Using Assignment Desk

Pitches and assignments are the two items you primarily work with in Assignment Desk. This topic outlines how to work with those items.

Pitches are a group of assignments for developing content associated with a common theme. Examples of pitches include social events, product launches, and documentaries.

To create a pitch:

1. From the Navigation Menu, select Assignment Desk. The Assignment Desk’s dashboard appears.

2. In the left rail, under Create, select Pitch and then click New. A content edit page appears.

   

3. Set Title and Description.
4. Turn on Urgent if the pitch requires immediate attention by the team. Urgent pitches appear at the top of the listing in the Assignment Desk dashboard (see Assignment Desk dashboard).
5. Click Save.

Brightspot creates the pitch. You can add assignments to the pitch.

An assignment is a request for items associated with a pitch. Assignments often have a specific editor, assignee, due date, and detailed instructions.

To create an assignment:

1. Do one of the following:
   
   • In the Assignment Desk’s dashboard, in the left rail, under Create, select Assignment and then click New.
   • In an item’s content edit form, under Assignments, click New Assignment.
   • In the search panel, in the Create widget, select Assignment, then click New.

   A content edit page appears.

   

2. Set the following fields:

   • Title—Subject of the content to be provided.
   • Due Date—Due date for the assignment. The date will be tracked by the Editorial Calendar. When the date becomes past-due, the assignment appears at the top of the listing in the Assignment Desk dashboard (see Assignment Desk dashboard).
   • Urgent—Turn on if the assignment requires immediate attention. Urgent assignments appear at the top of the listing in the Assignment Desk dashboard (see Assignment Desk dashboard).
   • Assignment Type and Description—For the selected content type, provide a detailed description.
   • Pitch—Click the selection field, and selecting an existing pitch, or click search to create a new pitch from the content picker.
   • Related To—Click the selection field, and select a supporting item that might assist the assignee, or click search to create a new item from the content picker.
   • Attachment(s)—Click add_circle_outline to add one or more attachments that support this assignment.

3. (Optional) Under Event Information, select or create a One-Off Event or a Shared Event associated with the assignment.

   • For a One-Off Event, set the fields in the Event form.

     

   • For a Shared Event, click the selection field, and choose an existing event.

     

     Alternatively, click search to create a new event from the content picker.
     

4. Under Team, select or create team members associated with this assignment. Brightspot sends notifications to the team members as the assignment progresses. The team members can be Brightspot users or external team members.

5. In the Assignment widget, set the following fields:

   • Status—Select New.
   • Editor—Click the selection field to select an existing editor or team member to oversee fulfillment, or click search to create a new editor from the content picker.
   • Assignee—Click the selection field to specify an existing editor or team member to perform the assignment, or click search to create a new editor from the content picker.
6. Click Save.

Brightspot creates the assignment, and sends notifications to all associated editors and assignees.

To fulfill an assignment:

1. From the Navigation Menu, select Assignment Desk. The Assignment Desk’s dashboard appears.
2. In the left rail, filter the dashboard for the required assignment (see Assignment Desk dashboard).
3. Click the assignment to which you want to add content. The assignment appears in the content edit page.

4. Scroll down and expand Content.

   

5. Under Create New Content, select a content type for which you want to create an item. The available content types are the ones configured for use with Assignment Desk. (If you do not see a required content type, contact your Brightspot administrator.) A content edit page appears.
6. In the content edit page, create the content to satisfy the assignment.
7. Toward the right of the widget, select more_horiz > Assignment Desk. A widget appears.
8. Review and modify the pitches and assignments associated with this item.
9. In the Editorial Toolbar, click Save a draft or Publish.
10. Click Back. The new item appears under the assignment’s Content accordion.
11. In the Assignment widget, set the Status field to either Fulfilled or Closed.
12. Click Save. Brightspot sends notifications to the team members who have Assignment Desk subscriptions.
13. Click Back to return to the Assignment Desk dashboard.

You can make the following updates to assignments from the dashboard.

• Moving an assignment from one status to another.
• Changing an assignment's assignee.
• Changing and assignment's editor.

To update an assignment from the dashboard:

1. In the header, click in the search field. The search panel appears.
2. Under Global Filters, select Assignment. Add other filters as necessary.
3. Click Board. The search panel appears in board view.
   

   

4. From the Group list, select the field by which you want to group and update the assignments.
5. Drag and drop a card from one column to another.

As you drag and drop the cards, Brightspot updates the assignments and modifies the revision history. For example, dragging an assignment from New to Assigned changes the assignment's status to Assigned.