Why linking issues to tasks and projects?

When creating a new issue you can select a task it should be linked to or choose not to link the issue to any task at all. What is the difference and what is the purpose of such linking?

Setting up each project depends on the individual character of its workflow and the actual works being performed. Briefly, a project, a task and an issue can be described as follows:

• project is a general direction of the company activity (examples: web site development, customer support, procurement);
• task is a description of the concrete steps taken within the project (examples: creating design within project "web site development"; accepting inquiries within project "customer support"; purchasing office supplies within project "procurement");
• issue is an order to a person to perform some specific action (examples: draw the logo within task "creating design"; sort customer queries by topics within task "accepting inquiries"; buy 20 new pens within task "purchasing office supplies").

Thus, if each performer's actions can be classified as a part of the everyday activity of a company, an organization or a group, it is advisable to create such tasks by linking them to previously defined tasks. This will allow the project manager to quickly estimate the execution progress of works for further planning.

Should several non-recurring issues defy any classification, they should be assigned without linking to any specific task or project (examples: meet a foreigner at the airport, print out 1000 promo leaflets, organize the chief accountant's birthday party).