, such as a photo, a signed form or a short note, attached when the task is closed.

Task delegation is handing a piece of work to someone else, with a clear result, owner and deadline, while keeping responsibility for checking the outcome.

Accountability at work means people take ownership of agreed results and deadlines, and those results are visible and reviewed.

A standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a written, step-by-step description of how a routine task should be done, so it’s done the same way every time.

A work order is a document or task that describes a job to be done, who does it, where and by when.

Field service is work carried out at a customer’s location rather than at the company’s premises, such as repairs, installations or inspections.