Once your user assignments are configured correctly, tasks can be generated, allocated, reviewed, and tracked with minimal manual intervention.
This guide explains the different ways to assign work to your team and how to ensure existing and future tasks are allocated correctly.
Why Task Assignment Matters
DataGrows uses role assignments to determine who should receive work when tasks are generated.
Proper task assignment ensures:
✅ Tasks go to the correct team member automatically
✅ Reviews reach the right manager or partner
✅ Workloads are visible across the team
✅ Reporting remains accurate
✅ No tasks fall through the cracks
Whether you're a sole practitioner or managing a large team, setting up assignments correctly is essential.
Option 1: You Are the Only Person on Your Team
Option 1: You Are the Only Person on Your Team
If you're the only user in DataGrows, setup is very simple.
Step 1: Assign Yourself as the Default User
Navigate to: Setup & Integrations → Setup → Accountant Tasks
Within this table, you'll see a row that contains no values in the:
Group column
Task column
This top-level row controls the default assignments throughout the system.
Click in the Accountant field.
Select your name from the dropdown.
Click anywhere outside the table to save.
Step 2: Assign Yourself to All Clients
Once you've selected your name:
Tick the checkbox next to the record.
Click Actions.
Select: Assign Missing Roles to Clients
This will populate all clients with your name where no role has yet been assigned.
Option 2: You Have Multiple Team Members
Option 2: You Have Multiple Team Members
If multiple people work in your firm, DataGrows provides several levels of assignment flexibility.
You can assign users:
Firm-wide
Per client
Per department
Per task type
Through a bulk upload
Global Roles for All Clients
Global assignments are ideal when the same person performs the same role across the entire firm.
Examples
One Partner reviews all clients.
One person handles all CIPC work.
One specialist manages all individual income tax returns.
How to Configure Global Roles
Navigate to: Setup → Accountant Tasks
On the top-level record:
Accountant
Manager
Partner
Clerk
can all be assigned.
Any user selected here becomes the default assignment throughout the system.
Expanding to Department Level
If you enable the Expand checkbox, DataGrows will display departmental assignments such as:
Accounting
Audit
CIPC
Financials
Payroll
Tax
You can assign different team members to each department.
Example
Department | User |
Accounting | John |
Payroll | Michelle |
CIPC | Mariska |
Tax | Japie |
This allows work to flow directly to specialists.
Expanding to Table Level
Departments can be expanded further.
This allows assignments on specific task tables.
For example:
Tax Department
Provisional Tax
Individual Income Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Each table can have a different owner.
This is useful in firms with highly specialised teams.
Applying Global Assignments to Clients
Applying Global Assignments to Clients
Once you have configured your assignments:
Select the relevant records.
Click Actions.
You will have two options:
Assign Missing Roles to Clients
This option will:
✅ Populate empty client role fields
It will not overwrite existing client-specific assignments.
Use this when:
Setting up DataGrows for the first time
Adding a new specialist role
Preserving existing client allocations
Override Existing Roles
This option will:
✅ Replace existing client-level assignments
Use this when:
Restructuring teams
Moving departments to new managers
Standardising assignments across the firm
Warning: This will overwrite any role assignments already made on individual clients.
Assigning Roles Per Client
Assigning Roles Per Client
Not every client follows the same structure.
For this reason, DataGrows allows assignment overrides at client level.
Accessing Client Roles
Open the Clients Table
Select a client
Open the Client Roles tab
Expand the screen for a full view
Within this area you can assign team members specifically for that client.
Client-Level Assignments
The top row contains no Group or Task value.
Assignments here apply to:
All departments
All tasks
The entire client
Example
Role | User |
Accountant | Lizel |
Manager | Dane |
Partner | Sue |
Every task for this client will inherit these assignments unless refined further.
Department-Level Assignments
Rows containing a Group value, but no Task value operate at department level.
For example:
Department | Accountant |
Payroll | Michelle |
CIPC | Mariska |
Department assignments override global assignments.
Task-Level Assignments
Rows containing both:
Group
Task
operate at the most detailed level.
Example
Department | Task | Accountant |
Tax | Individual Tax Returns | Japie |
These assignments override both:
Global roles
Department roles
This allows you to assign specialists exactly where needed.
Bulk Assigning Client Roles
Bulk Assigning Client Roles
For larger firms, assigning each client manually can be time-consuming.
DataGrows provides a bulk upload option using Excel.
Download the Template
Navigate to:
Setup & Integrations → Setup → Data Upload
Locate the:
Client Roles upload record.
If it doesn't exist:
Click Add Record
Select Client Roles, and choose your Firm.
Save & Close
Check the checkbox of the record, and use the Action Generate Excel
Run the process and download the Excel template.
Understanding the Excel Template
The template uses three assignment levels.
Level 1: Client
Assigns users to the entire client.
These assignments flow throughout all departments and tasks unless overridden.
Level 2: Department
Assigns users to a specific department.
Examples:
Tax
Payroll
Accounting
CIPC
These assignments override Level 1.
Level 3: Task
Assigns users to a specific task table.
Examples:
VAT Returns
Payroll Processing
Individual Tax Returns
These assignments override both Level 1 and Level 2.
Upload the Completed Template
Once your assignments are complete:
Save the file as Excel.
Return to the Data Upload table.
Open the Client Roles record.
Remove the old file.
Upload your completed file.
Change Status to: Submit
Save.
The import will begin automatically.
Monitoring the Import
When processing is complete:
A notification will appear.
Import results will be displayed.
Any issues will appear in the Notes column.
If an error occurs:
Correct the file.
Re-upload.
Submit again.
Final Step: Assign Existing Tasks
Final Step: Assign Existing Tasks
After configuring client assignments, you must update existing tasks.
This ensures all generated tasks reflect the new role assignments.
How to Assign Existing Tasks
Navigate to: Clients Table
Select All Clients
Set Rows Per Page to the maximum value.
Tick the checkbox in the column header.
Verify the selected record count matches your client total.
Run the Assignment Process
Once all clients are selected:
Click Actions
Select:
Assign as per Client and choose the appropriate action from the dropdown.
DataGrows will now update tasks according to the role assignments configured on each client.
Assignment Hierarchy Explained
Assignment Hierarchy Explained
Understanding the assignment hierarchy is important.
DataGrows follows the following order:
Lowest Priority
Global Assignment
⬇
Medium Priority
Department Assignment
⬇
Highest Priority
Task/Table Assignment
This means the most specific assignment always wins.
Example
Global Accountant = Mariska
Tax Accountant = Jeff
Individual Tax Returns Accountant = Japie
Result:
Most tasks go to Mariska
Tax tasks go to Jeff
Individual Tax Returns go to Japie
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
✅ Role assignments can be configured globally, per client, per department, or per task.
✅ The Accountant Tasks table controls default assignments across the firm.
✅ Client Roles allow unique assignments for specific clients.
✅ Department and Task-level assignments override higher-level assignments.
✅ Bulk uploads make assignment management easier for larger firms.
✅ Once assignments are configured, run Assign as per Client to update existing tasks.
✅ The assignment hierarchy is Global → Department → Task, with the most specific assignment taking priority.
Remember: Good automation starts with good assignments. Taking the time to configure roles correctly ensures tasks are generated, assigned, reviewed, and completed by the right people every time.